Where the Smile Blooms

Where the Smile Blooms

Where the Smile Blooms is located near Nanhua Temple in Qujiang District, Shaoguan City.

At the Spiritual Vulture Peak Assembly, the World-Honored One held up a flower, and Mahakasyapa broke into a smile — thus receiving the Buddha’s mind-seal. Patriarch Bodhidharma crossed the Yangtze River on a single reed, transmitting the secret teachings from the West. By the time of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, the Buddha’s Dhyanas gradually evolved into Patriarchal Dhyana, making Zen truly Chinese and accessible to all, eventually becoming the mainstream of Chinese Buddhism. You can’t talk about Chinese culture without touching on Zen culture, and you can’t discuss Zen culture without mentioning the Sixth Patriarch, Master Huineng. — This is the origin of the story behind Where the Smile Blooms.

On September 13, 2007 (the third day of the eighth lunar month), the commemoration day of the parinirvana of the Sixth Patriarch of Zen, Master Huineng, was observed. Nanhua Temple in Guangdong held a consecration ceremony for the newly completed “Where the Smile Blooms” Patriarchs’ Hall. The hall enshrines 88 bronze statues of eminent Zen patriarchs throughout the lineage’s history. These include the statue of the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, as well as more recent renowned masters such as Xuyun and Weiyin. It is currently the largest collection of bronze statues of Zen patriarchs in China.