Huayan

, Datong, built during the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) Origins of the Chinese Avataṃsaka tradition The Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra (The Garland of Buddhas Sūtra, or The Multitude of Buddhas Sūtra) is a compilation of sūtras of various length, some of which originally circulated as independent works before being combined into the "full" Avataṃsaka. One of the earliest of these texts, the Ten Stages Sūtra (Daśabhūmika), may date from the first century CE. These various sūtras were probably joined shortly before its translation into Chinese, at the beginning of the 5th century CE. There are various versions of the Chinese Avataṃsaka (Chinese: Huāyán Jīng 華嚴經, "Splendid Flower Adornment Sūtra"). The full sūtra was translated into Chinese three times (in versions of 40, 60, and 80 fascicles or "scrolls," 卷). The earliest Chinese texts associated with the Avataṃsaka are the Dousha jing (Taisho 280), produced by Lokaksema (fl. 147–189) in the latter part of the second century CE, and the Pusa benye jing (Book of the Original Acts that Adorn the Bodhisattva, T. 281), translated by Zhi Qian (fl. c. 220–257 CE) in the early to mid third century. There is evidence that these smaller or partial Avataṃsaka sūtras circulated on their own as individual scriptures. As soon as the large Huāyán Sūtra appeared in China, an exegetical tradition grew up around the text in order to explain it. There is also evidence of a Huāyán Sūtra tradition in the Northern Dynasties (386–581) era. The Avataṃsaka teachings are associated with figures like Xuangao (402–444) who led a community with Daorong at Binglingsi cave, and Zhidan (c. 429–490), who argued that only the Huāyán Sūtra teaches the "sudden teaching" (while other Mahayana texts teach the gradual teaching). According to Hamar, Xuangao's tradition is a precursor to the Huayan school and may have even composed the apocryphal ''Brahma's Net Sūtra (Fanwang Jing'' T1484). Xuangao's tradition is also associated with Chinese meditation cave grottoes such as the Yungang Grottoes, Maijishan Grottoes and the Bingling Temple Grottoes. The origins of some of the teachings of the Huāyán school proper can also be traced back to the Dilun school, which was based on the Shidijing lun (十地經論), Vasubandhu's commentary to the Daśabhūmikā-sūtra (which is part of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra) translated by Bodhiruci and Ratnamati. Dilun figures like Ratnamati's disciple Huiguang (468–537) emphasized the study of the entire Avataṃsaka and Dilun masters likely had their own commentaries on the text (but none have survived in full). Only a few extracts remain, such as parts of Huiguang's commentary and parts of Lingyu's (518–605). Tang dynasty patriarchs , Nara, Japan The founding of the Huayan school proper is traditionally attributed to a series of five patriarchs who were instrumental in developing the school's doctrines during the Tang dynasty (618 to 907). These Huayan "patriarchs" (though they did not call themselves as such) were erudite scholar-practitioners who created a unique tradition of exegesis, study and practice through their writings and oral teachings. Zhiyan also studied with various masters from the Dilun and Shelun schools, which were branches of Chinese Yogacara, and synthesized their ideas. Zhiyan's key contribution was the theory of the "dependent arising from the dharma realm" (法界缘起), which he saw as the essence of Huayan Sūtra. He also taught the doctrine of the ten mysterious gates (十玄门), which are principles that explain dependent arising and the interfusion of all phenomena. • Fazang (, c. 643–712), who was the disciple of Zhiyan and the Buddhist teacher of the Empress Wu Zetian (684–705). He is often considered the real founder of the school. He developed the doctrinal classification system of Huayan and the doctrine of the perfect interfusion of six characteristics (六相圓融). He also worked on a new translation of the Avatamsaka Sūtra'' (in collaboration with various figures, including Śikṣānanda) in 80 fascicles. • Chengguan (, c. 738–839), though he was not a direct student of Fazang (who died 25 years before Chengguan's birth), Chengguan further developed the Huayan teachings in innovative directions in his various commentaries and treatises. He was a student of Fashen (718–778), who was a student of Fazang's student Huiyuan. Chengguan's voluminous commentary to the new 80 fascicle Avatamsaka (the Da fang-guang fo huayan jing shu, 大方廣佛華嚴經疏, T. 1735), along with his sub-commentary to it (T. 1736), soon became the authoritative commentaries to the sūtra in East Asia. His writings include works on Chan (such as the influential Chan Prolegomenon) and various Huayan commentaries. He was particularly fond of the Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment'', writing a commentary and sub-commentary to it. While the above list is the most common one, other Huayan patriarchal lists add different figures, such as Nagarjuna, Asvaghosa, Vasubandhu, and the lay master Li Tongxuan (, 635?–730), the author of the Xin Huayan Jing Lun (新華嚴經論, Treatise on the new translation of the Avatamsaka Sūtra), a popular and lengthy commentary on the Avatamsaka. Li Tongxuan's writings on the Huayan sūtra were particularly influential on later Chan Buddhists, who often preferred his interpretations. Liao and Xia developments After the time of Zongmi and Li Tongxuan, Chinese Huayan generally stagnated in terms of new developments, and then eventually began to decline. The school, which had been dependent upon the support it received from the government, suffered severely during the Great Buddhist Persecution of the Huichang era (841–845), initiated by Emperor Wuzong of Tang. Various masters from these non-Chinese kingdoms are known, such as Xianyan (1048–1118) from Kailong temple in Khitan Upper capital, Hengce (1049–1098), Tongli dashi from Yanjing, Daoshen (1056?–1114?), Xianmi Yuantong, from Liao Wutaishan, Zhifu (fl. during the reign of Liao Daozong, 1055–1101). The Liao and Xia Huayan traditions were more syncretic, adopting elements of Zongmi's Heze Chan influenced Huayan, as well as Chinese Esoteric Buddhism (zhenyan), Hongzhou Chan, and even Tibetan Buddhism in some cases. Another important Huayan esoteric source of this period is Jueyuan's sub-commentary on Yixing's commentary to the Mahāvairocana sūtra. According to Daochen, the best approach to Buddhahood is the "combined practice of the exoteric and esoteric" (xianmi shuangxiu, 顯密雙修) which is for those of the highest capacity. However, he also recommended that those of "middling and lesser faculties...can choose to practice a single method according to their preference, be it the exoteric or esoteric." Daochen's esoteric teachings focused on the dharani of Cundi which he saw as "the mother of all Buddhas and the life of all bodhisattvas" and also drew on the Mani mantra. The combined use of both of these is found in the Kāraṇḍavyūha sūtra. Another Liao Tangut work which survives from this period is The Meaning of the Luminous One-Mind of the Ultimate One Vehicle (Jiujing yicheng yuan-ming xinyao 究竟一乘圓明心要) by Tongli Hengce (通理恆策, 1048–1098). The works of the Liao tradition are important because they served as one of the sources of the later Huayan revival during the Song. The chief Chinese Huayan figures of the Song dynasty revival were Changshui Zixuan (子璇, 965–1038), Jinshui Jingyuan (靜源, 1011–1088), and Yihe (義和, c. early twelfth century). Jingyuan is known for his sub-commentary to Chengguan's Huayan sūtra commentary, while Zixuan is famed for his twenty-fascicle Notes on the Meaning of the Śūraṅgama Sūtra (首楞嚴義疏注經). Another important figure in the Song revival of Huayan was Guangzhi Bensong (廣智本嵩, fl. 1040), a master from the from Kaifeng. He is well known for his Thirty gāthās on the Contemplation of the Dharma-realm and Seven syllables of the title of the Huayan (Huayan qizi jing ti fajie guan sanshi men song 華嚴 七字經題法界觀三十門頌, Taisho no. 1885). Some of his other works have survived in Tangut. These rites were influenced by Tiantai school ritual manuals, as well as by earlier Huayan materials. , which was a center of Huayan studies during the late Ming. During the late Ming, Kongyin Zhencheng (1547–1617), Lu'an (or Lushan) Putai (fl. 1511) of Beijing's Da Xinglong monastery and Yu'an Zhengui (born 1558) were some of the most influential scholars of Huayan thought. Zhuhong himself was a student of Wuji Mingxin (1512–1574) of Bao'en monastery, who in turn was a disciple of Lu'an Putai. Baiting Xufa and Peng Shaosheng were known for their synthesis of Huayan thought with Pure Land practice which is termed "Huayan-Nianfo." This tradition was transmitted by the monk Uisang (의상대사, 625–702), who had been a student of Zhiyan together with Fazang. After Uisang returned to Korea in 671, established the school and wrote various Hwaeom works, including a popular poem called the Beopseongge, also known as the Diagram of the Realm of Reality, which encapsulated the Huayan teaching. In this effort, he was greatly aided by the powerful influences of his friend Wonhyo, who also studied and drew on Huayan thought and is considered a key figure of Korean Hwaeom. Wonhyo wrote a partial commentary on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra (the Hwaŏm-gyŏng so). Another important Hwaôm figure was Chajang (d. between 650 and 655). After the passing of these two early monks, the Hwaeom school eventually became the most influential tradition in Silla, remaining so until its demise. Royal support allowed various Hwaôm monasteries to be constructed on all five of Korea's sacred mountains, and the tradition became the main force behind the unification of various Korean Buddhist cults, such as those of Manjushri, Maitreya and Amitābha. Another important figure associated with Hwaôm was the literatus Choe Chiweon. He is known for his biographies of Fazang and Uisang, as well as other Huayan writings. Towards the end of the Silla era, Gwanhye of Hwaeomsa and Master Heuirang (875–927) were the two most important figures. During this period, Hwaeomsa and Haeinsa were the centers of sub-sects that disputed with each other on matters of doctrine. Hwaeom remained the predominant doctrinal school in the Goryeo (918–1392). An important figure of this time was Gyunyeo (923–973). He is known for his commentary on Uisang's Diagram of the Realm of Reality. He also unified the southern and northern factions of Hwaeomsa and Haeinsa. Korean Buddhism declined severely under the Confucian Joseon era (1392–1910). All schools were forced to merge into one single school, which was dominated by the Seon tradition. Within the Seon school, Hwaeom thought would continue to play a strong role until modern times and various Hwaeom commentaries were written during the Joseon era. Huayan studies were founded in Japan in 736 when the scholar-priest Rōben (689–773), originally a monk of the East Asian Yogācāra tradition, invited the Korean monk Shinjō () to give lectures on the Avatamsaka Sūtra at Kinshōsen Temple (, also or ), the origin of later Tōdai-ji. When the construction of the Tōdai-ji was completed, Rōben became the head of the new Kegon school in Japan and received the support of emperor Shōmu. Kegon would become known as one of the Nanto Rikushū (南都六宗) or "Six Buddhist Sects of Nanto." Rōben's disciple Jitchū continued administration of Tōdai-ji and expanded its prestige through the introduction of imported rituals. (Uisang), a painting from the Kegon Engi Emaki (Illuminated scrolls from the founders of the Kegon Sect). Kegon thought would later be further popularized by Myōe (1173–1232), the abbot and founder of Kōzan-ji Kegon temple. Myōe combined the Kegon lineage with Tendai and Shingon esoteric lineages. He was a prolific scholar monk who composed over 50 works. Myōe promoted the practice of the mantra of light (kōmyō shingon) as simple efficacious practice that was available to all, lay and monastic. He also promoted the idea that this mantra could lead to rebirth in Amitabha's pure land, thus providing a Kegon alternative to popular Japanese Pure Land methods. Over time, Kegon incorporated esoteric rituals from Shingon, with which it shared a cordial relationship. Its practice continues to this day, and includes a few temples overseas. Another important Kegon figure was Gyōnen (1240–1321), who was a great scholar (who studied numerous schools including Madhyamaka, Shingon, and Risshu Vinaya) and led a revival of the Kegon school in the late Kamakura era. He was also known as a great historian of Japanese Buddhism and as a great Pure Land thinker. Several new Huayan Buddhist organizations have been established since the latter half of the 20th century. In contemporary times, the largest and oldest of the Huayan-centered organizations in Taiwan is the Huayan Lotus Society (Huayan Lianshe 華嚴蓮社), which was founded in 1952 by the monk Zhiguang and his disciple Nanting, who were both part of the network fostered by the Huayan University. Since its founding, the Huayan Lotus Society has been centered on the study and practice of the Huayan Sūtra. It hosts a full recitation of the sūtra twice each year, during the third and tenth months of the lunar calendar. Each year during the eleventh lunar month, the society also hosts a seven-day Huayan Buddha retreat (Huayan foqi 華嚴佛七), during which participants chant the names of the buddhas and bodhisattvas in the text. The society emphasizes the study of the Huayan Sūtra by hosting regular lectures on it. In recent decades, these lectures have occurred on a weekly basis. Some of Kukai's ideas, such as his view of Buddhahood in this body, was also influenced by Huayan ideas. During the post-Tang era, Huayan (along with Chan) thought also influenced the Tiantai school. Tiantai school figures who were influenced by Huayan and Chan were called the "off mountain" (shanwai) faction, and a debate ensued between them and the "home mountain" (shanjia) faction. Likewise, Huayan thought was important to some Chinese Pure Land thinkers, such as the Ming exegete Yunqi Zuhong (1535–1615) and the modern lay scholar Yang Wenhui (1837–1911). On Chan Chinese Chan was profoundly influenced by Huayan, though Chán also defined itself by distinguishing itself from Huayan. Guifeng Zongmi, the Fifth Patriarch of the Huayan school, occupies a prominent position in the history of Chán. Mazu Daoyi, the founder of the influential Hongzhou school of Chan, was influenced by Huayan teachings, like the identity of principle and phenomena. He also sometimes quoted from Huayan sources in his sermons, like Dushun's Fajie guanmen (Contemplation of the Realm of Reality). Mazu's student Baizhang Huaihai also draws on Huayan metaphysics in his writings. Dongshan Liangjie (806–869), the founder of the Caodong lineage, formulated his theory of the Five Ranks based on Huayan's Fourfold Dharmadhatu teaching. The influential Caodong text called Cantongqi, attributed to Shitou, also draws on Huayan themes. This influence can also be seen in Linji's schema of the "four propositions." The Ming era Chan master Hanshan Deqing (1546–1623) is known for promoting the study of Huayan and for his work on a new edition of Chengguan's commentary on the Huayan sūtra. A similar syncretism with Zen occurred in Korea, where the Korean Huayan tradition influenced and was eventually merged with Seon (Korean Zen). The influence of Huayan teachings can be found in the works of the seminal Seon figure Jinul. Jinul was especially influenced by the writings of Li Tongxuan. ==Texts==

Huayan sūtra The Huayan school's central text is the Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Flower Garland Sūtra, Ch. Huāyán Jīng), which is considered the supreme Buddhist revelation in this tradition. There are three different translations of the work in Chinese and other related sūtras as well. According to Paul Williams, the Avataṃsaka Sūtra is not a systematic philosophical work, though it does contain various Mahayana teachings reminiscent of Madhyamaka and Yogacara, as well as mentioning a pure untainted awareness or consciousness (amalacitta). All these awakened activities and skillful techniques (upaya) are said to lead all living beings through the bodhisattva stages and eventually to Buddhahood. These various stages of spiritual attainment are discussed in various parts of the sūtra (book 15, book 26). An important doctrine that the Huayan school drew from this sūtra is the idea that all levels of reality are interrelated, interpenetrated and interfused, and so "inside everything is everything else." As the Huayan sūtra states:They ... perceive 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. They perceive that the many fields and assemblies and the beings and the aeons are all reflected in each particle of dust.According to Dumoulin, the Huayan vision of "unity in totality allows every individual entity of the phenomenal world its uniqueness without attributing an inherent nature to anything." According to Williams, this interfused vision of the cosmos is the total realm of all phenomena, the "Dharma realm" (Dharmadhatu) as seen from the point of view of a Buddha. The focus of the Huayan sūtra is thus how to attain this contemplative universal vision of ultimate reality, as well as the miraculous powers of Buddhas and bodhisattvas with which they communicate their vision of the ultimate truth. Fazang also considered the Lankavatara Sūtra to be a definitive sūtra, and he wrote a commentary on it. The Sūtra of Perfect Enlightenment was also particularly important for the Huayan patriarch Zongmi. Commentaries and treatises The Huayen patriarchs wrote numerous other commentaries and original treatises. Fazang for example, wrote commentaries on the Avatamsaka, the Lankavatara Sūtra, the Awakening of Faith, the Brahmajāla Sūtra (Taisho no. 40, no. 1813) and the Ghanavyūha Sūtra (no. X368 in the supplement to the Taisho canon, Xu zang jing 續藏經 vol. 34). Perhaps the most important commentaries for the Chinese Huayan school are Fazang's commentary on the Avatamsaka Sūtra, the Huayan jing tanxuan ji (華嚴經探玄記, Record of Investigating the Mystery of the Avatamsaka sūtra) in 60 fascicles and Chengguan's Extensive Commentary on the Buddhāvataṃsaka sūtra (Da fang-guang fo huayan jing shu, 大方廣佛華嚴經疏, T. 1735), and his sub-commentary (T. 1736). Other Huayan figures like Zhiyan, and Li Tongxuan also wrote influential commentaries on the Huayan sūtra''. Fazang wrote a number of other original Huayan treatises, such as Treatise on the Golden Lion, which is said to have been written to explain Huayan's view of interpenetration to Empress Wu. Another key Huayen treatise is On the Meditation of the Dharmadhātu attributed to the first patriarch Dushun. Peter N. Gregory notes that the Huayan commentarial tradition was: "not primarily concerned with a careful exegesis of the original meaning of the scripture." Instead it was concerned with specific doctrines, ideas and metaphors (such as nature origination, the dependent arising of the dharmadhatu, interfusion, and the six characteristics of all dharmas) which was inspired by scripture. ==Doctrine==

Huayan thought seeks to explain the nature of the Dharmadhatu (法界, fajie, the realm of phenomena, the Dharma realm), which is the world as it is ultimately, from the point of view of a fully awakened being. In East Asian Buddhism, the Dharmadhatu is the whole of reality, the totality of all things. Thus, Huayan seeks to provide a holistic metaphysics that explains all of reality. Huayan philosophy is influenced by the Huayan sūtra, other Mahayana scriptures like the Awakening of Faith and the Lotus Sūtra, as well as by the various Chinese Buddhist traditions like Chinese Yogacara, the buddha-nature schools like Shelun and Dilun, and Madhyamaka (Sanlun). Huayan patriarchs were also influenced by non-buddhist Chinese philosophy. Some key elements of Huayan philosophy are: the interpenetration and interfusion (yuanrong) of all phenomena (dharmas), "nature origination" (xingqi) - how phenomena arise out of an ultimate principle, which is buddha-nature, or the "One Mind," how the ultimate principle (li) and all phenomena (shi) are mutually interpenetrated, the relation between parts and the whole (understood through the six characteristics), a unique Huayan interpretation of the Yogacara framework of the three natures (sanxing) and a unique view of Vairocana Buddha as an all pervasive cosmic being. According to the doctrine of interpenetration, any phenomenon exists only as part of the total nexus of reality, its existence depends on the total network of all other things, which are all equally connected to each other and contained in each other. Thomas Cleary explains this Buddhist holism as one which sees the universe "as one single nexus of conditions in which everything simultaneously depends on, and is depended on by, everything else. Seen in this light, then, everything affects and is affected by, more or less immediately or remotely, everything else; just as this is true of every system of relationships, so is it true of the totality of existence." In this worldview, all dharmas are so interconnected that they are fused together without any obstructions in a perfectly harmonious whole (which is the entire universe, the Dharmadhatu). Indra's net is an infinite cosmic net that contains a multifaceted jewel at each vertex, with each jewel being reflected in all of the other jewels, ad infinitum. Thus, each jewel contains the entire net of jewels reflected within. The rafter-building metaphor can be found in Fazang's famous "Rafter Dialogue." Threefold Discernment of the Dharmadhatu The Discernments of the Dharmadhatu attributed to Dushun, the founding patriarch of the Huayan school, is structured around three meditative insights, or "discernments," that distill the experiential and metaphysical implications of the Huayan Sūtra. Rather than offering a textual exegesis, this work aims to render the Huayan teachings accessible for contemplation and practice. The first discernment affirms the identity of form (rūpa) and emptiness (śūnyatā), a theme rooted in Indian Mahayana thought. His presentation of the idea follows classic presentations of emptiness found in Indian Prajñaparamita and Madhyamaka texts. The second discernment, which Dushun entitles the "mutual non-obstruction of li and shi," marks a distinctive turn in Huayan metaphysics and introduces new terminology unique to East Asian Buddhism. Dushun presents ultimate reality as a patterned activity, introducing the term li (principle or pattern) to characterize the underlying structure of reality as it is perceived in Buddhahood. This reframing of the ultimate as a regular universal principle presents the ultimate as an immanent reality manifest as the patterns of all phenomena. This is significantly different than the purely apophatic truth of emptiness which communicates a lack of self-existence. The third and highest contemplative discernment, the "total pervasion and accommodation," shifts the main focus of contemplation to phenomena (shi), and the relationships among them, abandoning any mention of principle (li) altogether. This final discernment emphasizes the value of the phenomenal world and presents phenomena as self-sufficient, and groundless. Phenomena are presented here as having no ultimate base, support or source but themselves as interrelated things. Thus, in this final discernment, all things appear due to a radical interrelatedness with all other things, not due to any absolute reality that undergirds them. Each element of the six characteristics refers to a specific kind of metaphysical relation. • The Gate of Simultaneous, Complete, and Harmonious Production (同時具足相應門): All phenomena arise simultaneously and interdependently in perfect harmony, forming a complete, non-dual totality. Nothing is lacking or out of place in the ultimate reality (Dharmadhātu). • The Gate of Free and Unhindered Interpenetration of the Vast and the Narrow (廣狹自在無礙門): The infinite (vast) and the finite (narrow) interpenetrate without obstruction. Each contains the whole, yet retains its distinct form. A single particle can encompass the entire cosmos without hindrance. • The Gate of Mutual Accommodation of the One and the Many, without losing their own peculiarities (多相容不同門): The one (whole) and the many (parts) coexist without conflict, each part contains the whole, yet each remains distinct. This reflects the non-duality of unity and diversity. • The Gate of Freedom in the Mutual Identity of All Dharmas (諸法相卽自在門): All phenomena are mutually identical, each thing is both itself and all other things, without obstruction. • The Gate of the Simultaneous Completion of the Hidden and the Manifest (隱密顯了倶成門): The hidden (latent) and the manifest (apparent) are fully present at the same time. Every phenomenon simultaneously reveals and conceals the totality of reality. • The Gate of the Establishment of Harmony through the Mutual Inclusion of Subtle Elements (微細相容安立門): Even the most minute phenomena contain and reflect all others without obstruction, like a single thought encompassing the entire universe. • The Gate of the Dharmadhātu of Indra's Net (因陀羅網法界門): Reality is like Indra's Net, where each jewel reflects all others infinitely. Every phenomenon is both a reflection of and a condition for all others, illustrating perfect interpenetration. • The Gate of Generating Understanding through Revealing Dharma by Means of Phenomena (託事顯法生解門), this means that any particular dharma can serve as a gateway to understanding ultimate truth, since all things are equally interfused and contain the entire Dharma • The Gate of the Formation of Differentiated Dharmas Separated by Ten Temporal Levels of Existence (十世隔法異成門): This means past, present, and future (all times) are fully interfused. Each moment contains all times. • The Gate of Interdependent Illumination: Where Principal and Secondary Phenomena Perfectly Manifest All Virtues (主伴圓明具德門): Any phenomenon can be taken as the "primary" focus (主), with all others as its "attendants" (伴), yet each is equally complete and virtuous. This shows the non-hierarchical, interdependent nature of reality. Implications of perfect interfusion The Buddhist doctrine of interpenetration also has several further implications in Huayan thought: Fazang's theory of causation also reduces causality to a relative and relational phenomenon, rather than a fixed law. Thus, Fazang affirms that causation flows not only from past to future but also from future to past, allowing the present to be both the recipient and generator of karmic influence. This acceptance of retrocausality is understood in a framework in which the "present" has active power (youli) while the past and future are "without power" (wuli), yet still influenced by the present. Although causality is asymmetrical within each causal relationship, Fazang maintains that no single causal relationship or temporal perspective is ontologically privileged. Instead, all relational connections are equally valid, and their truth becomes fully evident only from the standpoint of enlightened wisdom, which transcends conventional notions of "before" and "after," or "cause" and "effect." Thus, while Fazang's model includes temporal symmetry across relations and asymmetry within them, he does not claim that either is ontologically superior. A major implication of this view of causality is that one's future mindstream as a Buddha in the future can aid in the liberation of oneself in the present. As Fazang writes in the following question-and-answer exchange: Question: At present my body constitutes a future Buddha. Does that (future) Buddha save my present body by causing it to cultivate practice or not?Answer: It does save you by causing you to cultivate practice.Question: But that Buddha is what I attain by cultivating practice. How then can it save me now by causing me to practice?Answer: If that Buddha does not save you, the body now does not become a Buddha. So, when that Buddha saves me, then I can practice to become that same Buddha.Question: How can this be?Answer: If we follow with the logic of dependent origination, if there is not that (future) Buddha, then there is no me now. And if there is no me now, then there is not that Buddha. So, we know it is thus. (And just as the future exists in dependent) opposition to the present, it is also thus to the limits of the past. Also, even though phenomena appear as particular things, they lack any independent existence, since they all depend on the ultimate principle. Referring to the analogy of the golden lion, Paul Williams states: Both gold and lion exist simultaneously; both, Fazang says, are perfect and complete. There are two ways of interpreting this obscure point. First, noumenon and phenomena mutually interpenetrate and are (in a sense) identical. There is no opposition between the two. The one does not cancel out the other. Second, Fazang explains elsewhere that since all things arise interdependently (following Madhyamika), and since the links of interdependence expand throughout the entire universe and at all time (past, present, and future depend upon each other, which is to say the total dharmadhatu arises simultaneously), so in the totality of interdependence, the dharmadhatu, all phenomena are mutually interpenetrating and identical. Nature origination refers to the manifestation of the ultimate nature in the phenomenal world and its interfusion with it. In the preface to his ''Hsing yüan p'in shu, Chengguan wrote, "How great the true dhatu (ta-tsai chen-chieh)! The myriad dharmas owe their inception to it (wan-fa tzu-shih)." Zongmi elaborates on this, laying out his explanation of nature origination. For Zongmi, the "true dhatu" refers to the essential nature of the mind of the one dharmadhātu (yi fajie xin''), while the myriad dharmas refer to its phenomenal appearances. "The one true dharmadhātu" is thus the pure mind that is the source of both buddhas and sentient beings. As Zongmi says, "There is not a single dharma that is not a manifestation of the original mind. Nor is there a single dharma that does not conditionally arise from the true dhatu." Zongmi explains that this one dharmadhātu gives rise to all phenomena through two orders of causation: [1] nature origination (xingqi), and [2] conditioned origination (yuanqi). Regarding the former, where "nature" refers to the source qua the pure mind, "origination" refers to its manifestation as phenomenal appearances. This also refers to "the arising of functioning (yung) based on the essence (''t'i)." For Zongmi, this means that "the entire essence of the dharmadhatu as the nature arises (ch'i) to form all dharmas." Conditioned origination, on the other hand, refers to the manner in which phenomena arise contingent upon other phenomena. As each phenomenon is linked to every other phenomenon, all phenomena are infinitely contingent. But while every phenomenon is connected to every other phenomenon, nature origination means that each of these phenomena is simultaneously based on the nature (xing''), which is the ultimate source. In this way, conditioned origination is made possible by nature origination. Shifting emphasis from phenomena to principle Huayan teachings underwent a shift in emphasis in the Tang from the doctrine of shih-shih wu-ai to li-shih wu-ai, or from the unobstructed interpenetration of phenomenon and phenomenon to the unobstructed interpenetration of principle and phenomena. Although Fazang had taught that all phenomena were manifestations of an intrinsically pure mind, thus articulating his metaphysics within the ontological framework of li-shih wu-ai, he nonetheless held that shih-shih wu-ai, the unobstructed interpenetration of phenomenon and phenomenon, was the ultimate teaching. For Fazang, li-shih wu-ai is transcended in shih-shih wu-ai. This position of seeing the interfusion of phenomena as being the highest perspective is also found in the works of the earlier Huayan patriarchs, Dushun and Zhiyan. On the other hand, while Chengguan upheld Fazang's position that shih-shih wu-ai represents the highest teaching of the Buddha, he emphasized li-shih wu-ai, the unobstructed interpenetration of principle and phenomena, as that which made shih-shih wu-ai possible. That is, it is only because all phenomena (shih) are formed from principle, or the absolute (li), that phenomena do not obstruct one another. Zongmi went even further than his teacher Chengguan in emphasizing li-shih wu-ai over shih-shih wu-ai, excluding the perfect teaching (referring to shih-shih wu-ai) from his panjiao scheme, or classification of Buddhist doctrines, altogether. As an example of this shift in emphasis, where Chengguan understands the ten profundities, or ten mysteries (shi xuan), to be the paradigmatic expression of shih-shih wu-ai and subjects them to an extensive analysis, Zongmi gives them little attention, mentioning them only in passing without bothering to list or discuss them any further. Moreover, where Chengguan had made use of the vocabulary of shih and li to elaborate his theory of the fourfold dharmadhātu (that of: [1] phenomena, shih; [2] principle, li; [3] the non-obstruction of principle and phenomena, li-shih wu-ai; and [4] the non-obstruction of phenomenon and phenomenon, shih-shih wu-ai), Zongmi eschews the language of li and shih altogether. Zongmi instead refers to a passage in which Chengguan emphasized the "one true dharmadhātu" (i-chen fa-chieh) as the essential reality and source of the four. This one true dharmadhātu is the One Mind embacing manifold existence. Zongmi identifies this with the tathāgatagarbha, the highest teaching in his doctrinal classification system. For Zongmi, the principal teaching of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra is the tathāgatagarbha, or buddha-nature, and not the unobstructed interpenetration of phenomena. However, he says the principal teaching which "reveals the nature" makes up only one part of the Avataṃsaka. Zongmi accordingly displaces the Avataṃsaka in favor of the Awakening of Faith (which emphasizes the One Mind). For Zongmi, the unobstructed interpenetration of all phenomena is seen as less important than the one true dharmadhātu upon which those phenomena are based. In emphasizing li-shih wu-ai over shih-shih wu-ai, as well as nature origination over conditioned origination, Zongmi was also concerned to provide an ontological basis for Chan practice, thus reflecting the wider context of Zongmi's thought. The Cosmic Buddha Vairocana In the cosmology of the Avatamsaka sūtra, our world is just one of the immeasurable number of worlds in a multiverse called "Ocean of worlds, whose surface and inside are decorated with an arrangement of flowers" (Kusumatalagarbha-vyuhalamkara-lokadhatu-samudra). The Avatamsaka states that this entire cosmos has been purified by the Buddha Vairocana through his bodhisattva practices for countless aeons, after having met countless Buddhas. The sūtra also states that our world is in Vairocana's buddhafield. Vairocana is closely associated with Shakyamuni Buddha, in some cases he is even identified with him in the Avatamsaka Sūtra. Huayan generally sees Shakyamuni as an emanation body (nirmanakaya) from the ultimate Buddha Vairocana ("The Illuminator"). Furthermore, Huayan thought sees the entire universe as being the very body of Vairocana, who is seen as a supreme cosmic Buddha. Vairocana is infinite, his influence and light is limitless, pervading the entire universe. However, while Vairocana as ultimate principle is eternal, it also transforms and changes according to the needs and conditions of sentient beings. Furthermore, Vairocana is empty, interdependent and interfused with all phenomena in the universe. According to Fazang, while the nirmanakaya Shakyamuni taught the other Mahayana sūtras, Vairocana teaches the Avatamsaka Sūtra through his ten bodies which are: the All-Beings Body, the Lands Body, the Karma Body, the Śrāvakas Body, the Pratyekabuddha Body, the Bodhisattvas Body, the Tathāgatas Body, the Wisdom Body, the Dharma Body, and the Space Body. Fazang sees these ten bodies as encompassing all phenomena (animate and inanimate) in the "three realms," i.e. the entire universe.'' Fazang also differs from standard Yogācāra "pivot" models of the three natures, in which the imagined and the perfected pivot on the dependent. That is, in the Yogācāra pivot model, the imagined and perfected are merely different ways of apprehending the dependent. For Fazang, on the other hand, the dependent and the imagined natures pivot on the perfected (which is equated with the One Mind), as its unconditioned and conditioned aspects. Differences with classical Yogācāra The cosmogonic role of self-cognition Fazang identified the notion of "karmic appearance" (yexiang) in the Awakening of Faith with self-cognition, a concept which can be found in Yogācāra. Self-cognition is the mind's awareness of being aware. However, unlike a certain Yogācāra view, such as that of Dignāga, which regards self-cognition as an effect of consciousness' subjective aspect perceiving its objective aspect, Huayan follows the Awakening of Faith and treats self-cognition/karmic appearance as the cause of both the subjective aspect of consciousness as well as the illusory objective world. Where the effect model is concerned with epistemology, the cause model is cosmogony-oriented. That is, according to the latter position, self-cognition/karmic appearance, referring to a state in which the mind is aware only of itself, is the cause of the delusive world of samsāra with all its suffering. As Zhihua Yao explains, "It is not contributed by an external agency because the arising or awareness is inherent to the mind or reality itself." However, although this arising is based on reality itself, Fazang says it is karmic since [1] it is an action and [2] it is the cause of suffering. Of this karmic activity, Fazang states that, "Although this is (a form of) active conceptualization, it is exceedingly subtle and in a dependently originated single characteristic, that which can (cause) and that which is (caused) are not divided." The active role of suchness Fazang explains the karmic consciousness in terms of the essence of mind having become activated by the perfuming of ignorance. According to Fazang, based on delusion, a semblance of suchness arises which stirs the Mind-as-Suchness to produce the karmic consciousness. At the same time, he also clarifies the view that based on the storehouse consciousness, there exists ignorance. For Fazang, there are two aspects which are simultaneous: [1] based on a semblance of suchness (i.e. the "enlightenment" aspect of the storehouse consciousness) there arises delusion, and [2] based on delusion there arises a semblance of suchness (as ignorance perfumes the pure mind, forming the storehouse consciousness). Additionally, Fazang explains that, as the tathāgatagarbha does not preserve a self-nature, the absolute transforms into the various consciousnesses and their objects. He says:The proposition of consciousness-only with respect to the establishment of phenomena through the transformation of the Absolute means that the tathāgatagarbha does not preserve its self-nature, but in accordance with conditions it manifests the eight consciousnesses, the mind, the mind associates, the objects of perception, and various appearances. In this way, Fazang held that suchness plays an active role in creating the realm of perception and the world of phenomena. This is unlike the Yogācāra view of Xuanzang, for whom suchness is inactive, playing only a passive role in the evolution of the phenomenal world. According to the faxiang ("dharma characteristics") view associated with Xuanzang's Yogācāra, the relationship of phenomena to suchness is that of "house and ground" in which the ground (suchness) supports the house (phenomena), but the two are nonetheless distinct. On the other hand, according to the faxing ("dharma nature") view of Huayan, the relationship between suchness and phenomena is one of "water and wave" in which the wind of ignorance stirs the water (suchness) to produce waves (phenomena). The singular nature of the shared sensory world Other differences between Huayan and classical Yogācāra were highlighted during Ming dynasty debates over the nature of the bhājanaloka, or container world (i.e. the shared world of sensory experience). According to the classical Yogācāra view of intersubjectivity, each being, experiencing its own mental representations, necessarily occupies its own sensory world. Although these sensory worlds overlap when a suitable karmic connection is shared between them, according to this view there are strictly speaking as many sensory worlds as there are beings. As Ernest Billings Brewster explains, "every sentient being possesses a 'storehouse consciousness' that contains a sensory world unique to each being." Huayan exegetes such as Kongyin Zhencheng (1547–1617) in the Ming dynasty rejected this. Drawing on Huayan notions, such as that of an all-encompassing holistic dharmadhātu, Zhencheng argued that there is just a single sensory world which is shared by all beings. Objective idealism versus subjective idealism According to Fung Yu-lan, where Xuanzang's classical Yogācāra is a system of subjective idealism, Huayan is one of objective idealism. Regarding the Huayan position, Fung says, "the central element in Fa-tsang's philosophy is a permanently immutable 'mind' which is universal or absolute in its scope, and is the basis for all phenomenal manifestations. That is to say, his philosophy is a system of objective idealism. As such, it approaches realism more closely than does an idealism which is purely subjective. This is because, in a system of objective idealism, it is possible for the objective world to survive even when separated from a subject." Regarding the Yogācāra and Huayan schools, Wing-Tsit Chan says, "in both schools, the external world, called external sphere by Hsüan-tsang and the Realm of Facts by Fa-tsang, is considered manifestations of the mind. In both schools, these manifestations have universal and objective validity, although the degree of validity is higher in Hua-yen. The interesting thing is that Hua-yen presupposes a preestablished harmony while the Consciousness-Only School does not." • The Hinayana teachings found in the Agamas and Abhidharma which is grounded in not-self (anatman). Fazang calls this "the teaching of the existence of dharmas and the non-existence of the self." • The Mahayana teachings which focus on emptiness, non-arising and lack of form, and include the Prajñaparamita sūtras, Yogacara teachings on consciousness, and Madhyamaka sources like the Mulamadhyamakakarika. • The "Final" Mahayana teaching which according to Fazang teach the "eternal nature of the tathagatagarbha." Fazang writes that this teaching is based on buddha-nature sources like the Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, the Awakening of Faith, the Lankavatara, Srimaladevi sūtra, Ratnagotravibhaga, and Dilun shastra. • The Sudden Teaching, which is non-verbal and non-conceptual. This was associated with Vimalakirti's silence in the Vimalakirti sūtra by Fazang. Chengguan also associated this with the "sudden enlightenment" teachings of the Chan school. • The Complete or Perfect (Ch: yuan, lit. "Round") Teaching of the Avatamsaka sūtra and Huayan which teach both the interpenetration of principle (or buddha-nature) and phenomena as well as the interpenetration of all phenomena with each other. Huayan and Chan had doctrinal arguments regarding which would be the correct concept of sudden awakening. The teachings of the Chan school were regarded as inferior by Huayan masters, a characterization which was rejected by Chan masters. == Practice ==

, Nara, Japan The Huayan school developed numerous practices as part of their conception of the bodhisattva path. These include devotional practices, studying, chanting and copying of the Avatamsaka sūtra, repentance rituals, recitation of dharanis, and meditation. These various elements might also be combined in ritual manuals such as ''The Practice of Samantabhadra's Huayan Dharma Realm Aspiration and Realization'' (華嚴普賢行願修證儀, Taisho Supplement, No. X1473) by Jinshui Jingyuan (靜源) which are still practiced together by Huayan communities during day long events. Textual practices According to Paul Williams, some of the central practices for the Huayan tradition were textual practices, such as the recitation of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. The ritual chanting, studying and copying of the sūtra was often done in "Huayen Assemblies" (Huayanhui), who would meet regularly to chant the sūtra. Chanting the entire sūtra could take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Solo chanting practice was also common, and another common element of reciting the sūtra was bowing to the sūtra during the chanting. In Chinese Buddhism, one popular method of contemplating the Buddha is to recite the Buddha's name. The practice of reciting the names of the Buddhas was also seen as a way to achieve rebirth in Vairocana's Pure Land, the Lotus Treasury World (Skt. ; Ch. Lianhuazang shijie 蓮花藏世界). This Pure Land contains the entire universe, including our world, and it is identical with the entire Dharmadhatu. The practice of Buddha contemplation was promoted by various figures, such as the Huayan patriarchs Chengguan, Zongmi, the Goryeo monk Gyunyeo (923–973) and Peng Shaosheng, a householder scholar of the Qing dynasty. Another leading figure in the teaching of Huayan Nianfo was the 12th century Song monk Yihe (義和) who combined the method of nianfo with Huayan meditation teachings and the practice of the ten vows of Samantabhadra and saw this practice as a method of realizing the Huayan vision of ultimate reality. This contemplation of the Buddha's light leads to a state of joyful tranquility which leads to insight into emptiness. The meditative teachings of Li Tongxuan were especially influential on the Japanese Kegon monk Myōe, who promoted a similar practiced that he termed "the Samadhi of Contemplating the Buddha's Radiance" (Japanese: , ). According to Ch'ewŏn, this is effective because Avalokiteśvara's sphere of realization, the essence of one's own mind and Avalokiteśvara and one's own body are mutually interfused and interpenetrating. Some key Huayan sources which discuss meditation include Dushun's Contemplation of the Realm of Reality (Fajie guanmen) and The Ending of Delusion and the Return to the Source (Wangjin huanyuan) attributed to Fazang. Dushun's meditative framework was based on three main stages of contemplation: (1) seeing all dharmas as empty, (2) the harmony of all dharmas with the ultimate principle, and (3) seeing all dharmas as equally containing each other without obstruction. The synthesis of Huayan with Chinese Esoteric Buddhist practices was a feature of the Buddhism of the Khitan Liao Dynasty. Jueyuan, a Huayan monk from Yuanfu Temple during the Liao Dynasty and author of the Dari jing yishi yanmi chao, practiced esoteric rituals like Homa and Abhiseka based on the Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sūtra and the tradition of Yixing. Furthermore, according to Sorensen, the iconography of the Huayan Vairocana Buddha and the Esoteric Mahavairocana also became fused during the post-Tang period. Perhaps the most important figure in the synthesis of Huayan and Chinese Esoteric Buddhism was the 11th century monk Daoshen (道蝗), author of the Xianmi yuantong chengfo xinyao ji (顯密圓通成佛心要集 Collection of Essentials for the Attainment of Buddhahood by Total [Inter-]Penetration of the Esoteric and the Exoteric, T1955). The work is divided into three parts. Part one summarizes the Huayan philosophy, which Daoshen sees as the highest form of the explicit or manifest Buddhist teachings. It also discusses the praxis of Huayan, here called "cultivating the ocean of Samantabhadra's practices," which includes numerous exoteric Buddhist practices such as breath meditation, meditation on emptiness, prostrations, offerings, confession rites, vows, and buddha name recitation. The synthesis of Esoteric Buddhist practice with Huayan Buddhism remained popular during the Jin dynasty (1115–1234), where Usṇīsavijayā and Cundī practices were some of the most popular. A similar synthesis of Huayan-Chan Buddhism (derived from Zongmi) with esoteric Buddhist teachings and practices from Tibetan Buddhism (mainly Sakya and Kagyu) also occurred in Buddhism of the Western Xia (1038–1227) dynasty. Dharanis like the Cundī-dhāraṇī, the Usṇīsavijayā-dhāranī, and the Nīlakaṇthaka-dhāranī remain important in modern Huayan Buddhism and are chanted in modern Dharma assemblies. Another dharani / esoteric practice in modern Huayan is the contemplation of the 42 Avatamsaka syllables (a version of the arapacana alphabet, which is a contemplation found in various Mahayana sources). The Japanese Kegon school was known for adopting many esoteric mantras and practices from the Shingon school. The Kegon monk Myōe was known for his widespread promotion of the popular Mantra of Light (, ). Due to influence from the Shingon school, today's Kegon school retains numerous esoteric Buddhist elements. The path and sudden awakening Pilgrimage in the Gandhavyuha sūtra, from the Heian period, Nara National Museum, Japan The Huayan school defended a sudden awakening view. This is because the buddha-nature is already present in all sentient beings, and also because their theory of universal interpenetration entails that Buddhahood is interfused with the very first stage of a bodhisattva's path. Thus, according to patriarch Fazang, "when one first arouses the thought of enlightenment [bodhicitta] one also becomes perfectly enlightened." This interpenetration of all elements of the path to awakening is also a consequence of the Huayan view of time, which sees all moments as interfused (including a sentient being's present practice and their eventual future Buddhahood aeons from now). Since time itself is empty, all moments (past, present, and future) are interfused with each other. As Fazang writes, "beginning and end Interpenetrate. On each [bodhisattva] stage, one is thus both a Bodhisattva and a Buddha." In Huayan, Buddhahood transcends all concepts, times and stages. Because practice cannot create something that is not immanent, Huayan sees the bodhisattva path as simply revealing what is already there (buddha-nature, which is buddhahood itself concealed within sentient beings). In spite of this doctrine, Huayan patriarchs also argued that the gradual practices of the bodhisattva stages are still necessary. This is because all stages retain their particularity even while being wholly interfused and only through the practice of the bodhisattva path does the immanent Buddhahood manifest. Thus, according to Li Tongxuan "there is no other enlightenment" than simply following the bodhisattva path, and furthermore:Primordial wisdom is made manifest through meditation; cultivation does not create it or bring it into being. If one simply follows the Bodhisattva Path and learns the bodhisattva practices, primordial wisdom will shine forth of itself....Similarly, patriarch Zongmi held that Buddhahood is reached through "sudden awakening followed by gradual cultivation" and he also held that "sudden and gradual are not only not contradictory, but are actually complementary." ==Notes==