禅Mahakashyapa

proverb

Why Mahākāśyapa Smiled

Pre-Han

Traditionally attributed

Text

He smiled not because he understood, but because there was nothing left to misunderstand. To smile in that way once is to have transmission already.

tr. Zen Lineage editorial

license: cc_by

Attribution

Lineage: Indian Patriarchs

By Mahakashyapa

Sources

  • contentEssays in Zen Buddhism, First Series

    D. T. Suzuki

No per-field confidence has been recorded for this teaching yet. Treat individual claims with the caution appropriate to the source list below.

Attribution status: traditional — see editorial policy for what this means.

1 supporting citation on record (see Sources above).

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