Flower Sermon
Flower Sermon is a short story about how Chan (Zen) began. The Buddha lifts a white flower and silently gives a teaching to his disciples. Nobody else understands it, but Mahākāśyapa smiles, showing he has understood directly, without words.
In Chinese, the title is Nián huā wéi xiào, meaning "Picking up a flower and smiling." It is Case 6 in the Zen koan collection The Gateless Barrier (Wúménguān).
The sermon points to the ineffable nature of tathātā (suchness) and to a direct transmission of wisdom beyond words. Mahākāśyapa’s smile signals that transmission.
The Buddha is quoted as saying: I possess the true Dharma eye, the marvelous mind of Nirvana, the true form of the formless, the subtle dharma gate that does not rest on words or letters but is a special transmission outside of the scriptures. I entrust this to Mahākāśyapa.
Chinese Chan Buddhists are believed to have recorded the story, with the earliest known version dating to 1036.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:41 (CET).