Once during his stay at Mount Grdrakuta (vulture peak), the Buddha prepared to address the gathering of monks but sat without saying a word. After a while, he held up a flower and only Mahakashyapa smiled. Seeing his smile, the Buddha said, "My true Dharma is transmitted to Mahakashyapa." This is historically considered in Zen as the first transmission outside the scriptures something which later became central to Zen and the Zen patriarchate.
What if no one had smiled? Or what if everyone had smiled? Or if the Buddha had remained silent? Would the dharma still be here now?
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