[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [雜譬喻經](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.207) › 1.74 # 雜譬喻經 1.74 雜譬喻經 1.74 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [1.74](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.207.1.74) 天下草木皆可為藥，直不善別者故不知耳。昔有聖醫王名曰耆域，能和合藥草作童子形，見者歡喜眾病皆愈。或以一草治眾病，或以眾草治一病，天下之草無有不任用者，天下之病無有不能治者。耆域命終，天下藥草一時涕哭，俱發聲言：「我皆可用治病，唯有耆域能明我耳。耆域死後無復有人能明我者，後世人或能錯用，或增或減令病不差，令舉世人皆謂我不神，思惟此以故涕哭耳。」唯有一訶梨勒，別在一面獨不涕哭，自言：「我眾病皆能治，服我者病皆當差，不服我者自不差耳，不須人明，故不涕耳。」耆域者喻如佛也，眾藥草者如諸法也，訶梨勒者如非常也。言佛在世時善用法能，即以婬怒癡為藥差人病也，及諸餘善法隨宜而用。無常軌已，喻病者良醫耳。佛去世後少有能善用諸法應時而變者也，非常觀者多所治也，亦能治婬亦能治恚亦能治癡，善用者則去病，不善用者無所傷，是故喻如訶梨勒也。其餘諸法不易用也，用之者宜必得其師，善用者則病損，不善用者則增病也。 > All grasses and trees in the world can be used as medicine; it is only because people are not good at distinguishing them that they do not know this. In the past, there was a king of holy physicians named Jīvaka who could blend medicinal herbs into the form of a young boy, such that whoever saw him was delighted and all their illnesses were cured. Sometimes he treated manifold illnesses with a single herb; sometimes he treated a single illness with manifold herbs. There was no herb in the world that could not be employed, and no illness in the world that could not be cured. When Jīvaka's life ended, all the medicinal herbs in the world wept simultaneously, raising their voices together and saying: 'All of us can be used to treat illnesses, but only Jīvaka understood us. After Jīvaka's death, there will no longer be anyone who can understand us. Later generations may use us mistakenly, increasing or decreasing \[doses\], causing illnesses not to be cured, and making all the people of the world think we are not efficacious. It is because of reflecting on this that we weep.' Only a single myrobalan (harītakī) stayed apart on one side and did not weep alone, saying of itself: 'I can cure all illnesses. Whoever takes me will surely have their illness cured; whoever does not take me naturally will not be cured. I do not need anyone to understand me; therefore I do not weep.' Jīvaka is an analogy for the Buddha; the manifold medicinal herbs are an analogy for the dharmas; the myrobalan is an analogy for impermanence. This means that when the Buddha was in the world, he skillfully employed the power of dharmas, directly using lust, anger, and delusion as medicine to cure people's illnesses, and employed other wholesome dharmas as appropriate. There was no fixed rule—he was like a good physician to the sick. After the Buddha passed away from the world, few could skillfully employ the dharmas according to the time and circumstances. The contemplation of impermanence cures many things: it can cure lust, it can cure anger, and it can cure delusion. If skillfully used, it removes illness; if unskillfully used, it does no harm. Therefore it is compared to the myrobalan. The remaining dharmas are not easy to use; one who uses them must obtain a proper master. If skillfully used, illness is diminished; if unskillfully used, illness is increased. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 1.73](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.207.1.73) - [Next: 1.75](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.207.1.75) - [Up: 1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.207.1) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.207~en-mt.1.74) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.207.1.74](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.207.1.74) · Pramāṇa