When the Buddha Holds Up a Flower for Us

“Once, it is said, when the Buddha was giving a teaching, he held up a flower. And the Venerable Mahakassapa, one of his great devotees and disciples, smiled.There’s a mystery why theVenerable Mahakassapa smiled when the Buddha held up the flower.

What is it that we see in the flower? In the flower we see the ever-changing essence of conditioned forms. We see the nature of beauty and decay. We see the ‘suchness’ of the flower. And we see the emptiness of experience.

All teachings are contained in that flower; the teachings on suffering and the path leading to the cessation of suffering — on suffering and non-suffering. And if we bring the teachings to life in each moment of awareness, it’s as if the Buddha is holding up that flower for us.“

The Joy Hidden in Sorrow
Reflections by Ajahn Medhanandi

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