Mahāvaipulya Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra
’Adornment of Buddhas’
DESCRIPTION
The full title of this sutra in Sanskrit, Mahāvaipulya Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra, means "The Great, All-Inclusive Sutra on the Miraculous Adornments of the Buddha." Within the general framework of the Mahayana Buddhist understanding of the order and dispensation of the sutras, the massive Avataṃsaka Sūtra is considered to be the first ‘teaching’ of the Buddha. It is not, however, exactly the collected words and sayings of the historical buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, so much as it is a description of what happened (or, what happens) to the would-be Buddha as recounted by a series of bodhisattvas from this world and beyond.
There are two complete Chinese translations of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra and there is fragmentary evidence of a Chinese translation that began in the 2nd century CE. Certain chapters of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra were translated separately into Chinese, and the first complete Chinese translation of the entire sutra was done by Buddhabhadra around the year 420 in 60 scrolls with 34 chapters. The second translation was done by Śikṣānanda around 699 in 80 scrolls with 39 chapters.
This course is a line-by-line reading of the entire Avataṃsaka Sūtra, translated from the Chinese version of by Śikṣānanda, with commentary.
Primary Reading
Mahāvaipulya Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra
Suggested Reading
Imre Hamar, "The History of the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra: Shorter and Larger Texts"
THE_HISTORY_OF_THE_BUDDHAVATASAKA_SUTRA.pdf675.1KB
Entry into the Inconceivable: An introduction to Hua-Yen Buddhism by Thomas Cleary (Honolulu, University of Hawaii Press, 1983)
Entry Into the Inconceivable Hua yen Buddhism.pdf16625.6KB
"Avatamsaka (Huayan, Kegon, Flower Ornament) Buddhism in East Asia Origins and Adaptation of a Visual Culture” by Robert Gimello, Frédéric Girard and Imre Hamar, ed. (Harrassowitz Verlag · Wiesbaden, 2012)
Avatasaka_Buddhism_in_East_Asia_Origins.pdf67086.0KB
Manifestation of the Tathagata: Buddhahood According to the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, Cheng Chien Bhikshu, (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1993)
Manifestation_of_the_Tathagata_Buddhahoo.pdf1964.5KB
Hua-Yen Buddhism by Francis H. Cook (Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications, 1977)
Chapter Notes
The Avataṃsaka Sūtra is separated into nine ‘assemblies’ or ‘gatherings.’
First Assembly - At the Site of Enlightenment in Magadha
🍃CH 1 - The Wonderful Adornments of the Leaders of the World 🍃CH 2 - The Appearance of the Tathāgata 🍃CH 3 - Samantabhadra Samādhi🍃CH 4 - The Formation of the Worlds🍃CH 5 - The Lotus Treasury Adornment Ocean of Worlds 🍃CH 6 - Vairocana Second Assembly - At the Universal Palace of Light
🍃CH 7 - Names of the Tathagatas🍃CH 8 - The Four Noble Truths🍃CH 9 - Awakening by Light 🍃CH 10 - A Bodhisattva Asks for Clarification 🍃CH 11 - Purifying Practice 🍃CH 12 - Bhadrāśrī BodhisattvaThird Assembly - At the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, atop Mt. Meru
🍃CH 13 - Ascent to the Peak of Mt. Meru🍃CH 14 - Eulogies atop Mt. Meru🍃Ch 15 - The Ten Abodes 🍃CH 16 - Brahmacarya (Religious Practice)🍃CH 17 - The Merit of the Initial Generation of Bodhicitta 🍃Ch 18 - Vidyadharma (Clarifying the Dharma)Fourth Assembly - At the Suyama Heaven
🍃CH 19 - Ascent to the Palace of the Suyama Heaven🍃CH 20 - Eulogies in the Palace of the Suyama Heaven🍃CH 21 - The Ten Practices🍃CH 22 - The Ten Inexhaustible TreasuriesFifth Assembly - At the Tuṣita Heaven
🍃CH 23 - Ascent to the Palace of the Tuṣita Heaven🍃CH 24 - Eulogies in the Palace of the Tuṣita Heaven🍃CH 25 - The Ten TransferencesSixth Assembly - At the Parinirmita-vaśavartin Heaven
🍃CH 26 - The Ten Bhūmi GroundsSeventh Assembly - At the Universal Light Palace
🍃CH 27 - Ten Samādhi🍃CH 28 - Ten Super-Knowledges🍃CH 29 - Ten Kṣānti🍃CH 30 - Asaṃkhyeya (’Incalculable’) 阿僧祇🍃CH 31 - Life Span 壽量🍃CH 32 - Dwelling Places of Bodhisattvas🍃CH 33 - The Inconceivable Dharmas of a Buddha🍃CH 34 - The Ocean of Characteristics of the Ten Bodies of the Thus Come 如來十身相海🍃CH 35 - The Merit of the Light of the Embellishments of the Thus Come One 如來隨好光明功德🍃CH 36 - The Practices of Samantabhadra 普賢行🍃CH 37 - Manifestation of the TathāgataEighth Assembly - At the Universal Light Palace
🍃CH 38 - Transcending the World Ninth Assembly - At Jeta’s Grove
🍃CH 39 - Entering the Dharmadhatu