Day 9 covers Chapter 5, The Simile of Herbs, and introduces Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood.

Since I’m self-limiting myself to a single topic each time through, it is time to leave aside the Simile of Herbs for at least one time to mention the opening of Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood.

In Chapter 3, Sakyamuni offers the Parable of the Burning House to explain the need for expedients. In Chapter 4, the “men living the life of wisdom” offer the Parable of the Rich Man and His Poor Son as their perception of why it was necessary to use expedients to raise people up to understand they are worthy to be Buddhas. Chapter 5’s Simile of the Herbs clarifies that the Dharma is the same and that it is the variety among the plant life that explains the variety in the fruits of enlightenment.

And this brings us back to those “men living the life of wisdom,” the elders of the voice hearers.

The chapter opens with Sakyamuni telling Maha-Kasyapa that he will eventually become a Buddha called Light in a world called Light-Virtue and the kalpa in which he will become a buddha, Great-Adornment.

In response, Great Maudgalyayana, Subhuti and Maha-Katyayana plead to be assured of their future Buddhahood, explaining:

Suppose a man came
From a country suffering from famine.
Now he saw the meal of a great king.
He did not partake of it in doubts and fears.
After he was told to take it by the king,
He took it at once.
We are like that man.
We know the defects of the Lesser Vehicle.
But we do not know how to obtain
The unsurpassed wisdom of the Buddha.

Although we hear you say [to us],
“You will become Buddhas,”
We are still in doubts and fears about it,
Just as that man was about the meal.
If you assure us of our future Buddhahood,
We shall be happy and peaceful.

You, the Great Hero, the World-Honored One,
Wish to give peace to all the people of the world.
If you assure us of our future Buddhahood, we shall be
Like the man who was permitted to take the meal.