The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs
The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wondrous Dharma,
Chapter 5: The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs
It happened on a very hot day; the sunlight was strong and baked the ground dry. Then, a dense cloud spread out across the whole sky, enveloping the entire world, and rain poured down everywhere in the same way. Throughout the world there were various types of plants and trees. The rain fell on all of them equally and moistened the ground all over the world.
There were large, medium-sized, and small trees; herbs; and other kinds of plants. Their roots, stalks, branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits received the blessing of rain equally, and began to shine vividly. Even though they receive the rain from the same cloud impartially, the amount of moisture each of them takes differs according to their size and kind. A large tree needs a lot of moisture while a small herb needs only a little. Each of them grows and matures according to its own nature, blooms, and produces fruits.
A large tree has its own role in the forest, and so does a small tree. A small tree is not inferior to a larger one. All plants and trees live their lives to their fullest, according to their innate nature. As everyone performs their own role, the whole world becomes alive.
Commentary
The dried ground baked by the strong sunlight indicates that we live among worries and various kinds of suffering. The large cloud symbolizes the Buddha, and the blessed rain represents his teachings. As plants and trees are waiting for the rain, we are awaiting something to quench the thirst in our hearts. The Buddha as a large cloud covers the whole world and pours down the rain of the teachings on everything equally. As all people have different characters and abilities, and the circumstances in which they grew up are different, they accept the teachings in different ways. But they all can grow in proportion to their respective abilities.
The roots, stalks, branches, and leaves symbolize faith, precepts, meditation, and wisdom, respectively. Roots, the vital part of plants and trees, symbolize faith. Because we have faith, we can keep the precepts, or the rules that people who take refuge in the Buddha’s teachings must follow. Keeping the precepts, in turn, brings us to the state of meditation, in which we can concentrate on the truth and do not waver. As we enter the state of meditation, we can obtain the supreme wisdom. However strong their roots may be, plants will eventually die if their branches and leaves wither or if their stalks are cut. Religious practice begins with faith, and culminates in wisdom by way of precepts and meditation, and all of these four aspects are essential for any religious practice.
Just as there is difference in the size of plants and trees, there are all kinds of differences in the characters and abilities of human beings. However, even though we have differences, all of us are a noble existence if we demonstrate our full potential according to our own abilities. You do not need to feel inferior when you see a tree larger than you. We are just like plants and trees that grow from the same soil, and we all live in one life. We are sustained by the great compassion of the Buddha. In this sense, although we have superficial differences to one another, we are all equal.
There is a meaning in itself that all people are different in their appearances and abilities while they all receive the Buddha’s life equally. It is important to know what kind of roles we have in our lives. To perform our roles in the world to the best of our abilities means practicing the bodhisattva way, which is symbolized in this story as flowers. We will definitely be able to attain the buddhahood, symbolized as fruits in the story, if we continue practicing the way with diligence.
Editorial supervision by the Chuo Academic
Research Institute
*Commentary is based on Buddhism for Today and The Threefold Lotus Sutra: A Modern Commentary, both by Nikkyo Niwano.