February 10, 2009
- The Flower Sermon -
Toward the end of his life, the Buddha took his disciples to a quiet pond for instruction. As they had done so many times before, the Buddha’s followers sat in a small circle around him, and waited for the teaching.
But this time the Buddha had no words. He reached into the muck and pulled up a lotus flower. And he held it silently before them, its roots dripping mud and water.
The disciples were greatly confused. Buddha quietly displayed the lotus to each of them. In turn, the disciples did their best to expound upon the meaning of the flower: what it symbolized, and how it fit into the body of Buddha’s teaching.
When at last the Buddha came to his follower Mahakasyapa, the disciple suddenly understood. He smiled and began to laugh. Buddha handed the lotus to Mahakasyapa and began to speak.
“What can be said I have said to you,” smiled the Buddha, “and what cannot be said, I have given to Mahakashyapa.”
Mahakashyapa became Buddha’s successor from that day forward.
The great chain of being, in action…
The flowering of plants lead to a change in the whole world. What of the flowering of the mind, where the interior of the “plant” and the exterior of “the world” can interact, where the cross-pollination of thought can occur?
And just in case there’s any misunderstanding, I am preemptively explaining here that I do NOT mean that the Buddha’s enlightenment was brought about by the flowering of plants 90 million years ago…
Comment by Ian — February 11, 2009 @ 10:36 am
To me it just seems like one of those Koan deals, where there is this aspect of enlightened people being in the know and smiling knowingly to each other and chuckling at all the peons trying to grasp it.
It always struck me as kind of an “in group” type dynamic. But Alan Watts is cool as hell. That’s all I know. I love reading his stuff, but as far as actual Buddhists getting together I obviously have some baggage or blockage or whatever preventing me from getting with them.
Comment by Ted — February 12, 2009 @ 10:41 am
I think it would be funny as hell though if this was presented to you by a Zen master as a koan and you gave the evolution of flowering plants as an answer.
That would be awesome!
Comment by Ted — February 12, 2009 @ 10:55 am
I have to disagree with you here though, Ted. Koans are pretty powerful if they’re used properly (not that I’ve been lucky enough to have been given one yet). I think the problem is that anybody who throws them around as if they were problems to be solved is missing the point.
A koan is presented to a student as if the teacher were prescribing a medicine. Koans are presented in a personal, face-to-face interview with the teacher during a period of meditation. The student brings in a particular problem that came up for them during meditation, and the teacher presents a koan to the student that points them toward a way to wok out that problem for themselves. But this happens rarely, and koans are meant to be worked on over a long period of time.
And this is not even to say that the teacher is necessarily some GREAT HOLY ENLIGHTENED BEING. Just that they’re smart people who can see things about you that you can’t. It’s easy to see when someone else is being an asshole and doesn’t realize it, but try to do it for yourself! “Knowledge is knowing others, wisdom is knowing yourself”, and, “do not point out the mote in your neighbors eye until you have removed the beam from your own.”
Koans are meant to be presented to help with specific problems. If they’re not being presented in that spirit, then they’re being misused.
Comment by Ian — February 12, 2009 @ 11:09 am
Ha! yeah…
I’d probably get hit with a stick!
Anyway, it could be a block on your part, but it also depends on how koans are presented. Running around trying to figure out random koans is a lot like mixing prescription medication.
do not operate heavy machinery…
Comment by Ian — February 12, 2009 @ 11:11 am
Study provides insight into evolution of first flowers
Comment by Ian — May 21, 2009 @ 11:10 am