[Story] Golden Flower Rain and Smiling Chan

The Causes and conditions of Shakyamuni Buddha's Smile
In a blaze of radiant light, Bodhisattva Puming (普明菩薩) saw a golden flower rain falling.
A peaceful and kindly smiling figure of the Buddha faintly emerged.
Bodhisattva Puming could not help but wonder why the Buddha was smiling. It was because of a difficult task.
This difficult task of preaching the Dharma and delivering sentient beings.
The Buddha used the smile and radiant light to soften the hearts of sentient beings,
thereby finally leading them to accept the Dharma.

■ Xu Huijuan (徐慧娟)

A cool breeze gently blew into the quiet valley of the Land of Many Treasures. The crisp chirping of five-colored birds echoed from the distant forest.
Bodhisattva Puming, in deep meditation, sat on a smooth rock by the stream, staying unmoved.

Suddenly, from other realms, a startling lion's roar awoke Bodhisattva Puming from his meditation. Following the roar was a loud rumbling sound that shook the mountains and rivers.

Bodhisattva Puming opened his eyes and saw a warm white light before him, as seamless and dense as a flowing river of light that filled the entire world. Amidst this dazzling light, a shower of golden flowers fell, and the majestic figure of a Buddha, with a serene face and a gentle smile, faintly emerged.

Bodhisattva Puming rose from his seat and walked to the stream's edge, gazing at an old man fishing in the middle of the gurgling stream. With palms joined, Bodhisattva Puming asked, "Venerable Buddha, may I ask what causes the mountains and rivers to shake and emit such brilliant light? Which Buddha could possess such merit and virtue?"

The old man's deep voice echoed throughout the valley: "Heading west from here, passing countless countries as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges, there lies a world called Saha. Therein resides a Buddha named Shakyamuni, who is currently expounding the Prajnaparamita to all sentient beings and bodhisattvas Mahāsattva. The auspicious signs you saw are the result of Shakyamuni Buddha's miraculous power."

Bodhisattva Puming exclaimed in admiration, "Venerable Buddha, I will personally travel to the Saha world and meet this Shakyamuni Buddha."

The old man smiled and said, "Go ahead! Now is the perfect time."
With that, he set down his fishing rod, spread his hands, and a thousand-petaled golden lotus slowly emerged from his palms.

"Offer this thousand-petaled golden lotus to the Buddha. This is a rare opportunity. Treasure it well."

The Buddha's Golden Smile

At this moment, Shakyamuni Buddha, residing on Mount Gridhrakuta in Rajgir in the Saha world, peacefully emerged from samadhi. The Buddha first surveyed every corner of the world with his divine eyes, after which a smile as warm as the sunlight spread across his face. Along with this smile, a brilliant radiance emanated from his entire body, illuminating the billion-world universe—the same radiance that Bodhisattva Puming witnessed in the Land of Many Treasures. The radiance of the Buddha's smile instantly spread throughout all worlds in the ten directions — east, west, south, north, the four intermediate directions, above, and below.

Bodhisattva Puming, holding a thousand-petaled golden lotus, approached Shakyamuni Buddha, along with numerous monastics, lay practitioners, and young boys and girls, personally offering him flowers, garlands, frankincense, incense powders, perfumes, clothing, and canopies.

"Venerable Buddha! Ratnakūta Buddha, from the Land of Many Treasures, sends his regards to you. How are you? How are you feeling?"

The Buddha nodded gently, a faint smile still on his face.

"May I offer this thousand-petaled golden lotus to the Buddha."

Shakyamuni Buddha accepted the golden lotus presented by Bodhisattva Puming and gazed silently and serenely at the brilliant blossom for a long moment. After a while, the Buddha raised the hand holding the flower and gently waved it through the air.
In that instant, the thousand-petaled golden lotus transformed into a shower of blossoms, scattering across ten directions. Within each petal resided a bodhisattva, each of whom rode on a petal to ten directions, expounding the Prajnaparamita in other realms.
The Buddha gazed intently, seeing petals fluttering down to the various realms. He also saw all the beings in the heavens, demons, and Brahma realms, sharamanas, Brahmins, Gandharvas, humans, and asuras, all seated peacefully, waiting to hear the Dharma.
A faint smile once again appeared on the Buddha's face…

The Buddha Smiled at a Difficult Matter

In the Land of Many Treasures, streams gurgled, and birds chirped among flowers. Walking along a forest path, Bodhisattva Puming heard a hearty laugh behind him. He turned back for a look and saw an old woodcutter approaching in the distance, carrying two loads of dry wood on his shoulders.

"Venerable Buddha! What are you laughing so joyfully about?"

"Nothing, nothing" The old woodcutter suddenly appeared before Bodhisattva Puming, still smiling brightly.

"The Buddha is as solemn as the earth. He would never laugh at trivial matters."
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" the old woodcutter laughed upon hearing this. "You are right, you are right."

He put down his burden and sat on a large rock by the roadside, wiping sweat from his face with his sleeve and saying: "Laughter has many reasons. Some laugh out of joy, some out of anger, some out of malice, making fun of others, or out of shame for doing something embarrassing."
"But what about the Buddha? I've seen Shakyamuni Buddha laugh, and it doesn't seem to be the kind of laughter you mentioned."
"You are right. The Buddha in the Saha world does have a very special smile. Others might laugh out of joy or pride, but the Buddha laughs when he encounters difficulty."
Bodhisattva Puming's eyes widened upon hearing this. "Please enlighten me."
"Is preaching the Dharma and delivering sentient beings difficult?" asked Ratnakūta Buddha.
"It is certainly not easy," said Bodhisattva Puming.
"But no matter how difficult the task is, it cannot frustrate the Buddha. With his smile and radiant light, he soothes the hearts of sentient beings and ultimately leads them to accept the Dharma."
Bodhisattva Puming exclaimed in surprise and praise. He then asked, "So what is the difference between the Buddha's smile and that of others?"

"The Buddha's smile is genuine and unhindered. When he smiles, every pore of his body opens, radiating light."
"Let me tell you a story." The old woodcutter was so in the mood for storytelling and couldn't stop.
"Once, the Buddha led his disciples to a Brahmin city. The city's ruler, knowing that the Buddha's teachings can move people, feared that the city's residents would disobey his commands after converting to Buddhism. So he forbade the residents from making offerings to the Buddha and imposed a fine of five hundred coins for those who violated the ban. After the ban was enacted, the Buddha and Ananda entered the city to beg for alms, but were turned away at every door. Finally, they left the city with their empty alms bowls.

On the way out, the Buddha met an old woman who was about to throw away some rotten food. Seeing the Buddha's dignified presence, the old woman's heart naturally surged with reverence. Feeling embarrassed, she said to the Buddha, "Venerable Buddha, although I sincerely wish to make an offering to you,  I have no good food to offer." Here is some coarse food for you if you require it." Upon hearing the old woman's words, the Buddha smiled compassionately and slowly extended his bowl to accept the food offered by the old woman. At that moment, the Buddha's smile, as warm as the sun, suddenly shone with a five-colored light, illuminating the entire earth.
Hearing this, Bodhisattva Puming seemed to see the Buddha's smile himself, his entire body and mind bathed in the warm glow.

"And then?" Bodhisattva Puming eagerly listened.
"Haha, Ananda, who was accompanying the Buddha at that time, was just as curious as you are. He respectfully requested the Buddha to explain the cause of the radiant smile. The Buddha told Ananda that, because of the merit of her offerings to the Buddha, this old woman would enjoy the rewards of the human and celestial  realms in the future, would not fall into the lower realms, and would eventually be able to become a monastic, study the Dharma, attain liberation, and enter Nirvana."
"Wonderful!" Bodhisattva Puming clapped hands joyfully, then abruptly sighed.

Golden Flowers Rained down all over the Field

"The Buddha endured considerable hardship in order to preach the Dharma and deliver sentient beings."
"Indeed, but that's not all. In the end, even the stubborn Brahmin, the city ruler, was tamed by the Buddha," the old woodcutter said.
"How could that be?" Bodhisattva Puming asked in astonishment.
While the Buddha was speaking with Ananda, a Brahmin happened to be passing by. He overheard the Buddha's explanation and, deeply dissatisfied, jumped out and accused the Buddha of lying.
"How can this be allowed?"
"Don't worry, listen to me …"
 
The Brahmin cursed the Buddha, "How dare you, the son of King Suddhodana, a man of noble descent, and you're just trying to fool people with such a big lie? How could an old woman who offered rotten food receive such great merit as you claim?"
The Buddha asked the Brahmin, "What's the most rare and extraordinary thing you've ever seen?"
The Brahmin replied, "I once saw a tree so large that it could shade five hundred carts. That's the most extraordinary thing I've ever seen."
The Buddha asked, "How big is the seed of that tree?"
 
The Brahmin replied, "No bigger than a sesame seed."
 
The Buddha smiled and said, "How could such a small seed possibly grow into a big tree? Who would believe you?"
The Brahmin argued, "I saw it with my own eyes. I'm not lying."
The Buddha said, "I'm not lying either. A tiny seed can grow into a mighty tree. Just as the rice and porridge offered by the old woman with a pure heart can yield incredible rewards. Because the Tathagata's field of merit is so fertile, even the smallest seed can grow into a mighty tree."
 
"Upon hearing this, the Brahmin was instantly convinced. He realized his mistake and fell to the ground, repenting before the Buddha. Later, the Brahmin went into the city to preach the Dharma. Eventually, the residents of the city of Brahmin accepted Buddhism. Even the city's ruler, realizing his mistake, lifted his ban and joined the people in converting to Buddhism."
 
"Wonderful! Truly wonderful!"
 
Bodhisattva Puming joined his palms together and gazed up at the distant sky. It seemed as if the compassionate smile of Shakyamuni Buddha was reflected in the clouds.
 
After gazing for an uncertain moment, a petal, as light as a feather, landed gracefully on his cheek.
"Hmm!" Bodhisattva Puming reached out, picked up the petal from his face, and carefully placed it in his palm.
 
Here, a golden petal shimmered with a captivating brilliance.
 
"Compassionate Buddha!" Bodhisattva Puming gazed at the petals in his palm, exclaiming praise from his heart. The old woodcutter beside him also smiled and nodded. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, blowing the petal away from his hand.
 
Bodhisattva Puming looked up and saw a rain of golden flowers covering the mountains, fluttering across the empty valley all over the place.
 
(Adapted from the first part of the "First Part of the Origination Chapter" of the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra, and the fourteenth chapter of the "Treatise on the Light Emitted in the First Chapter" of the Treatise on the Perfection of Great Wisdom)




Related articles:

Smile – Chan

Possessing a Smile Like the Buddha

[Story] Golden Flower Rain and Smiling Chan

[Image and Meaning] The Charm of the Buddha's Smile

Chan Meditation Series - Seeing a True Smile





Resource: Issue 304 of Humanity Magazine, Dharma Drum Publishing Corporation
Photo: 橘子
Translation: James 
Editing: Keith Brown, YKL