This tale comes from the Vimalakirti Sutra. Originating from ancient India, the scripture was introduced to China over two thousand years ago. It has been deeply woven into Chinese literature, painting and opera, becoming an Eastern story well known and passed down through generations in China.

While Vimalakirti taught, a heavenly maiden appeared. She scattered celestial flowers to test the inner attachments and spiritual state of the listeners.

Flowers landed on bodhisattvas and slid gently to the ground. When they fell on disciples, they stuck fast and could not be brushed away.

The maiden revealed the truth: If you hold attachments in your mind, outer things will bind you. When you let go of attachments, nothing can trap you.

The flowers themselves are neither good nor bad. The difference is not in the flowers, but in our inner clinging.

It expresses an Eastern understanding of the relationship between humans and all things.