ABSTRACT
This chapter examines Zen Buddhism's legitimating story, which is an expression of its self-definition. It looks at the ritual of Dharma transmission that imputes enormous power and prestige to the living Zen master/roshi and shines light on some of those imputed qualities. The chapter also examines the construction of the legitimating story and discusses its deceptive nature as well as problems and consequences arising from those deceptions. The term 'deception' is used for an intentional misrepresentation intended to mislead the addressees with the result of gain for oneself. Deception, however, is a complex issue when viewing Zen, as Zen's mythology is a Chinese creation dating back over a thousand years. The ritual of Dharma transmission was and is felt to be important to guard against fraud. It is understood to be the recognition of an enlightened person by another enlightened person, whereas, according to the tradition, an ordinary person' lacks this ability.
