The Flower Sermon (Chinese = 拈花微笑) was a unique sermon that the Buddha delivered. It was unique because Buddha remained speechless throughout the Sermon until he was certain that the audience could understand his message without him having to speak. The Flower Sermon carried the same meaning that Buddha delivered in the Kalama Sutta: word-based knowledge is unhelpful in understanding and conveying the unchanging Truth. Instead, he wanted to demonstrate that the unchanging Truth can be delivered and understood wordlessly.
The Sūtra of Mahābrahma-deva-rāja’s Consulting the Buddha” (Chinese=大梵天王問佛决疑經) describes the Flower Sermon.
According to The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Brahma [alt. Mahabrahma] (Chinese=大梵天王) is “an Indian divinity who was adopted into the Buddhist pantheon as a protector of the teachings (Dharmapala (Chinese=護法) and king of the Bramaloka.”
Brahmaloka (Chinese=梵界), according to The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, is “in Sanskrit and Pali, the ‘Brahma World.’ In the narrowest sense, brahmaloka refers to the first three (celestial realms) of the realms of subtle materiality.”
During the Sermon, Brahma offered Buddha “auspicious flowers from heaven,” known in Sanskrit as “udumbara flower (Chinese=優曇婆羅花).” According to this article, “Volume 8 of the Buddhist scripture Huilin Phonetics and Interpretation (Chinese=一切經音義), “Udumbara is the product of ominous and supernatural phenomena; it is a celestial flower and does not exist in the mundane world. If a Tathagata or King of the Golden Wheel appears in the human world, these flowers will manifest due to their great virtue and blessings.” Having realized the highest level of enlightenment, our historical Shakyamuni Buddha is a Tathagata.
Brahma then asked Buddha, “The Exalted Buddha (Sanskrit=bhagavat; Chinese=世尊), you have been enlightened for more than fifty years and have preached and given myriad instructions for the benefit of all beings with the opportunity to hear. However, if there is any supreme Dharma you have yet to discuss, please proclaim them now, for me, for the bodhisattvas of end-times, and for all ordinary beings seeking to follow the Buddhist path.” (Chinese=世尊今佛。已成正覺五十年來。種種說法。種種教示。化度一切機類眾生。若有未說最上大法。為我及末世行菩薩人。欲行佛道凡夫眾生。布演宣說.”
Buddha accepted the flowers, picked them up, and held them. However, he did not speak. The whole assembly of his followers remained still, and all kept silent (Chinese=皆止默然).
That is, all but Mahakasyapa (Chinese=摩訶迦葉), who smiled a gentle smile (Chinese=破顏微笑) at Buddha.
Seeing the smile, Buddha immediately started to speak (“Chinese=佛即告言.”)
“Yes, It is so. I possess the true Dharma-eyes (Sanskrit=dharmacaksus; Chinese=正法眼藏) and knowledge of the wondrous Citta of Nirvana, the method to teach (Sanskrit=dharmapayaya; Chinese=法門) in subtle ways, the Dharma of the Ultimate Reality Without Form, using no words and separately outside the regular curriculum. (是也。我有正法眼藏涅槃妙心。实相无相微妙法门。不立文字。教外别传).”
Furthermore, Buddha continued, “For the transmission of the First Principle of Truth allowing ordinary beings to be enlightened, I entrust to Mahakasyapa today (凡夫成佛第一義諦。今方付屬摩訶迦葉).”
“After speaking, Buddha remained silent (Chinese=言已默然).”
If one ever wonders what Buddhism is, Buddha makes it clear that he is a teacher because his job is “to teach.” Therefore, as discussed in a previous post, Buddhism should be considered Buddha’s education. Furthermore, it is not a religion, a philosophy, or a science. Buddhism is unique because its epistemology, especially its direct perception, separates Buddhism from all the “-isms” in the world. Without direction perception as a tool to understand the world humans experience, no other “-isms” in the world can deliver a wordless sermon and have it work.
So, what did Mahakasyapa understand from Buddha’s wordless Sermon?
Having already been enlightened, Mahakasyapa understood that inference, or word-based knowledge, cannot lead to understanding Citta of Nirvana and the Ultimate Reality Without Form. Instead, they must be realized meditatively and wordlessly through direct perception.
o, when Mahakasyapa smiled gently at the Buddha, he showed Buddha he understood his meaning. When the Buddha smiled back, he knew his message had been delivered and understood without the need for him to speak. Consequently, by immediately giving Mahakasyapa the responsibility to transmit The First Principle of Truth, the Buddha hinted to Mahakasyapa that he should teach others The First Principle of Truth the same way he relayed the message to him, wordlessly.
However, the wordlessness of the Flower Sermon is not only about Buddha’s silence during the Sermon. It is also about the wordless transfer of the “experiential content” of nature from Citta, the enlightened cosmic awareness, to the enlightened person when the two form a non-dualistic state of mentality, as discussed in the previous post.
Mahakasyapa (Chinese=摩诃迦叶), according to this article, “was one of the principal disciples of Gautama Buddha. He is regarded in Buddhism as an enlightened disciple, being foremost in ascetic practice. Mahākāśyapa assumed leadership of the monastic community following the paranirvāṇa of the Buddha, presiding over the First Buddhist Council. He was considered to be the first patriarch in a number of early Buddhist schools and continued to have an important role as a patriarch in the Chan and Zen traditions. In Buddhist texts, he assumed many identities, that of a renunciant saint, a lawgiver, and an anti-establishment figure, but also a “guarantor of future justice” in the time of Maitreya, the future Buddha—he has been described as “both the anchorite and the friend of mankind, even of the outcast.”
n India, Mahakasyapa’s lineage was passed from Mahakasyapa on to several others before reaching Bodhidharma (Chinese=菩提達摩), “a legendary Buddhist monk, who lived during the 5th or 6th century.”
Bodhidharma would travel to China, bringing with him the teachings of the Buddha, which included the teachings of Chan Buddhism. Therefore, while Bodhidharma is regarded as the “28th patriarch in a line of descent from Mahakasyapa,” he is considered the first patriarch of Chan Buddhism in China.
Chan Buddhism (Chinese=禪) “is one of the major forms of East Asian Buddhism, which originated in China around the fifth or sixth century and was then transmitted from China into Korea (as Korean Seon), Japan (as Japanese Zen), and Vietnam (as Vietnamese Thiền). In the West, this form of Buddhism is most commonly known by the Japanese name of “Zen.” Furthermore, “Chan emphasizes direct insight into the nature of reality.”
However, in China, Bodhidharma faced a significant obstacle in Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty (Chinese = 梁武帝). The Emperor was a devout Buddhist who had built many Buddhist temples, printed many Buddhist sutras, and supported many monks. The Emperor was incredibly proud of the significant contributions he made to Buddhism.
During Bodhidharma’s first audition in the palace, the Emperor boasted of his work and asked Bodhidharma, “For all that I have done for Buddhism, how much spiritual virtue do I deserve (Chinese=我做了這些事有多少功德)?” To which Bodhidharma responded, “No spiritual virtue at all (Chinese=並無功德).”
Buddhism distinguishes between two types of virtue: spiritual (Romanized Sanskrit = guna, Chinese = 功德) and meritorious (Romanized Sanskrit = punya, Chinese=福德), which are separated by the intention of the benefactor. If the deeds are performed without the benefactor expecting personal benefits in return, then the benefactor receives the spiritual virtues, which contribute to liberation from the cycles of rebirth. On the other hand, if the benefactor expects personal benefits in return for doing good deeds, then the benefactor receives meritorious virtue, which can lead to a better quality of life in this or future lives, but contributes nothing to liberating one from cycles of rebirth.
Therefore, a benefactor like Emperor Wu, who performed magnanimous deeds with the expectation of personal rewards, such as fame, power, and adoration, will acquire only meritorious virtues. While he could expect a better quality of life in this and future lives, his meritorious virtues would not help him to liberate himself from the cycles of rebirth. To gain liberation from cycles of rebirth, the Emperor would need guna, or spiritual virtue.
Therefore, the Buddha teaches that anyone performing benevolent deeds must do so willingly and without self-beneficial intentions so they can acquire meritorious virtues. Again, the emphasis is on keeping the mind pure and doing magnanimous deeds willingly and naturally without selfish intentions.
The Emperor, however, was not pleased with Bodhidharma’s response and subsequently denied him his royal support.
Bodhidharma then traveled to Mount Song (Chinese = 嵩山), home to the Shaolin Temple, renowned for its martial arts. There, Bodhidharma meditated for nine years while facing a wall. Subsequently, besides being known as the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu, Mount Song is also recognized as the birthplace of Chan Buddhism.
However, not all was lost, as Bodhidharma did find a successor in Dazu Huike (Chinese = 大祖慧可), who succeeded Bodhidharma’s lineage and became the Second Patriarch of Chan Buddhism. From Dazu Huike, the Chan lineage continued until the Sixth Patriarch of Chan Buddhism, Dajian Huineng (Chinese = 大鑒惠能), a central figure in Chan Buddhism who is known for his Platform Sutra (Chinese = 六祖壇經/壇經).
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