At that time the world-honored one said to Mahakashyapa and the other major disciples: “Excellent, excellent, Kashyapa. You have given an excellent description of the true blessings of the thus come one. It is just as you have said. 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.
“Kashyapa, you should understand this. The thus come one is king of the doctrines. In what he preaches, there is nothing that is vain. With regard to all the various doctrines, he employs wisdom and expedient means in expounding them. Therefore the doctrines that he expounds all extend to the point where there is comprehensive wisdom. The thus come one observes and understands the end to which all doctrines tend. And he also understands the workings of the deepest minds of all living beings, penetrating them completely and without hindrance. And with regard to the doctrines he is thoroughly enlightened, and he reveals to living beings the totality of wisdom.
“Kashyapa, it is like the plants and trees, thickets and groves, and the medicinal herbs, widely ranging in variety, each with its own name and hue, that grow in the hills and streams, the valleys and different soils of the major world system. Dense clouds spread over them, covering the entire major world system and 135in one moment saturating it all. The moisture penetrates to all the plants and trees, thickets and groves, and medicinal herbs equally, to their little roots, little stems, little limbs, little leaves, their middle-sized roots, middle-sized stems, middle-sized limbs, middle-sized leaves, to their big roots, big stems, big limbs, and big leaves. Each of the trees big and small, depending upon whether it is superior, middling, or inferior in nature, receives its allotment. The rain falling from one blanket of cloud accords with each particular species and nature, causing it to sprout and mature, to blossom and bear fruit. Though all these plants and trees grow in the same earth and are moistened by the same rain, each has its differences and particulars.
“Kashyapa, you should understand that the thus come one is like this. He appears in the world like a great cloud rising up. With a loud voice he penetrates to all the heavenly and human beings and the asuras of the entire world, like a great cloud spreading over the lands of the major world system. And in the midst of the great assembly, he addresses these words, saying: ‘I am the thus come one, worthy of offerings, of right and universal knowledge, perfect clarity and conduct, well gone, understanding the world, unexcelled worthy, trainer of people, teacher of heavenly and human beings, buddha, world-honored one. Those who have not yet crossed over 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, those not yet in nirvana I will cause to attain nirvana. Of this existence and future existences I understand the true circumstances. I am one who knows all things, sees all things, understands the way, opens up the way, preaches the way. You heavenly and human beings, asuras and others, you must all come here so that I may let you hear the Law!
“At that time living beings of countless thousands, ten thousands, millions of species come to the place where the Buddha is, to listen to the Law. The thus come one then observes whether the capacities of these living beings are keen or dull, whether they are diligent in their efforts or lazy. And in accordance with what each is capable of hearing, he preaches the Law for them in 136an immeasurable variety of ways so that all of them are delighted and are able to gain excellent benefits therefrom.
“Once these living beings have heard the Law, they will enjoy peace and security in their present existence and good circumstances in future existences, when they will receive joy and again be able to hear the Law. And having heard the Law, they will escape from obstacles and hindrances, and with regard to the various doctrines will be able to exercise their powers to the fullest, so that gradually they can enter into the way. It is like the rain falling from that great cloud upon all the plants and trees, thickets and groves, and medicinal herbs. Each, depending upon its species and nature, receives its full share of moistening and is enabled to sprout and grow.
“The Law preached by the thus come one is of one form, one flavor, namely, the form of emancipation, the form of separation, the form of extinction, which in the end comes down to a wisdom embracing all species. When the living beings hear the Law of the thus come one, though they may embrace, read and recite it, and practice it as it dictates, they themselves do not realize or understand the blessings they are gaining thereby. Why is this? Because only the thus come one understands the species, the appearances, the entities, the natures of these living beings. He knows what things they dwell on, what things they ponder, what things they practice. He knows how they dwell on them, how they ponder, how they practice. He knows the means whereby they dwell on them, the means whereby they ponder, the means whereby they practice, and the means whereby and what they attain.
“Living beings exist in a variety of environments, but only the thus come one sees the true circumstances and fully understands them without hindrance. It is like those plants and trees, thickets and groves, and medicinal herbs that do not themselves know whether they are superior, middling, or inferior in nature. But the thus come one knows that this is the Law of one form, one flavor, namely, the form of emancipation, the form of separation, the form of extinction, the form of ultimate nirvana, of constant tranquillity and extinction, which in the end finds its 137destination in emptiness. The Buddha understands all this. But because he can see the desires that are in the minds of living beings, he guides and protects them, and for this reason does not immediately preach to them the wisdom that embraces all species.
“You and the others, Kashyapa, have done a very rare thing, for you can understand how the thus come one preaches the Law in accordance with what is appropriate, you can have faith in it, you can accept it. Why do I say this? Because the fact that the buddhas, the world-honored ones, preach the Law in accordance with what is appropriate is hard to comprehend, hard to understand.”
At that time the world-honored one, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form, saying:
The Dharma king, destroyer of being,
when he appears in the world
accords with the desires of living beings,
preaching the Law in a variety of ways.
The thus come one, worthy of honor and reverence,
is profound and far-reaching in wisdom.
For long he remained silent regarding the essential,
in no hurry to speak of it at once.
If those who are wise hear of it
they can believe and understand it,
but those without wisdom will have doubts and regrets
and for all time will remain in error.
For this reason, Kashyapa,
he adjusts to the person’s power when preaching,
taking advantage of various causes
and enabling the person to gain a correct view.
Kashyapa, you should understand
that it is like a great cloud
that rises up in the world
and covers it all over.
This beneficent cloud is laden with moisture,
the lightning gleams and flashes,
138and the sound of thunder reverberates afar,
causing the multitude to rejoice.
The sun’s rays are veiled and hidden,
a clear coolness comes over the land;
masses of darkness descend and spread—
you can almost touch them.
The rain falls everywhere,
coming down on all four sides.
Its flow and saturation are measureless,
reaching to every area of the earth,
to the ravines and valleys of the mountains and streams,
to the remote and secluded places where grow
plants, bushes, medicinal herbs,
trees large and small,
a hundred grains, rice seedlings,
sugar cane, grape vines.
The rain moistens them all,
none fails to receive its full share.
The parched ground is everywhere watered,
herbs and trees alike grow lush.
What falls from the cloud
is water of a single flavor,
but the plants and trees, thickets and groves,
each accept the moisture that is appropriate to its portion.
All the various trees,
whether superior, middling, or inferior,
take what is fitting for large or small
and each is enabled to sprout and grow.
Root, stem, limb, leaf,
the glow and hue of flower and fruit—
one rain extends to them
and all are able to become fresh and glossy.
Whether their allotments
of entity, appearance, and nature are large or small,
the moistening they receive is one,
but each grows and flourishes in its own way.
The Buddha is like this
139when he appears in the world,
comparable to a great cloud
that covers all things everywhere.
Having appeared in the world,
for the sake of living beings
he makes distinctions in expounding
the truth regarding phenomena.
The great sage, the world-honored one,
to heavenly and human beings,
in the midst of all beings,
pronounces these words:
I am the thus come one,
most honored of two-legged beings.
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.
All you heavenly and human beings of this assembly,
listen carefully and with one mind!
All of you should gather around
and observe the one of unexcelled honor.
I am the world-honored one,
none can rival me.
In order to bring peace and security to living beings
I have appeared in the world
and for the sake of this great assembly
I preach the sweet dew of the pure Law.
This Law is of a single flavor,
that of emancipation, nirvana.
With a single wonderful sound
I expound and unfold its meaning;
constantly for the sake of the great vehicle
I create causes and conditions.
140I 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 single person,
that same way I do for numerous persons.
Constantly I expound and preach the Law,
never have I done anything else,
coming, going, sitting, standing,
never to the end growing weary or disheartened.
I bring fullness and satisfaction to the world,
like a rain that spreads its moisture everywhere.
Eminent and lowly, superior and inferior,
observers of precepts, violators of precepts,
those fully endowed with proper demeanor,
those not fully endowed,
those of correct views, of erroneous views,
of keen capacity, of dull capacity—
I cause the Dharma rain to rain on all equally,
never lax or neglectful.
When all the various living beings
hear my Law,
they receive it according to their power,
dwelling in their different environments.
Some inhabit the realm of human and heavenly beings,
of wheel-turning sage kings,
Shakra, Brahma, and the other kings—
these are the inferior medicinal herbs.
Some understand the Law of no outflows,
are able to attain nirvana,
to acquire the six transcendental powers
and gain in particular the three insights,
or live alone in mountain forests,
141constantly practicing meditation
and gaining the enlightenment of cause-awakened ones—
these are the middling medicinal herbs.
Still others seek the place of the world-honored one,
convinced that they can become buddhas,
putting forth diligent effort and practicing meditation—
these are the superior medicinal herbs.
Again there are sons of the Buddha
who devote their minds solely to the buddha way,
constantly practicing mercy and compassion,
knowing that they themselves will attain buddhahood,
certain of it and never doubting—
these I call the small trees.
Those who abide in peace in their transcendental powers,
turning the wheel of non-regression,
saving innumerable millions
of hundreds of thousands of living beings—
bodhisattvas such as these
I call the large 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
142that, according to whether they are large or small,
bit by bit grow lush and beautiful.
The Law of the buddhas
is constantly of a single flavor,
causing the many worlds
to attain full satisfaction everywhere;
by practicing gradually and stage by stage,
all beings can gain the fruits of the way.
The voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones
inhabit the mountain forests,
dwelling in their final existences,
hearing the Law and gaining its fruits—
we may call them medicinal herbs
that grow and mature each in its own way.
If there are bodhisattvas
who are steadfast and firm in wisdom,
who fully comprehend the threefold world
and seek the supreme vehicle,
these we call the small trees
that achieve growth and maturity.
Again there are those who dwell in meditation,
who have gained the strength of transcendental powers,
have heard of the emptiness of all phenomena,
greatly rejoice in it in their minds,
and emit countless rays of light
to save living beings—
these we call large trees
that have gained growth and maturity.
In this way, Kashyapa,
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.
Kashyapa, you should understand
that through various causes and conditions,
various kinds of simile and parable,
143I open up and reveal the buddha way.
This is the expedient means I employ
and the same is true of the other buddhas.
Now for you and the others
I preach the utmost truth:
none in the multitude of voice-hearers
has entered the stage of extinction.
What you are practicing
is the bodhisattva way,
and as you gradually advance in practice and learning
you are all certain to attain buddhahood.