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## [61 First Understanding: The Nature of Ordinary Plants]
Just like trees, various types of clusters, shrubs, creepers, vines, climbers, grasses, rings, greens, herbs, aquatic plants, and tubers are described in detail in the Prajñāpanā Sūtra. _Here, the doubt may arise that if the roots, etc., of trees are inhabited by many individual living beings, then how do they appear as one body? The Sūtrakara has resolved this doubt with two illustrations:_
**The Mustard Seed Paste Illustration:** Just as when all the whole mustard seeds are mixed together with a binding substance, a paste is formed, but the mustard seeds remain in their own individual states. Although they appear as one due to being stuck together, they are still individual mustard seeds. Similarly, the body aggregates of individual living beings also remain in their own individual states, but due to being mixed together by a specific karma-like binding substance, they appear as one body.
**The Sesame Seed Cake Illustration:** Just as in a sesame seed cake, each sesame seed is separate in its own state, but the cake is one. Similarly, individual living beings, while being in their own individual states, appear as one body. This is the description of the individual living being plant.
**The Nature of Ordinary Plants:** 21. How are ordinary body plants? _Ordinary body plants are of many types, such as - potato, root, ginger, hiralī, sirīlī, sisīrilī, kittikā, kṣīrikā, kṣīraviḍālikā, kṛṣṇakanda, vajrakanda, sūrana..._
...and so on. These are broadly classified into two types, namely, those that are born and those that are not born.
**_Question:_** Venerable Sir! How many bodies do living beings have?
**_Answer:_** There are three bodies, namely, the oral body, the mental body, and the karmic body.
**_Explanation:_** Just as in the case of external earth elements, the body's range of perception is immeasurable, extending for countless yojanas in all directions. Bodies are impermanent and constantly changing, lasting for thousands of years at most. They are subject to the three destinies: the lower realms, the middle realms, and the higher realms. This is the nature of external plants, this is the nature of stationary beings. [21]