妙法蓮華經玄贊 7.101

7.101

釋名者，去疾神功名藥，稟潤之形名草。有藥非草、有草非藥、有草有藥、非草非藥；所喻亦爾。教、理、行、果俱名為藥。今取行藥稟教脩生，不取餘石藥，不能生長故。世出世種能生長者俱名為草，今取人天善種、三乘智因是藥之草，違害惡故；不取生死惡道種草，不稟正法而滋長故。意辨三乘種別，稟教成其異乘，不欲普明諸種，故以藥草為目。是藥即草，持業釋名。以別簡通，是藥之草，依主釋也。以此為喻，名藥草喻。若云，此品下明藥及草喻故名藥草喻，非藥即草者，豈一切草皆取喻耶？由此故知今說為善。此以二義為喻：一如草性異，稟雨滋其類別；三根本異，稟教成其三乘。二如草稟性各不相知；三根亦爾，不能知他五乘種異，謂乘無別，故以藥草為喻。

Explaining the title: That which possesses the wondrous efficacy to eliminate disease is called 'medicinal' (bhaiṣajya); that which assumes a form by receiving moisture is called 'herbs' (oṣadhi). There are medicines that are not herbs, herbs that are not medicinal, herbs that are medicinal, and things that are neither herbs nor medicines; the same is true of what is illustrated by the parable. Teaching, principle, practice, and fruition are all called medicine. Here we take the medicine of practice, which is cultivated and produced by receiving the teaching, and do not take other mineral medicines, because they cannot grow. Worldly and transworldly seeds capable of growing are all called herbs; here we take the wholesome seeds of humans and devas and the causes of wisdom of the three vehicles as the herbs that are medicinal, because they counteract and harm evil; we do not take the seed-herbs of the evil paths of saṃsāra, because they do not receive the true Dharma to grow. The intention is to distinguish the seeds of the three vehicles, which, by receiving the teaching, accomplish distinct vehicles, without seeking to explain all seeds universally; hence 'medicinal herbs' is used as the title. It is medicine and is herbs: this is an appositional compound (karmadhāraya) explaining the name. Restricting the general by means of the specific, it is herbs that are medicinal: a determinative compound (tatpuruṣa). Using this as a parable, it is named the 'Parable of Medicinal Herbs.' If one were to say that because below in this chapter it explains the parables of medicine and of herbs it is therefore named the 'Parable of Medicinal Herbs,' and not that the medicine is itself the herbs—could it be that all herbs whatsoever are taken as parables? From this we know that our present explanation is sound. This is used as a parable with two meanings: First, just as the natures of herbs differ, and by receiving rain their types are distinctively nourished, so the three faculties are fundamentally different, and by receiving the teaching they accomplish the three vehicles. Second, just as herbs by their received natures are mutually unaware of one another, so too are those of the three faculties: they cannot know the differences among the seeds of the five vehicles in others, and assume that the vehicles have no distinction; hence medicinal herbs are taken as a parable.