Another important event includes the legend that the Chinese Emperor Ming Ti had a dream that told him to send his agents down the Silk Road to discover its meaning, and when they returned they carried a picture of the Buddha and a copy of the Sutra in 42 Sections, which would in 67 A.D. become the first of many to be translated into Chinese (Boeree). .

             Zen Buddhism focuses on developing the awareness of Buddha mindset through meditation on emptiness, and although this practice is known for its dismissal of the written and spoken work and its "rough-house antics," there is always great reverence for the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha (Boeree).

             Zen has contributed its own literature to the Buddhist "melting-pot," including The Platform Sutra, the Sixth Patriarch (700 A.D.), the Blue Cliff Record (1000 A.D.), the Gateless Gate (1200 A.D.), and the famous Ten Ox-Herding Pictures that many believe contain the very essence of Zen's message (Boeree). .

             The ultimate aim of practicing Buddhism is to end the cycle of rebirth, called samsara, by awakening to the realization of true reality, nirvana, which is achieved by purifying and training the mind, and to act according to the laws of karma: positive actions bring positive results, negative actions result in negative consequences (Buddhism1). The realm of karma must be transcended completely in the attainment of nirvana, yet some believe that the "state of Great perfection transcends both Samsara and Nirvana" (Buddhism1). Buddhist morality is guided by the principles of harmlessness and moderation (Buddhism1). Mental training focuses on sila (moral discipline), samadhi (meditative concentration), and prajna (wisdom) (Buddhism1). Although Buddhism does not deny the existence of supernatural beings, it does not ascribe power for creation, salvation or judgement to them, and like humans, are regarded as having power to affect worldly events, and as living entities, all supernatural beings are a part of the six-part reincarnation cycle (Buddhism1).