The Buddha in his last days of teaching

Chapter 5, the Parable of the Herbs, the Lotus Sutra, is part of Tuesday’s morning meditation, and it struck me that practicing the teachings of the Buddha with the Lotus Sutra is one of participation, actually recreating, reliving moments in time, so many centuries ago. This marks the progression of Mahayana (great vehicle) teachings from earlier practices which were centered largely in monasteries and adhered more to rules and regulations, precepts, rather than more transcendent contemplations.  In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha proclaims that he appears in the world to bring peace to all creatures, to “preach the Law pure as sweet dew, the one and only Law of emancipation and nirvana, with one transcendent voice constantly taking the Great-vehicle as his subject.” Ultimately, nirvana and eventually Perfect Enlightenment are attained through devotion to the Lotus Sutra.

5 - Parable of the Herbs

AT THAT TIME the World-honored One addressed Maha-Kashyapa and the other great disciples: “Good! Good! Kashyapa; you have well proclaimed the real merits of the Tathagata, truly they are as you have said. The Tathagata in addition has infinite, boundless, innumerable merits, which if you spoke of for infinite countless kalpas you could not fully express. Know, Kashyapa! the Tathagata is the king of the law. Whatever he declares is wholly free from falsity. He expounds all the laws by wise tactfulness. The Law preached by him all leads to the stage of perfect knowledge. The Tathagata sees and knows what is the good of all the laws and also knows what all living beings in their inmost hearts are doing; he penetrates them without hindrance. Moreover in regard to all laws, having the utmost understanding of them, he reveals to all living beings the wisdom of perfect knowledge.”

  The Buddha addresses Maha-Kashyapa and the other great disciples with praise because they have well proclaimed the merits of the Tathagata. In the parable of the herbs, he addresses the other infinite, boundless, innumerable merits of the Tathagata, comparing his compassion for all living beings to “a dense cloud, spreading everywhere, covering the three-thousand-great-thousand fold world, pouring down the rain equally and at the same time. . .”

  “In the great assembly he sounds forth these words: ‘I am the Tathagata, the Worshipful, the All Wise, the Perfectly Enlightened in Conduct, the Well Departed, the Understander of the World, the Peerless Leader, the Controller, the Teacher of Gods and Living Beings, the Buddha, the World-honored One. Those who have not yet been saved I cause to be saved; those who have not yet been set free to be set free; those who have not yet been comforted to be comforted; those who have not yet obtained nirvana to obtain nirvana. I know the present world and the world to come as they really are. I am the All Knowing, the All Seeing, the Knower of the Way, the Opener of the Way, the Preacher of the Way. Come to me, all you gods, living beings, and asuras, to hear the Law. At that moment numberless thousand myriad countless classes of living beings came to the Buddha to hear the Law.”

“Know, Kashyapa!
It is like a great cloud rising above the world,
covering all things everywhere,
A beneficent cloud full of moisture;
flashes of lightning shine and glint,
the voice of thunder vibrates afar,
bringing gladness and ease to all.
The sun’s rays are veiled and the earth is cooled;
the cloud lowers and spreads
as if it might be caught and gathered;
its rain everywhere equally descends on all sides,
streaming and pouring without stint,
enriching all the land. . .”

“I am the Tathagata,
the most honored among living beings;
I appear in the world
just like a great cloud,
to pour enrichment on all
parched living beings,
to free them all from misery
and so attain the joy of peace,
joy in the world, and the joy of nirvana.

“Gods, living beings, and all!
with all your mind hearken to me.
Come all of you here
and behold the peerless honored one.
I am the World-honored One,
who cannot be equaled.
To give peace to all creatures
I appear in the world,
and for the hosts of the living,
preach the Law pure as sweet dew,
the one and only Law
of emancipation and nirvana.
With one transcendent voice
I proclaim this meaning,
constantly taking the Great-vehicle
as my subject.

“I look upon all
everywhere with equal eyes,
without distinction of persons,
or mind of love or hate.
I have no predilections
nor limitations or partiality;
ever to all I preach the Law equally;
as to one person, so to all.

“Constantly I proclaim the Law,
never occupied with aught else;
going or coming, sitting or standing,
I never weary of pouring it
abundantly upon the world,
like the rain enriching universally.
Honored and humble, high and low,
law-keepers and law-breakers,
those of perfect character
and those of imperfect,
orthodox and heterodox,
quick-witted and dull-witted,
with equal mind I rain the rain of the Law
unwearyingly.

  The Buddha’s preaching in this One-vehicle sutra is more about his experience in this and previous lives than on listing precepts, rules and regulations. Here he urges followers to gain the same awareness he has attained, describing “abodes in several places” of all creatures, according to their receptive powers in hearing the Law and causes they’ve made to practice the Law, thus finding themselves in various stages toward reaching enlightenment; comparing these stages and abodes to smaller, larger, or superiors herbs; shrubs, or trees.

    Contemplating these verses alerts us to various causes we ourselves can make, to become “firmly settled in the transcendent, rolling the unretreating wheel.” High-flown as these causes may seem, isn’t is possible they can be made in today’s world?

“Those who know the faultless Law
and are able to attain nirvana,
who cultivate the six transcendent faculties
and obtain the three clear views . . .
ever practicing meditation,
and obtain self-enlightenment—
these are the larger herbs.

“Those who seek the World-honored One,
resolving, We will become enlightened ones,
and practice zeal and meditation—
these are the superior herbs.

“And these Buddha sons and daughters
who single-minded walk the Buddha-way,
ever practicing compassion,
assured that they will become buddhas
certainly and without doubt—
these are named shrubs.

“The firmly settled in the transcendent,
who role the unretreating wheel
and save infinite hundred
thousands, countless of the living beings,
such bodhisattvas as these are named trees.”

“I rain down the rain of the Law,
filling the whole world,
the one essential Law
to be practiced according to ability,
just as those thickets, forests,
herbs, and trees,
according to their size,
luxuriantly develop.

“As the bodhisattvas who are firm in wisdom,
penetrate the triple world,
and seek the highest vehicle,
these are named shrubs
which gain increasing growth.

  The Buddha describes the “abodes in several places” of all creatures who “according to their receptive powers” in hearing the Law and causes they’ve made to practice the Law, find themselves in various stages toward reaching enlightenment; comparing these abodes to smaller, larger, or superiors herbs; shrubs, or trees.

“Again, those who practice meditation
and gain transcendent powers,
who hearing the doctrine of the Void,
greatly rejoice in their minds,
and emitting innumerable rays
save all living beings,
these are named trees
which gain increasing growth.

“Like this, Kashyapa,
is the law preached by the Buddha.
It is just like a great cloud
which with the same kind of rain
enriches all living beings and blossoms,
so that each bears fruit.

“Know, Kashyapa!
By numerous reasonings
and various parables
I reveal the Buddha-way;
This is my tactful method,
all enlightened ones do the same.

“What I now have said to you all,
is the veriest truth.
All persons of learning come to attain nirvana.
The way in which you walk
is the Bodhisattva way.
By gradually practicing and learning,
all of you will become buddhas.”