七子

The parable in the <Nirvana Sutra> of the sick son whose parents, though they love all their sons equally, devote themselves to him. So does the Buddha specially care for sinners. The seven sons are likened to mankind, devas, sravakas, pratyeka-buddhas, and the three kinds of bodhisattvas of the [lang id =1028]藏, [lang id =1028]通 and [lang id =1028]別教.