(The Flower Sermon)
I have the all-pervading
true Dharma,
incomparable Nirvana.
It does not rely on words
and is transmitted outside scriptures.
I now
hand it to you.
(the next page contains a plant leaf)
This book is a response to the koan "Shakyamuni holds up a flower" (also known as The Flower Sermon) contained in the Mumonkan collection by Mumon Ekai (1183-1260).
In the story, Shakyamuni (Buddha) gives a wordless sermon to his disciples by holding up a white flower. No one in the audience understands the Flower Sermon except Mahakashyapa, who smiles.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower_Sermon
What is this all-pervading Truth beyond scriptures? A flower, a leaf. A living thing. That will soon wither, die, decompose, transform. Brief, fleeting. The most precious truth : life itself.
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