It means: Although the rain from the sky covers a large area, if there are no roots, the grass and trees will still not be moistened. Although Buddhism is broad and welcomes all comers, if you do not have good intentions, you will not be able to achieve true enlightenment even if you take refuge in Buddhism.
This is a couplet on the door of the back hall of White Horse Temple, which means that there are prerequisites for doing anything. Without this prerequisite, no matter how well you do it, it will be of no use. The root in the first half of the sentence alludes to the root and foundation, that is, the foundation that needs to be moistened by the rain from the sky.
Tianyu refers to the power of nature, so the meaning of the first half of the sentence is that if you want to be protected by the power of nature, you must first have the conditions to withstand it, that is, preserve your roots in accordance with the rules of nature. Only with this foundation can we absorb the power of nature. The second half of the sentence means that everything starts from the heart, and any external manifestation is in vain. Only a kind-hearted person can escape from the sea of ??suffering and reach bliss early.
Extended information:
Buddhism denies fatalism and believes that people have a destiny. However, it does not encourage people to resign themselves to fate, but hopes that people can create their own destiny. Buddhism advocates that all dharma arises from causes and conditions, so destiny also arises from causes and conditions. Bad fate can be changed by planting good karma. Since destiny can be changed by practicing compassion, cultivating merit, and practicing repentance, destiny is not necessarily so unchangeable.
No matter how bad your fate is, it can be transformed through various practices. On the contrary, if a good destiny is not properly maintained, it will be lost and corrupted. As the saying goes, "Be prepared for danger in times of peace", you must be cautious and cautious.
"The Theory of the Middle School" says: "The laws arising from causes and conditions, I say, are empty, also known as false names, and also the middle way." He also said: "There has never been a law that does not arise from causes and conditions. Therefore, all laws are empty." That is to say, all things arise from the combination of causes and conditions. Since they are born from all conditions, they have no self-nature and are empty. .
Buddhism believes that when there is no cause and condition, things disappear. Such a phenomenon is "emptiness". The cause is the main condition, and the condition is the auxiliary condition. When neither the main condition nor the auxiliary condition is met, there will be no existence of things.
Therefore, the existence of anything requires main causes and auxiliary causes. When the cause and conditions are present, things exist; when the causes and conditions are not present, things disappear.
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Cause and Effect
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Buddhism