[Buddha-l] Kashyapa question

[Piya Tan]

Dear Bob,

You mentioned Shenhui as the source of the Kasyapa and the flower
story. From my limited research notes, I found this

The first version of the story to make explicit what was only
implicitly drawn in the Tiānshèng guǎngdēng lù was the Dàfán tiānwáng
wèn fójuéyí jīng 大梵天王問佛覺決疑經 (“The Scripture on the Heavenly Lord
Mahā,¬brahmā Asking the Buddha About His Doubt”).

According to the Dàfán tiānwáng wèn fójuéyí jīng version of the story,
as Shakyamuni sat before the assembly holding the lotus-blossom given
him by brahmin, Kaśyapa, without saying a word, broke into a smile.
The Buddha then proclaimed, “I possess the treasury of the true
Dharma-eye, the wondrous mind of nirvana, miraculous Dharma-methods
born of the formlessness of true form, not established on words and
letters, a special transmission outside the scriptures, etc.” and went
on to entrust it to Kaśyapa.

Reading:
“Mahākāṥyapa’s smile: Silent transmission and the kung-an (koan)
Tradition,” in Stephen Heine & Dale S Wright, The Koan, 2000: 75-109.

What other sources is there on origin of the story (esp in relation to Shenhui)?

Thanks & best wishes,

Piya Tan


On 4/17/09, Piya Tan <dharmafarer at gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear Mitchell,
>
> Shen-hui is one of the darkest shadows of Chinese Buddhism, indeed, in
> the history of Buddhism.
>
> One of my favourite writers on Shenhui is John McRae. You will find
> details in the biblio in my write-up on "How Buddhism Became Chinese"
> here;
>
> http://pali.house.googlepages.com/suttadiscoveryvol40b
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Piya Tan
>
>
> On 4/17/09, Bob Zeuschner <rbzeuschner at roadrunner.com> wrote:
>> Hi Mitchell --
>> Sorry for the delay in responding to your question.
>> As far as I know, the "Flower Sermon" is the invention of Ho-tse
>> Shen-hui, an 8th century student of Hui-neng.
>> Shen-hui invented much of Ch'an history, especially the mythical
>> connection of Ch'an to India.
>> I hope this helps.
>> Bob Zeuschner
>> Dept. of Philosophy
>>
>>
>>
>> Mitchell Ginsberg wrote:
>>> Hello all,
>>>
>>> The furthest back I have been able to track the flower-holding story
>>> down
>>> is to a little work said to be by Bodhidharma (in Chinese), Xuemailun,
>>> where
>>> Kashyapa is mentioned as the only one to "get it." As for the explicit
>>> story
>>> itself, I find it in two texts of the eleventh century CE (1000s), and
>>> then in
>>> later works...
>>>
>>> Questions for anyone:
>>> 1. Are there any Indic sources for this story (and if so from what
>>> age/time)?
>>> 2. What is the earliest recounting of this flower-demonstration teaching
>>> (in
>>> Chinese, or another language)?
>>>
>>> Thank you, everyone.
>>>
>>> Mitchell G.
>>> ==========
>>
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>
>
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