Discussion of “The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs” Chapter (Chapter 5).
Saito: In her book, The Future: Images and Processes, Elise Boulding quotes children ages ten through fourteen about their vision of the world in 200s (which coincidentally is the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Soka Gakkai). These interviews all took place about twenty years ago!
Ikeda: What will the world be like in 2005? One child describes his vision of the world:
This is the year 2005 and the Earth is green and fertile on one side of the Earth, and the other side is black smoke and all polluted. Nothing can grow on that side of the world. On the green side of the Earth, kids are playing all day and all night. We never sleep. On the black side there are just robots wishing that they could play. There is a wall separating the black side and the green side of the Earth. The wall is called the wall of justice. It keeps the pollution on the black side of the Earth… Scientists say that in ten years we will have to build a new wall of justice or move to the moon.’
Another child writes: “I think in the year 200s we… will be at war and some of the government will be different. They will try to run our lives, tell us who to marry and what job to get. Men will be doing the housework and cooking and the women will come home from work and sit down in their favorite chair Ito
watch television].”2
And another says: “I would like the people to be kind… There would be no guns, and there would not be any wars. We would be friendly with the Martians.” 3
Endo: Elise Boulding 1s a world-class scholar known for her research in a wide range of areas, including peace studies, education and women’s issues. She was also named the first recipient of the Global Citizen Award by the Boston Research Center for the 2Tst Century [now called the Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue] in 1995.
Suda: The Future was co-authored by her late husband, Kenneth Boulding, who was a prominent economist and a pioneer of peace studies.
Saito: I sense that in publishing the Bouldings book, their purpose was not to blithely report the words of children but to sound a warning for adult society.
Endo: That’s right. Children, in their own way, are thinking about the future of the planet. And because they can sense more readily what is good or bad, they are probably in a position to see things with originality and freshness beyond the reach of adults.
Ikeda: Elise Boulding, who conducted the interviews in the book, has asserted all along that children must be co-participants in the building of future society. If we can create a social environment that responds to children’s hopes, she reasons, it will probably also afford a richness of life for adults.
She emphatically sums up her position: “We must take control of our lives, because within us is the seed of a new reality — a seed that cannot grow until our lives are our own. It is a reality of ecsta-sy, made up of love, justice, freedom, peace, and plenty'” She describes a yearning to open the “seed of joy” in the lives of all people. The Lotus Sutra explains that all people can open up the unsurpassed seed of the Buddha nature in their lives. And
“The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs,” the fifth chapter, describes the Buddha’s undiscriminating compassion that makes this possible.
THE PARABLE OF THE THREE KINDS OF MEDICINAL HERBS AND TWO KINDS OF TREES
The equality of the Buddha’s preaching is like a rain of a single flavor, but depending upon the nature of the living being, the way in which it is received is not uniform, just as the various plants and trees each receive the moisture in a different manner.
The Buddha employs this parable
as an expedient means to open up and reveal the matter, using various kinds of words and phrases and expounding the single Law, but in terms of the buddha wisdom this is no more than one drop of the ocean.
I rain down the Dharma rain, filling the whole world, and this single-flavored Dharma
is practiced by each according to the individual’s power.
It is like those thickets and groves, medicinal herbs and trees
that, according to whether they are large or small, bit by bit grow lush and beautiful. (ISOC, I4I-42)
Saito: I’d like to start by explaining the position of the “Medici-nal Herbs” chapter within the Lotus Sutra.
In the fourth chapter, “Belief and Understanding,” Mahakashyapa® and the other great voice-hearers indicate that they understand Shakyamuni’s preaching lof the parable of the three carts and the burning house’ in “Simile and Parable,” the third chapter] by relating the parable of the wealthy man and his poor son.
In “Medicinal Herbs,” Shakyamuni, having heard this discourse, praises the four great voice-hearers, saying: “Excellent, excellent, Kashyapa. You have given an excellent description of the true blessings of the thus come one” (ISOC, I34). He further states:
“The thus come one indeed has immeasurable, boundless, asamkhyas of blessings, and though you and the others were to spend immeasurable millions of kalpas in the effort, you could never finish describing them” (ISOC, 134). Shakyamuni then expounds the parable of the three kinds of medicinal herbs and two kinds of trees.
“Medicinal Herbs” thus serves a twofold purpose. In it, the Buddha both affirms the earlier teaching his disciples have grasped and supplements it with an additional teaching. The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai of China designates this manner of preaching as “pre-sentation and mastery.”
Then, in “Bestowal of Prophecy,” the next chapter, each of the four great voice-hearers is given a prophecy that he is certain to become a Buddha. Shakyamuni specifically indicates when, where and under what name each will attain enlightenment.
Endo: In other words, we see a four-step development: Shakya-muni’s initial preaching, understanding by the four great voice-hearers, Shakyamuni’s affirmation and additional preaching (presentation and mastery), and the prophecy of enlightenment for the four.
We see the same four-step process in the cases of both Sharipu-tra (in “Expedient Means,” the second chapter) and the group of voice-hearers represented by Purna’ (in “The Parable of the Phantom City,” the seventh chapter).
Ikeda: This life-to-life exchange, this oneness of mentor and disciple holds the key to attaining Buddhahood.
Leaving the discussion of the prophecy of enlightenment for another occasion, we can say that Shakyamuni, in employing “presentation and mastery,” seeks to clarify that the voice-hearers who believe and understand his Lotus Sutra preaching have undoubtedly entered the bodhisattva path leading to Buddhahood.
Saito: This is clearly indicated at the close of “Medicinal Herbs” where Shakyamuni says:
What you are practicing is the bodhisattva way,
and as you gradually advance in practice and learning you are all certain to attain buddhahood. (ISOC, 143)
Endo: And it is on this premise that Shakyamuni later prophesies enlightenment for each of the voice-hearers.
Ikeda: To unfailingly enter the path to enlightenment is the benefit of believing and understanding the one Buddha vehicle of the Lotus Sutra. The parable in “Medicinal Herbs” of the three kinds of medicinal herbs and two kinds of trees explains this benefit in further detail.
Suda: Let me try to summarize the parable.
First, it is pointed out that various trees and medicinal herbs grow in mountains and streams, ravines and valleys throughout the world, and that these plants differ in name and form. Of these grasses and trees, the medicinal herbs are distinguished as superior, middling or inferior, and the trees as large or small.
That’s why it is called the parable of the three kinds of medicinal herbs and two kinds of trees.
It says: “A great cloud … / rises up in the world / and covers it all over. / This beneficent cloud is laden with moisture” (ISOC,
137). The rain from this cloud falls widely, moistening the trees and medicinal herbs. And while the rain falls everywhere equally, the medicinal herbs and trees grow according to their respective natures and produce different flowers and fruit.
The parable explains that there are many distinctions among the multitude of herbs and trees, even though they grow in the same earth and are moistened by the same rain.
Endo: The “great cloud” represents the Buddha, and its rising up and covering the world signifies the Buddha’s appearance. Also, the rain that falls equally everywhere represents the Buddha’s preaching and is called “Dharma rain.” The various plants and trees are the various living beings, and their receiving the rainfall signifies
“hearing the Law.” Also, the growth and the production of flowers and fruit by the plants and trees could be said to correspond to practice and benefit.
Of the three kinds of medicinal herbs, the inferior medicinal herbs stand for those beings in the worlds of humanity and heav-en. The middling herbs represent those in the worlds of learning and realization. And the superior herbs and the two kinds of trees, small and large, all indicate those in the world of bodhisattva who aspire to become Buddhas.
Suda: Given that the superior medicinal herbs and the small and large trees all represent bodhisattvas, the question arises as to how these should be further distinguished. Over the ages a variety of theories have been proposed. Tien-t’ai, for example, says that the superior herbs correspond to bodhisattvas of the Tripitaka (or Theravada) teaching; the small trees to those of the connecting (or introductory Mahayana) teaching; and the large trees to those of the specific teaching (so called because it was expounded specifically for bodhisattvas).
Saito: That the rain talls equally signifies that the Law the Buddha preaches is “of one form, one flavor” (LSOC, I36). This means that ultimately the Buddha’s preaching contains the benefit to enable all people equally to become Buddhas; it is the one Buddha vehicle.
Ikeda: That’s the essence of the Buddha’s preaching from the Buddha’s standpoint. But the people, for their part, fail to understand this benefit. The quantity of the rain received and its efficacy differ according to the particular character and size of the plants and trees. Similarly, although the Buddha expounds only the one Buddha vehicle, there are differences in how people receive this teaching. As it filters down through people’s under-standing, the Buddha’s teaching takes on the form of the so-called three vehicles.
Suda: Ultimately, the parable of the three kinds of medicinal herbs and two kinds of trees, like the preceding two parables (of the three carts and the burning house, and of the wealthy man and his poor son), expresses the principle of the replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle.
For one thing, it clarifies (as do these earlier parables) why the Buddha has expounded the teachings of the three vehicles. It indicates that because people differ widely in terms of their intellectual capacity and disposition to receive the Buddha’s teachings, the Buddha expounded a variety of teachings to match the capacity and tendency of each.
Also, this parable clarifies that while the Buddha’s teachings are many and varied, their essence in every case is the one Buddha vehicle. And, like the rain, it falls upon all equally and has one
“flavor.”
Ikeda: I am always impressed by the marvelous skill of the parables in the Lotus Sutra. The Chinese author Jin Yong”, with whom I have spoken, characterizes the Lotus Sutra as a “record of dialogue between Shakyamuni and his disciples and as “great liter-ature” for its skillful use of metaphor.
Suda: I gather that he has a keen interest in Buddhism, and in the Lotus Sutra in particular.
Ikeda: He knows a great deal about Buddhism. One of his novels, Semi-Gods and Semi-Devils, takes its original Chinese title from a line in the “Devadatta” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The beings thus indicated – including heavenly beings, dragons and yakshas
—are among the assembly gathered in the sutra’s “Introduction” chapter.
Endo: Collectively, these are known as the eight kinds of nonhuman beings.
Ikeda: That’s right. The novel is set in a Buddhist land called Dali during China’s Northern Sung period (960-1127). The expression “semi-gods and semi-devils” in the title reflects the diverse personalities of the characters.
Suda: You proposed that he write the calligraphy for the Hiroshima Prayer for Peace Monument.”
Ikeda: He is a fighter wielding the pen of peace who has consistently and forcefully argued against nuclear weapons. After careful consideration, I concluded that Jin Yong would be the most suitable person to pen the inscription.
I understand that since then he has been reading the Lotus Sutra and practicing his hand every day. Because, as he put it, he wants to imbue the characters with the Lotus Sutra’s spirit of peace.
Saito: It seems that when we pursue the roots of Eastern civiliza-tion, ultimately we arrive at the Lotus Sutra.
Ikeda: Indeed. And even within so great a work of religious literature as the Lotus Sutra, the parable of the three kinds of medicinal herbs and two kinds of trees holds a unique interest. Among the seven parables of the Lotus Sutra, it alone emphasizes the diversity of living beings. Through this emphasis, it highlights the equality of the Buddha’s compassion.
The Buddha’s compassion is perfectly equal and impartial. The Buddha views all beings as his own children and strives to elevate them to attain his same enlightened state of life.
It’s not that there are no differences among people. Rather, it’s that the Buddha, while fully recognizing people’s differences, does not discriminate among them. The Buddha respects people’s individuality and desires that they may freely manifest their unique qualities. He is neither partial nor adverse toward people on account of their individual proclivities. The Buddha loves, rejoices at and tries to bring out each person’s uniqueness; this is his compassion and his wisdom.
Suda: In “Medicinal Herbs,” Shakyamuni explains:
I look upon all things as being universally equal,
I have no mind to favor this or that, to love one or hate another.
I am without greed or attachment and without limitation or hindrance.
At all times, for all things I preach the Law equally; as I would for a singe person,
that same way I do for numerous persons. (ISOC, 140)
He states that the Buddha equally expounds the Law for all beings; and that he expounds the Law to many people without partiality, just as he would for an individual.
Ikeda: The important point is that the Buddha’s preaching begins from a recognition of human diversity. The Buddha asks the question: How can I enable each person to attain Buddhahood, notwithstanding differences in circumstance, temperament and capacity? The Lotus Sutra, without departing in the least from the reality of the individual, clarifies the path to Buddhahood for all.
The humanism of the Lotus Sutra comes down to the tenet of treasuring the individual. This is the Buddha’s spirit. The Lotus Sutra’s fundamental objective of universal enlightenment begins with treasuring the individual and can be realized only through steadfast adherence to this point.
To love people or love humanity in the abstract is easy. To feel compassion toward real individuals is difficult.
The great Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky points to this seeming contradiction in the sentiments expressed by a character in one of his novels: “The greater my love of mankind in gener-al, the less I love people in particular, that is to say, separately, as individuals.”? And elsewhere he says, “In abstract love for humanity one almost always loves no one but oneself.”13
The Soka Gakkai, without ever departing from the individual human being, has been fighting to enable all people to realize absolute happiness. This is a lofty endeavor that will shine brilliantly in the annals of human history.
Endo: In a practical sense, the Lotus Sutra exists here and now within the Soka Gakkai.
Incidentally, why is it that people, whose lives are so precious, are allegorically represented as plants and trees? This point may be difficult to understand.
Ikeda: Yes. The same could be said of comparing the Buddha to a cloud. To fathom this particular allegory, consider the climate and culture of India.
Suda: The weather in India is divided into three seasons, dry, hot and rainy. The rainy season lasts for about four months, and there is very little rainfall during the remaining eight months of the year.
As a result, rain is eagerly awaited and comes, quite literally, as a blessing. Perhaps for that reason, we find many examples in the Buddhist scriptures— as with the “Dharma rain” here in the
“Medicinal Herbs” chapter-where the Buddha’s teaching is compared to rain.
Endo: In India, I understand, when it rains, people customarily say that the weather is good.
In 1992, I accompanied you, President Ikeda, on your trip to India. It rained on the day of our arrival. I was discouraged at this, but everyone else was delighted. I was told that in India there is a saying that rain falls when an honored guest is received. It was a minor incident of culture shock
Saito: We Japanese tend to write off rain as unfortunate. But in light of the cultural and religious background of India, the comparison of the Buddha to a great cloud makes perfect sense. Since before the advent of Buddhism, the Vedic god Indira, 4 who is said to cause rainfall and is also associated with lightning, has commanded the Indian people’s greatest affection and reverence. It’s conceivable that the comparison of the Buddha to a cloud draws upon this image. Thus, in “Medicinal Herbs,” we find the passage:
This beneficent cloud is laden with moisture, the lightning gleams and flashes,
and the sound of thunder reverberates afar, causing the multitude to rejoice. (ISOC, 137-38)
Ikeda: The “sound of thunder” is the Buddha’s great, compassionate voice with which he seeks to lead people to happiness. A cloud that covers the sky and sends rain down is indeed an apt metaphor for the Buddha who lovingly protects all people.
In any event, this discussion underlines just how important it is to be sensitive to the many differences — cultural, historical and geographical — in people’s experiences. For instance, there are places where even an analogy so seemingly straightforward as “faith that is like fire versus faith like water” will not make sense to all people. People of other countries won’t necessarily understand or agree with something simply on the rationale that “this is how it’s done in Japan.”
We need to rack our brains to figure out how Buddhism can be made understandable to people of different cultures and back-grounds. This is the spirit of Buddhism; it is the exact opposite of self-complacence.
As for the comparison of living beings with plants and trees, since in India there are long periods during which no rain falls, raising plants and trees requires considerable effort. And, in like measure, plants and trees are highly prized. People — precious beings all —are likened to plants and trees because they are similarly guided toward Buddhahood by the strenuous efforts of the Buddha.
Endo: In his Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom, the great Indian Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna uses the image of “severing [the roots of] plants or trees” to describe the spirit of not begrudging one’s life [in making offerings to the Law]. Even in this expression, we sense a reverence for plants and trees as things possessing life and as important in some sense on a par with human beings.
Suda: This brings us to the question of why this chapter is titled
“The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs.” Medicinal herbs certainly figure prominently in the parable of the three kinds of medicinal herbs and two kinds of trees; but in the text of the chapter, the term medicinal herbs is mentioned along with plants, bushes, thick-ets, groves and trees large and small (see ISOC, 138). Wouldn’t “Para-ble of the Trees” or “Parable of the Plants and Trees” make an equally suitable title?
IReda: So it would seem As a matter of fact, the part of the Lotus Sutra in Sanskrit corresponding to the “Medicinal Herbs” chapter contains a section that does not appear in Kumarajiva’s transla-. tion, though it is included in other Chinese translations.
Saito: It’s a fairly lengthy passage. And in it there is heightened focus on medicinal herbs.
Tkeda: It says in one place, “In the Snow Mountains, the king of mountains, there are four kinds of medicinal herbs?”1s
The Snow Mountains are the Himalayas. The great Snow Mountains certainly have a regal appearance. They have a dignity like that of someone who has realized total victory. It seems most appropriate that this land should have been the birthplace of Shakya-muni, who attained the supreme summit of human existence.
In the Sanskrit text, “Medicinal Herbs” tells the story of how a physician goes into the Himalayas in search of herbs to cure a man who has been blind since birth.
Saito: The four kinds of medicinal herbs said to be found in the Himalayas are called (I) “Storing the Causes of All Color and Flavor,” (2) “Curing All Ills,” (3) “Removing All Poisons” and
(4) “Giving Peace and Comfort From the Symptoms of Every Disease.”
Thanks to the medicinal herbs, the man regains his sight and is delighted. He succumbs, however, to the illusion that, because he can see, he has complete understanding of all things in the world.
Ikeda: The man’s blindness signifies the state of life of those immersed in the sufferings of the six paths.’ His condition after the blindness is cured signifies the state of life of those who have freed themselves from the endless cycle of transmigration in the six paths of existence. Such beings include those who are satisfied with the enlightenment of the world of learning and those who are comfortable dwelling in the state of realization. The point, however, is that all people should aspire to supreme enlighten-ment, that is, the state of Buddhahood.
Suda: The physician in the story, then, represents the Buddha.
Ikeda: Yes. In “Life Span” as well, the Buddha is described as a
“skilled physician.” The Buddha is a great physician of existence and of human life.
The Chinese character for medicine has two parts. The top part means “herb” and the bottom “comfort.” Medicine cures life’s ills and gives comfort. This is a simple analysis of the characters and is not a strict etymology.
Endo: The important thing is what precisely is the “medicine” that can impart supreme and indestructible peace and ease?
Ikeda: That’s right. Nichiren Daishonin says, “‘Medicine’ means the ‘medi-cine of excellent color and fragrance of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo'” (GZ, 824).
He also says, “There can be no question that through this act the truly excellent medicine of the Wonderful Law is being applied in order to cure the grave illness of darkness that afflicts all living beings” (OTT, 4I). Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the “secret medicine” for fundamentally leading all people to enlightenment. This is the essential point of “Medicinal Herbs.”
THE BUDDHA EMBRACES ALL BEINGS WITH HIS COMPASSIONATE WISDOM
Saito: The Buddha, while understanding the differences among living beings, expounds the one Buddha vehicle that benefits all equally. The “Medicinal Herbs” chapter calls the Buddha, who possesses such wisdom, “one who knows all things” (ISOC, 135) and emphasizes the Buddha’s wisdom, which is a “wisdom embracing all species” (LSOC, 136).
Ikeda: Since the Buddha is “one who knows all things,’ he can expound all manner of teachings and correctly guide all people.
Moreover, he raises people in such a way as to enable them to acquire the same universal knowledge that he possesses; that is, to attain the state of Buddhahood.
Endo: Such knowledge sounds a lot like the faculty of omniscience that Christians attribute to God. What is the difference between these two kinds of knowing?
Ikeda: As you point out, in Christianity the perfect wisdom of the Creator is termed “omniscience.” The argument seems to go that since all things were created by this divine being, he is all-knowing.
The Buddha’s encompassing knowledge is not of this kind.
There are various interpretations, but I believe that the Buddha’s knowledge of all things refers to his wisdom to completely and thoroughly understand all living beings and what teachings should be expounded to them; and that he possesses this wisdom because of his compassion to lead all people to happiness. The Buddha’s knowledge of all things could be called “wisdom that is one with compassion.”
On this point, I find the interpretation given in the Buddhist text the Milindapanha (The Questions of King Menander) most enlightening. It explains that the Buddha can know all things because he concentrates so intently on what he wishes to know.
It is not the case that he knows everything from the outset.
Since the Buddha knows the true entity of his own life, when he directs his heart toward an individual, he understands the person’s thoughts and sufferings as well as everything necessary to lead him or her to enlightenment —including the teaching through which the person can advance toward Buddhahood.
Because of his compassion, the Buddha directs his heart toward the people. His spirit is to lead all suffering beings to happiness without fail. In this spirit of affection and concern for others, the Buddha is like a parent desperately trying to protect his children.
From such compassion, boundless wisdom arises. I think this is the nature of the Buddha’s all-encompassing wisdom.
Saito: I fully agree. In a pre-Lotus Sutra scripture called the Sutta-nipata, Shakyamuni, discussing how those who have mastered the way of living in accord with the highest ideal ought to conduct themselves, says: “May all beings be happy and secure, may their hearts be wholesome!… Just as a mother would protect her only child at the risk of her own life, even so, let him cultivate a boundless heart towards all beings…. Let his thoughts of boundless love pervade the whole world….”17
Ikeda: Those who have attained true enlightenment do not close themselves off in that enlightenment but manifest a spirit of infinite compassion. They yearn for the happiness of all people and the peace and tranquility of the entire world. If this is not the case, then it is not true enlightenment. Therefore, Shakyamuni left behind words such as these as a guide for practitioners to ensure that they would not get stuck in a shallow enlightenment or confuse a false sense of enlightenment for the real thing
The Buddha’s enlightenment and wisdom are inseparable from his infinite compassion. Isn’t this principle of” compassion manifesting as wisdom” and “wisdom manifesting as compassion” what the Lotus Sutra means by “wisdom embracing all species”?
Endo: Then we can take the passage in “Medicinal Herbs,” “I am one who knows all things, sees all things, understands the way, opens up the way, preaches the way” (ISOC, 135), as pointing to this oneness of wisdom and compassion. It indicates that the Buddha who “knows all things” simultaneously understands the way, opens up the way and preaches the way.
Ikeda: A Buddhist leader has to “understand,’ “open up” and
“preach” the way. A true leader uses all three categories of action
— physical (opening up the way), verbal (preaching the way) and mental (understanding the way) —to develop and expand the widespread propagation of the Mystic Law.
Suda: T’ien-t’ai interprets “one who knows all things” as indicating one who possesses in his or her heart the three kinds of wis-dom: the wisdom to understand the universal aspect of all phenomena, the wisdom to understand the individual aspects of all phenomena, and the wisdom to understand both as well as the truth that permeates them.
Of these, the wisdom to understand the universal aspect of all phenomena is the wisdom to perceive the truth of non-substantiality. It indicates the wisdom to understand that, in essence, all things are non-substantial and impermanent without discrimination. This is the wisdom of voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones, and it is also called the wisdom of non-substantiality.
The wisdom to understand the individual aspects of all phenomena is the wisdom to perceive the truth of temporary exis-tence. This is the wisdom of bodhisattvas who, based on the realization that all things are essentially non-substantial, understand the diversity of individual entities that temporarily come into existence. Bodhisattvas require this wisdom because they have to lead people to happiness amid the realities of life.
The wisdom to understand both the universal and individual aspects of all phenomena is the wisdom of the Buddha, who possesses both and can employ them at will and without error. This is the wisdom of the Middle Way.
Tien-t’ai calls the perfect possession of these three kinds of wisdom “three kinds of wisdom in a single mind” and says that this state can be achieved through Buddhist practice. T’ien-t’ai’s interpretation again underlines the point that the Buddha’s wisdom is at one with his compassion to lead all people to happiness.
Ikeda: No matter how people may insist they have attained enlightenment, if they do not behave compassionately, then they are lying. Wisdom is invisible. A person’s conduct, therefore, is the yardstick or barometer for gauging his or her wisdom. The purpose of the Buddha’s appearance in the world, after all, is accomplished through his behavior as a human being.
Suda: When we look at the appallingly uncompassionate conduct of people such as Nikken, it becomes only too plain that they are entirely lacking in wisdom.
Ikeda: The wisdom to understand the universal as well as the individual aspects of all phenomena — that is to say, “wisdom manifesting as compassion” — is the wisdom of the Buddha who has attained thorough mastery of his own life.
In Kiyoshi Miki’s Jinseiron Noto (Thoughts on Life), a book I read avidly in my youth, there is the line, “Understanding yourself eventually leads to understanding others.”” To the extent that we contemplate ourselves and elevate our state of life, we can deepen our understanding of others.
Someone with a high state of life is capable of recognizing and treasuring people’s individuality. A person of wisdom tries to invigorate and bring out the best in others.
Those who appear to have wisdom but who lack compassion cannot invigorate others. On the contrary, they develop a cruel and cunning “wisdom” and do others harm. Theirs is not genuine wisdom.
Life embodies the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds and of the principle that a single moment of life possesses three thousand realms; that is, the entire universe.
A Buddha, who perceives the true entity of his own life, naturally manifests the spirit to treasure the lives of all beings as highly as his own or as he would his own children. The spirit to make the entire world, the entire universe, peaceful and tranquil wells forth in his life. This is the Buddha’s compassion; and the Buddha’s compassion is inseparable from his wisdom.
In “Medicinal Herbs,” Shakyamuni expresses this spirit as fol-lows: “Those who bave not yet crossed over Ito the shore of enlightenment; I will cause to cross over, those who have not yet understood I will cause to understand, those not yet at rest I will put at rest” (ISOC, 135).
And in another passage:
I appear in the world like a great cloud that showers moisture upon
all the dry and withered living beings, so that all are able to escape suffering, gain the joy of peace and security, the joys of this world
and the joy of nirvana. (ISOC, I39)
I think it could be said that the essence of the one Buddha vehicle is the Buddha’s great life-condition of wisdom at one with compassion. In “Medicinal Herbs,” this essence is represented as a great cloud and as rain that falls equally upon all.
Regarding the rain that equally moistens all the various plants and trees, the chapter says that the Buddha “[causes) the Dharma rain to rain on all equally” (ISOC, 140). Nichiren Dai-shonin indicates that this passage can be interpreted in two ways. When emphasis is placed on the Buddha, it refers to the
“equal compassion of Shakyamuni Buddha.” But when the Dharma rain is emphasized, it indicates the “equal and great wisdom of Myoho-renge-kyo” (GZ, 828).
TOWARD A CENTURY OF
“HUMAN FLOWERS” IN FULL BLOOM
Saito: It is the Buddha’s immense life-state of wisdom at one with compassion that equally “moistens” the lives of all people in their infinite diversity.
Ikeda: Yes. They are moistened, or nourished, by the compassion of the mentor, the Buddha. And they themselves develop as entities of compassion. Human beings nourish human beings. Life nourishes life.
At the close of “Medicinal Herbs,” it says;
The Law preached by the Buddha is comparable to a great cloud that, with a single-flavored rain, moistens human flowers
so that each is able to bear fruit. (ISOC, I42) I like the expression “human flowers.” It conveys an image of the blossoming of a multitude of people, each possessing rich individuality.
Shakyamuni doubtless perceived the unique character of each person as distinctly as the unique fruit and shades of flowers produced by trees as diverse as cherry, plum, peach and damson. I hope that by studying the “Medicinal Herbs” chapter we can learn about the Buddha’s spirit to recognize and treasure the uniqueness in each individual.
This directly relates to the matter of creating harmony amid diversity, a fundamental issue of the twenty-first century. While highly respecting the unique characteristics of different races and cultures, we have to create solidarity based on our common humanity. In the absence of such solidarity, the human race has no future. Diversity should beget not conflict in the world but rich-ness. And the humanism of the Lotus Sutra, which finds concrete expression in a merciful temperament, holds the key.
In the movement for Indian independence, how did Mahatma Gandhi move so many people to action? I believe that the fundamental cause lay in his character, which was polished by his wholehearted dedication to and tenacious struggles for truth.
Gandhi’s character “moistened” the hearts of the people. An episode well illustrates this.
Once when an important political conference was about to begin, Gandhi was found nervously searching around for some-thing. When someone asked him what he was looking for, Gandhi replied, “I’ve lost my pencil.” Since there was no time, the person offered him another pencil to use. But Gandhi, saying, “I cannot lose that pencil,” continued searching. The pencil, which was at length discovered, turned out to be an old pencil only about three centimeters long. It had been donated to Gandhi’s movement by a small child. 20
For Gandhi, the tiny pencil was not a pencil at all. It was a beautiful heart. Therefore, he could not simply throw it away. It seems to me that Gandhis “secret,” the reason why this man, whom people revered as the Mahatma (Great Soul), was at the same time affectionately known by the familiar nickname “Bapu” (Father) lay in his remarkable sincerity.
I would not treat lightly even a single piece of paper that is imbued with the members’ sincerity. In response to a sincere offering of white rice that he received, Nichiren Daishonin writes,
“You should realize from this that polished rice is not polished rice; it is life itself” (WND-I, I126).
In a truly humane world, even inanimate things are not merely objects. They are life, a reflection of our hearts. And human beings themselves are the most precious of all.
Saito: It seems that Gandhi’s trust in the people knew no bounds.
With the conviction that what is possible for one person is possible for all, he espoused the ideal of nonviolence and organized a large-scale popular movement.
Ikeda: A movement or organization will not long survive if it is held together only by decrees or rules. And it will fare still worse if the attempt is made to move people by force.
Only if we respect one another’s individuality, share one another’s joys and sorrows, and mutually inspire one another with courage and hope can we unite in solidarity. It is such a spirit of harmony and sense of inspiration that makes a true popular movement possible.
Endo: The term organization conjures up images of conformity.
But in this day and age, not many people will be attracted to a body or group that demands rigid conformity.
Ikeda: Exactly. A popular movement has to be guided on the most fundamental level by humanism.
Suda: A fresh, vibrant humanism has been at the heart of the Soka Gakkais development. This is the honest feeling shared by those of my generation who have grown up from childhood practicing with the organization.
Ikeda: I suppose that this is a natural outcome. Toward that end, I am struggling with all my might every hour and every moment of each day to cause the organization to pulse with the Buddhist spirit of compassion. It is imperative that SGl leaders never neglect this painstaking work, never lose this sense of responsibility.
Suda: The essence of the organization exists nowhere apart from the human being, which is its nucleus.
When we read The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, we see that the Daishonin gives guidance to a wide spectrum of disciples and followers based on a truly meticulous grasp of their unique character and personality. Thanks to Nichiren’s writings, we know, for example, of Shijo Kingo’s short temper.
Ikeda: This shows just how concerned the Daishonin was about each of his followers.
To Shijo Kingo, he shows very detailed concern, sounding almost like a parent instructing a child. The Daishonin advises him, for instance, to avoid drinking when away from home (WND-1,
461) and warns him not to quarrel with the women in his house-hold, even if they happen to be at fault (WND-2, 73I).
And when the elder of the kegami brothers, Munenaka, was disowned by his father for the second time, the Daishonin, while deeply concerned about the ability of the younger Ikegami, Munenaga, to maintain his faith, writes to the latter in a way that, at a glance, sounds like a stern rejection:”This time I am sure that you will give up your faith. If you do, I have not the slightest intention of reproaching you for it. Likewise, neither should you blame me, Nichiren, when you have fallen into hell” (WND-1, 636).
Without really understanding and grasping another’s heart, one could not hope to communicate his or her true intent by making such a declaration. The Daishonin not only completely grasped the conflict raging in the heart of Munenaga, who stood at a great crossroads in his life, but he also doubtless had a minute understanding of his personality.
Endo: In particular, I am always profoundly impressed by how deeply the Daishonin understood the sentiments of parents who had lost children, even though he never married or had children of his own. Some of his letters of encouragement to bereaved families come to mind.
Ikeda: The Daishonin is truly a great Buddha. He understands in its totality the reality of each person’s life and deeply shares their, sufferings. He absolutely never gives abstract guidance as though foisting set answers on people.
As a result, there are instances where it may appear that he is telling one person the exact opposite of what he is saying to someone else.
He urges the wife of Toki Jonin, who was suffering from illness but was not inclined to consult a physician, to seek medical treat-ment, explaining the importance of living a long life: “If he died young, even a person whose wisdom shone as brilliantly as the sun would be less than a living dog” (WND-I, 955). But to the spirited Shijo Kingo, a Kamakura samurai who was ready to die for his honor, the Daishonin emphasizes that gaining honor as a Buddhist and as a member of society is more important than longevity.
Suda: He says, “It is better to live a single day with honor than to live to 120 and die in disgrace” (WND-I, 851).
Ikeda: In either case, it is guidance of compassion at one with wisdom arising from the Daishonin’ spirit of compassion for his disciples. Both statements are true. This is the spirit of “Medicinal Herbs.”
Behind his guidance to Shijo Kingo, Nichiren Daishonin, in his heart, probably wanted to tell his disciple to conduct himself wisely each day, aware of his tendency to be short-tempered.
Had Shijo Kingo failed to do so, his very life could have been in danger.
It is not only his actions as the votary of the Lotus Sutra who underwent great persecutions that match the spirit outlined in the Lotus Sutra. When we read Nichiren’s writings with careful attention to detail, we can see how the humanism of the Lotus Sutra also comes to life in the Daishonin’s conduct.
The Daishonin lashed out with burning indignation and strictly admonished the authorities and the religious figures in league with them, who were causing the people suffering. This has long been used as grounds for labeling Nichiren Buddhism as “intolerant” or “exclusive.” But this perspective is utterly one-sided.
Both the Daishonin’s merciful guidance to his followers and his strict remonstrations with the authorities are pervaded with a living humanism.
Saito: In your speeches over the past ten years or so, President Ikeda, while you have cited a great many of Nichiren’s writings, it seems to me that you have consistently focused on Nichiren’s humanism.
Ikeda: I quote and discuss The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin out of my desire to convey to the entire world the supreme humanity, the vast and immense state of life of the Daishonin, who declared,
“The varied sufferings that all living beings undergo-all these are Nichiren’s own sufferings” (OTT, 138).
In “The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs,” it says that the great cloud of the Buddha’s compassion “covers” the entire major world systems, that is, the entire universe. How can we cause the immense love and compassion of the original Buddha to rain down upon the entire world? This is the thought that constantly occupies my mind; this is my constant determination. Carrying out the work of the Buddha is the GI’s mission. Our struggle now begins in earnest; we are now at last entering the essential phase of the movement for kosen-rufu.
I think that to revitalize the world, which today seems to be deadlocked, people have to think in terms of a universal perspec-tive, recognizing the essential oneness of their lives with the uni-verse. When they do, they will also perceive a oneness with nature and with the planet. Views of society, nationality and race will also naturally be revised in light of such a perspective on human life.
As long as the window of the human heart remains battened closed, no great future lies in store. People have to throw open the window. When they do so, there will be no further hindrance to peace.
The lives of all people are one with the universe. All the workings of the universe contribute to the individuality of each per-son. To put it another way, each person is a microcosm that reflects the macrocosm uniquely; fundamentally, the individual encompasses all. Therefore, each person is precious and irreplaceable.
The ultimate wisdom to understand this secret of life is the Buddha’s wisdom to understand both the universal and individual aspects of all phenomena, the Buddha’s great and impartial wisdom. The Buddha perceives that each person, each living entity, is equally precious.
I am confident that this humanism of the Lotus Sutra is the universal humanism that will hold the key for the next millennium.
The great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore writes:
The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.
It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.
It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow.
I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.
Let us continue joyfully and exuberantly advancing with the fundamental rhythm of the universe pulsing in our lives.