Holding up a Flower and Responding with a Smile

One day, while lecturing on Vulture Peak, the Buddha suddenly held up a flower. The audience was silent and wondered what message the Buddha was trying to convey. Only Mahakasyapa, who practiced asceticism, responded with a smile. The Buddha then declared, "I possess the treasure of the true Dharma eye, the wondrous mind of nirvana, and true reality without form. It is a profound teaching that is not set forth in words, a direct transmission beyond the teachings. This I entrust to Mahakasyapa." This was the first direct transmission of the Dharma from mind to mind.