Zen, for those who have at least read something about it, begins with the Buddha on Spirit Vulture Peak imparting his awakening to Mahākāśyapa (Pali, Mahakassapa) which, more specifically, is Buddha Mind. This Mind was revealed when the Buddha simply held up a flower then blinked. In response to this Mind, Mahākāśyapa just smiled. Both of their actions appear to be physical. We are not aware of anything beyond. One holds up a flower and blinks while the other just smiles.
No matter how our intellect tries and tries again to make sense of this, it can't get very close to a satisfying interpretation because what was imparted transcends our all-too-human world, including space & time. It's not in the human ballpark, in other words. It is strictly esoteric, to be understood by a precious few—and I mean few. Regrettably, my words are not going to stop anyone from speculating or disagreeing. Yep, it's move on to another Zen story until we find one that seems to chime with our preconceptions about Zen.
But the heart of Zen is in this spiritual transmission even though, in all probability, it never actually took place. It's a Zen myth, but an excellent one that helps us to engage with the mystery of Mind which is what animates our temporal bodies. It is the Mind that the Buddha in the Pali Nikayas calls the luminous Mind. It is also the Mind that is bodhi or bodhicitta.
It's rather a dark secret that Buddhist teachers, who are worth their salt, don't discuss, that is, what are the signs of manifesting the awakened Mind that caused Mahākāśyapa to smile? They understand that when the adept engages with this Mind, it is self-verifying and clearly reveals what was actually transmitted between the Buddha and Mahākāśyapa. This, by the way, is the orthodox transmission which means that when we awaken to Mind, we are transmitted. We are also in the Triple Gem Sangha—an exclusive Sangha for those who have experienced entering the current.
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