Zen - flower

The story of the Buddha twirling a flower before his assemblage, like the story of the baby Buddha taking seven steps in each of the cardinal directions, need not be taken literally. The first account of his transmitting the Dharma is set forth in a sutra of Chinese origin that is dated AD 1036, fourteen hundred years after the Buddha's time. This was the Sung period, a peak in the development of Chinese culture when great anthologies, encyclopedias, and directories were being produced. Myth, oral tradition, and sectarian justification all played a role in this codification. The fable of the Buddha twirling a flower filled a great need for connection with the founder, and it was picked up immediately and repeated like gospel. The Sung teachers were making important points with their myths.

- ROBERT AITKEN, IN THE GATELESS BARRIER