Avatamsaka Sutra

Category: Mahayana Sutras

From Buddhist Encyclopedia

• Chinese :  华严经 huayanjing
• Japanese :  Kegon
• Sanskrit :  avatamsaka sūtra

Also known as Flower Garland Sutra, Flower Adornment Sutra, or Flower Ornament Scripture

The Avatamsaka Sutra describes a cosmos of infinite realms upon realms, mutually containing each other. 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 sutra is also well known for its detailed description of the course for a Bodhisattva's practice through fifty-two stages.

Three full Chinese translations of the Avatamsaka Sutra were made. Fragmentary translation probably began in the second century CE, and the famous Ten Stages Sutra (十地經), often treated as an individual scripture, was first translated in the third century. The first complete Chinese version was completed by Buddhabhadra around 420, the second by Śikṣānanda around 699, and the third by Master Prajna around 798. The last chapter of the Avatamsaka also circulates as a separate text known as the Gandavyuha Sutra.

References

• The Flower Ornament Scripture : A Translation of the Avatamsaka Sutra by Thomas Cleary, ISBN 0-87773-940-4
• Practices and Vows of the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra from the Avatamsaka Sutra.
• The Youth Sudhana Meets his First Teacher (Avatamsaka Sutra, ch. 39)
• Purifying Practice (Avatamsaka Sutra, ch. 11)