[Shariputra] is nourished from the Buddha’s mouth. Just as inheritance is not only biological, nourishment is not only physical, but mental and spiritual as well. Where should we look for mental and spiritual nourishment? We should not, I believe, think that because we are Buddhists or followers of the Dharma Flower Sutra our spiritual nourishment must always come from the Dharma Flower Sutra or from Buddhist sources alone. One of the wonderful things about the Lotus Sutra, as we will see when looking at the simile of the plants, is its recognition that the Buddha Dharma nourishes the whole world, not just Buddhists.

One way of understanding this, then, is to imagine that the Buddha can speak to us and nourish us in innumerable ways. In other words, anything at all, if we penetrate into it deeply enough, can be a revelation to us of Buddha Dharma. No matter how good or bad a person or situation or thing may be, it can be something from which we can learn; if we are open to it, we can find in it something of great value.