The first lotus bud comes above the water, it gets the sunshine and blooms easily like a genius who can understand what she or he learns, easily, the second lotus bud is in the water, it needs some time to grow out above the water and gets the sunshine then it blooms. This is like a person who does not understand at first when he tries to learn but he tries again and then he understands. The third lotus comes out from the mud, it needs a long time to grow out above the water, then it gets the sunshine, and blooms later. This is like a person who doesn’t understand when he tries to learn but he tries again and again, never giving up, then at last he understands. The fourth lotus is in the mud, it doesn’t have the ability to grow out from the mud, so it is food for fish and tortoises. This is like a person who tries very hard in his study but has no ability to understand. Accordingly there are very few who understand the Buddha’s teachings.