What Is Chan 禅 Buddhism.    
3. (Scripture)

 

 The origins of Chán may be traced even father back to India, 2500 years ago. This document is a 14th century Mahāyāna Buddhist  Sutra known as the Flower Sermon. 

 The Flower Sermon 

Thus I have heard, that Gautama Buddha gathered his disciples one day for a Dharma talk When they gathered together, the Buddha was completely silent and some speculated why. The Buddha silently held up and twirled a flower and his eyes twinkled; several of his disciples tried to interpret what this meant, though none of them were correct. One of the Buddha's disciples, Mahākāśyapa, silently gazed at the flower and broke into a broad smile. The Buddha then acknowledged Mahākāśyapa's insight by saying the following:

    "I possess the true Dharma eye, the marvelous mind of Nirvāṇa, the true form of the formless, the subtle Dharma gate that does not rest on words or letters but is a special transmission outside of the scriptures. This I entrust to Mahākāśyapa."

**The story of the Flower Sermon may have been created by Chinese Chan Buddhists.**