Avatamsaka Sutra

The ' (IAST, sa, 𑀅𑀯𑀢𑀁𑀲𑀓 𑀲𑀽𑀢𑁆𑀭) or ''Buddhāvataṃsaka-nāma-mahā­vaipulya-sūtra (The Mahāvaipulya Sūtra named “Buddhāvataṃsaka”)'' is one of the most influential Mahāyāna sutras of East Asian Buddhism. In Classical Sanskrit, ''avataṃsaka'' means garland, wreath, or any circular ornament, such as an earring.'''' Thus, the title may be rendered in English as ''A Garland of Buddhas'', ''Buddha Ornaments'', or ''Buddha’s Garland''. In Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, the term ''avataṃsaka'' means “a great number,” “a multitude,” or “a collection.” This is matched by the Tibetan title of the sutra, which is ''A Multitude of Buddhas'' (''""'').

The ''Buddhāvataṃsaka'' has been described by the translator Thomas Cleary "the most grandiose, the most comprehensive, and the most beautifully arrayed of the Buddhist scriptures."

The ' describes a cosmos of infinite realms upon realms, mutually containing one another. This sutra was especially influential in East Asian Buddhism. The vision expressed in this work was the foundation for the creation of the Huayan school of Chinese Buddhism, which was characterized by a philosophy of interpenetration. The Huayan school is known as Hwaeom in Korea and Kegon in Japan. The sutra is also influential in Chan Buddhism.

Title

This work has been used in a variety of countries. Some major traditional titles include the following:
* Sanskrit: ', ''The Mahāvaipulya Sūtra named “Buddhāvataṃsaka”''. ''Vaipulya'' ("extensive") refers to key Mahayana sutras. "Garland/wreath/adornment" refers to a manifestation of the beauty of Buddha's virtues or his inspiring glory. The term ''avataṃsaka'' also means “a great number,” “a multitude,” or “a collection.” This matches the content of the sutra, in which numerous Buddhas are depicted as manifestations of the cosmic Buddha Vairocana.''''
* Chinese: ''Dàfāngguǎng Fóhuāyán Jīng'' , commonly known as the ''Huāyán Jīng'' (), meaning "Flower-adorned (Splendid & Solemn) Sūtra." ''Vaipulya'' here is translated as "corrective and expansive", ''fāngguǎng'' (). ''Huā'' () means at once "flower" (archaic; namely ) and "magnificence." ''Yán'' (), short for ''zhuàngyán'' (), means "to decorate (so that it is solemn, dignified)."
* Japanese: ' (), usually known as the ' (). This title is identical to Chinese above, just in Shinjitai characters.
* ko, ' or ' (), the Sino-Korean pronunciation of the Chinese name.
* vi, Đại phương quảng Phật hoa nghiêm kinh, shortened to the ', the Sino-Vietnamese pronunciation of the Chinese name.
* , Standard Tibetan '
* Tangut (romanized): ''Tha cha wa tha fa sho ldwi rye''
According to a Dunhuang manuscript, this text was also known as the '.

History

The ' was written in stages, beginning from at least 500 years after the death of the Buddha. One source claims that it is "a very long text composed of a number of originally independent scriptures of diverse provenance, all of which were combined, probably in Central Asia, in the late third or the fourth century CE." Japanese scholars such as Akira Hirakawa and Otake Susumu meanwhile argue that the Sanskrit original was compiled in India from sutras already in circulation which also bore the name "Buddhavatamsaka".

Two full Chinese translations of the ' were made. Fragmentary translation probably began in the 2nd century CE, and the famous ''Ten Stages Sutra'', often treated as an individual scripture, was first translated in the 3rd century. The first complete Chinese version was translated by Buddhabhadra around 420 in 60 scrolls with 34 chapters, and the second by Śikṣānanda around 699 in 80 scrolls with 40 chapters. There is also a translation of the ''Gaṇḍavyūha'' section by Prajñā around 798. The second translation includes more sutras than the first, and the Tibetan translation, which is still later, includes many differences with the 80 scrolls version. Scholars conclude that sutras were being added to the collection.

The single extant Tibetan version was translated from the original Sanskrit by Jinamitra et al. at the end of ninth century.

According to Paramārtha, a 6th-century monk from Ujjain in central India, the ''Avataṃsaka Sūtra'' is also called the "Bodhisattva Piṭaka." In his translation of the ''Mahāyānasaṃgrahabhāṣya'', there is a reference to the Bodhisattva Piṭaka, which Paramārtha notes is the same as the ''Avataṃsaka Sūtra'' in 100,000 lines.Identification of the ''Avataṃsaka Sūtra'' as a "Bodhisattva Piṭaka" was also recorded in the colophon of a Chinese manuscript at the Mogao Caves: "Explication of the Ten Stages, entitled ''Creator of the Wisdom of an Omniscient Being by Degrees'', a chapter of the Mahāyāna sūtra ''Bodhisattvapiṭaka Buddhāvataṃsaka'', has ended."

Overview

The sutra, among the longest Buddhist sutras, is a compilation of disparate texts on various topics such as the Bodhisattva path, the interpenetration of phenomena (dharmas), the omnipresence of Buddhahood, the miraculous powers of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, the visionary powers of meditation, and the equality of things in emptiness.Takeuchi Yoshinori (editor). Buddhist Spirituality: Indian, Southeast Asian, Tibetan, and Early Chinese, page 160

According to Paul Demiéville, the Avatamsaka collection is "characterized by overflowing visionary images, which multiply everything to infinity, by a type of monadology that teaches the interpenetration of the one whole and the particularized many, of spirit and matter" and by "the notion of a gradual progress towards liberation through successive stages and an obsessive preference for images of light and radiance."Takeuchi Yoshinori (editor). Buddhist Spirituality: Indian, Southeast Asian, Tibetan, and Early Chinese, page 161 Likewise, Alan Fox has described the sutra's worldview as "fractal", " holographic", and "psychedelic".

The East Asian view of the text is that it expresses the universe as seen by a Buddha (the Dharmadhatu), who sees all phenomena as empty and thus infinitely interpenetrating, from the point of view of enlightenment. This interpenetration is described in the Avatamsaka as the perception "that the fields full of assemblies, the beings and aeons which are as many as all the dust particles, are all present in every particle of dust." Thus, a Buddha's view of reality is also said to be "inconceivable; no sentient being can fathom it".

Paul Williams notes that the sutra speaks of both Yogacara and Madhyamaka doctrines, stating that all things are empty of inherent existence and also of a "pure untainted awareness or consciousness (''amala-citta'') as the ground of all phenomena". The ''Avatamsaka sutra'' also highlights the visionary and mystical power of attaining the spiritual wisdom which sees the nature of the world:

Endless action arises from the mind; from action arises the multifarious world. Having understood that the world's true nature is mind, you display bodies of your own in harmony with the world. Having realized that this world is like a dream, and that all Buddhas are like mere reflections, that all principles harmaare like an echo, you move unimpeded in the world (Trans in Gomez, 1967: lxxxi)

As a result of their meditative power, Buddhas have the magical ability to create and manifest infinite forms, and they do this in many skillful ways out of great compassion for all beings.

:In all atoms of all lands
:Buddha enters, each and every one,
:Producing miracle displays for sentient beings:
:Such is the way of Vairocana....
:The techniques of the Buddhas are inconceivable,
:All appearing in accord with beings’ minds....
:In each atom the Buddhas of all times
:Appear, according to inclinations;
:While their essential nature neither comes nor goes,
:By their vow power they pervade the worlds.(Cleary 1984–7: I, Bk 4)

The point of these teachings is to lead all beings through the ten bodhisattva levels to the goal of Buddhahood (which is done for sake of all other beings). These stages of spiritual attainment are also widely discussed in various parts of the sutra (book 15, book 26).

The sutra also includes numerous Buddhas and their Buddhalands which are said to be infinite, representing a vast cosmic view of reality, though it centers on a most important figure, the Buddha Mahavairocana ("Great Radiance" or "The Great Illuminator"). Vairocana is a cosmic being who is the source of light and enlightenment of the 'Lotus universe', and who is said to contain all world systems within his cosmic body. According to Paul Williams, the Buddha "is said or implied at various places in this vast and heterogeneous sutra to be the universe itself, to be the same as ‘absence of intrinsic existence’ or emptiness, and to be the Buddha's all-pervading omniscient awareness." The very body of Vairocana is also seen as a reflection of the whole universe:

The body of airocanaBuddha is inconceivable. In his body are all sorts of lands of sentient beings. Even in a single pore are countless vast oceans.

Also, for the ''Avatamsaka'', the historical Buddha Sakyamuni is simply a magical emanation of the cosmic Buddha Vairocana.

Chapter overview

Shakyamuni Buddha attended by Manjushri (left) and Samantabhadra (right), Japan, Kamakura period.
A bronze depiction of the universal Buddha Vairocana, with a body made up of numerous bodhisattva emanations.
A painting of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra
Luis Gomez notes that there is an underlying order to the collection. The discourses in the sutra version with 39 chapters or books are delivered to eight different audiences or "assemblies" in seven locations such as Bodh Gaya and the Tusita Heaven.Takeuchi Yoshinori (editor) (1995). ''Buddhist Spirituality: Indian, Southeast Asian, Tibetan, and Early Chinese'', p. 164. Motilal Banarsidass. Each "assembly" includes various locales, doctrinal topics and characters. The main "assemblies" which the collection is traditionally divided into are:

At the Bodhimaṇḍa (Books 1–5)

In this assembly at the Bodhimaṇḍa (the seat of awakening under the bodhi tree), the bodhisattva Samantabhadra and the Buddha discuss the nature of reality and how Vairocana Buddha is omnipresent throughout the dharmadhātu.

The Hall of Universal Light (Books 6–12)

The bodhisattva Mañjuśrī asks the Buddha about the various ways that the four noble truths (which are the basis of all bodhisattva practice) are taught. The bodhisattva Bhadramukha also teaches the Bodhisattva Path.

Indra's Palace (Books 13–18)

The Buddha teaches in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven at the Palace of Indra. Dharmamati teaches on how the bodhisattva path progresses in ten abodes or viharas.

Yama's Palace (Books 19–22)

The Buddha teaches on how the world is a mental creation and provides the famous simile of the world being like a painting and the mind being the painter. The bodhisattva Gunavana teaches the ten practices (carya) of bodhisattvas and the ten inexhaustible treasuries.

Tusita Heaven (Books 23–25)

Vajradhvaja teaches the ways that bodhisattvas dedicate and transfer their merit.

Paranirmitavasavartin Heaven (Book 26)

This is the ''Ten Stages Sutra'' ( ''Daśabhūmika sutra''), which focuses on the ten ''bhūmis'' (levels or stages) of the bodhisattva path.

The Hall of Universal Light part 2 (Books 27–38)

The Buddha returns to the hall of universal light and Samantabhadra teaches the ten samadhis, supernormal powers, and ten types of patience (''kshanti''). Various other teachings on the bodhisattva path are given, which recapitulate the themes covered in the previous books. The immeasurability of Buddhahood is discussed and Samantabhadra is said to embody all the activities of the omnipresent Buddhahood.

Jetavana Pavillion (Book 39)

This is the ''Gaṇḍavyūha Sūtra'', which contains the story of the bodhisattva Sudhana's spiritual career, study under numerous teachers and his inconceivable liberation.

Individual sutras

At least two parts of the ''Avatamsaka'' collection also circulated as individual sutras: the ''Ten Stages Sutra'' and the ''Flower Array Sutra.'' These two sutras have also survived individually in the original Sanskrit (while the rest of the ''Avatamsaka'' only survives in translation).

''Ten Stages Sutras''

The sutra is also well known for its detailed description of the course of the bodhisattva's practice through ten stages where the '' Ten Stages Sutra'', or ' (, ), is the name given to this chapter of the '. This sutra gives details on the ten stages (bhūmis) of development a bodhisattva must undergo to attain supreme enlightenment. The ten stages are also depicted in the ''Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra'' and the ''Śūraṅgama Sūtra''. The sutra also touches on the subject of the development of the "aspiration for Enlightenment" (bodhicitta) to attain supreme buddhahood.

''The Flower Array Sutra''

The last chapter of the ''Avatamsaka'' circulates as a separate and important text known as the ''Gaṇḍavyūha Sutra'' ("", or "bouquet"; ‘Entering the Dharma Realm’). Considered the "climax" of the larger text, this section details the pilgrimage of the layman Sudhana to various lands (worldly and supra-mundane) at the behest of the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to find a spiritual friend who will instruct him in the ways of a bodhisattva. According to Luis Gomez, this sutra can also be "regarded as emblematic of the whole collection."

Despite the former being at the end of the ''Avataṃsaka'', the ''Gaṇḍavyūha'' and the ''Ten Stages'' are generally believed to be the oldest written chapters of the sutra.

English translations

The first relatively complete English translation of the contents of the ' was authored by the late Thomas Cleary and published by Shambhala Publications in 1984. Although this fact is for the most part only known by scholars who have studied the sutra closely in its original Asian language editions, Thomas Cleary's translation of the ' was actually only partially translated from Śikṣānanda's most complete and now standard Tang Dynasty edition. Cleary chose instead to translate fully a third of this scripture (the very long and detailed Chapter 26 and the immense 53-part Chapter 39) from the much later P.L. Vaidya Sanskrit, this even though he claimed on page two of his introduction to have made his ''Flower Ornament Scripture'' translation from the Śikṣānanda edition. This is clearly not true, for Cleary's translations of Chapters 26 and 39 do not follow Śikṣānanda's Chinese at all, whereas they ''do'' follow the often very different P.L. Vaidya Sanskrit edition fairly closely from beginning to end. Beginning in 1984, Cleary's translation was divided into three volumes. The latest edition, from 1993, is contained in a large single volume spanning 1656 pages. One wonders if perhaps this amazing condensation from three volumes down to one volume might have been accomplished by eliminating countless paragraph breaks, for in one instance, Cleary's 1993 edition of the translation goes through ''eleven pages'' of very intricately detailed scripture without allowing even a single paragraph break.

* ''The Flower Ornament Scripture : A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sūtra'' (1993) by Thomas Cleary,

Bhiksu Dharmamitra has recently produced from Tripitaka Master Śikṣānanda's 699 ce Sanskrit-to-Chinese edition (T0279) the first and so far only complete English translation of ''any'' edition of the ''.'' It is published by Kalavinka Press in three volumes (totaling 2,500 pages) as ''The Flower Adornment Sutra: An Annotated Translation of the Avataṃsaka Sutra with A Commentarial Synopsis of the Flower Adornment Sutra'' (October 1st, 2022 / ISBNS: Volume One - 9781935413356; Volume Two - 9781935413363; Volume Three - 9781935413370). (His complete translation of Chapter 39 which corresponds precisely to the ''Gaṇḍa­vyūha'' is contained in Volume Three of this work. It includes the traditionally appended conclusion to Chapter 39, "The Conduct and Vows of Samantabhadra" which was originally translated into Chinese in 798 ce by Tripitaka Master Prajñā.)

Kalavinka Press also published the ''Daśabhūmika Sūtra'' (corresponding to Chapter 26 of the ') as an independent text as: ''The Ten Grounds Sutra: The Daśabhūmika Sūtra: the Ten Highest Levels of Practice on the Bodhisattva's Path to Buddhahood'' (2019). This was translated by Bhikshu Dharmamitra from Tripitaka Master Kumārajīva’s circa 410 ce Sanskrit-to-Chinese translation of the Daśabhūmika Sūtra (T0286).

The publisher Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai (BDK) has finished editing and is currently (as of July, 2022) in the process of preparing for publication an unannotated multi-volume edition of Bhikshu Dharmamitra's ''Flower Adornment Sutra'' which also includes Bhikshu Dharmamitra's translation of the traditionally appended conclusion to Chapter 39, "The Conduct and Vows of Samantabhadra" originally translated by Tripitaka Master Prajñā.

Both the ''Gaṇḍa­vyūha'' and the ''Daśabhūmika'' (which together constitute approximately one third of the ' have been independently translated from the Tibetan version by Peter Alan Roberts along with 84000.co as:

* ''The Ten Bhūmis Chapter from the Mahāvaipulya Sūtra “A Multitude of Buddhas”''
* ''“The Stem Array” Chapter from the Mahāvaipulya Sūtra “A Multitude of Buddhas”''

These translations are freely available on the 84000 website.

The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is also producing a translation of the ' (which they title ''The Great Means Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra'') along with a lengthy commentary by Venerable Hsuan Hua. Currently over twenty volumes are available, and it is estimated that there may be 75-100 volumes in the complete edition.

See also

* Indra's net
* List of sutras
* Mahayana sutras
* '' Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki'', an early Japanese annotation
* Huayan school, named after this sutra
* Kegon school, Japanese Huayan
* Multiverse

References

Further reading

Prince, Tony (2020), Universal Enlightenment - An introduction to the Teachings and Practices of Huayen Buddhism (2nd ed.) Amazon Kindle Book, ASIN: B08C37PG7G

External links

The Avatamsaka Sutra
(the Flower Adornment Sutra) with explanation

- an outline of the sutra by a disciple of Master Hsuan Hua
Articles by Imre Hamar
Chinese text with matching English vocabulary at NTI Reader digital library

{{Buddhism topics

Huayan
Mahayana sutras
Vaipulya sutras
Yogacara