大方廣佛華嚴經感應傳

This collection of accounts was originally compiled into two fascicles, upper and lower, by Master Huiying, a disciple of Master Fazang^[2], the author of a commentary on the Avatamsaka Sutra. Now, although I, an unworthy layman, am inept with words, I have seen that these auspicious accounts of spiritual responses were recorded in a disorderly manner. I have therefore ventured to edit them anew into a single fascicle, in the hope that all who see or hear this esoteric teaching will consider it difficult to encounter and personally strive to receive and uphold it.

1. BODHISATTVA VASUBANDHU

Bodhisattva Vasubandhu was the younger brother of Bodhisattva Asanga and was a native of the Western Regions^[3]. In his youth, Bodhisattva Vasubandhu studied the doctrines of the Sarvastivada school; when he came of age, he mastered the Vinayas of the five schools^[4]. At first, the bodhisattva studied and practiced according to the Lesser Vehicle^[5] and composed five hundred Lesser Vehicle treatises.

Bodhisattva Asanga was concerned that his younger brother, though intelligent, had not yet resolved to study and practice according to the Great Vehicle, but remained absorbed in extolling the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle without discussing the Dharma of the Great Vehicle^[6]. He therefore feigned illness in order to guide and transform his brother. Bodhisattva Asanga sent someone to summon his younger brother, intending to guide and encourage him, and explained to him the karmic causes of his illness.

After hearing this, Bodhisattva Vasubandhu loudly read and recited the sutras that his elder brother had long received and upheld, including the Vimalakirti Sutra^[7], the Lotus Sutra^[8], the Nirvana Sutra^[9], the Avatamsaka Sutra^[10], and others. Bodhisattva Asanga listened with mingled joy and sorrow in his heart.

After reading these sutras in this way for several days, Bodhisattva Vasubandhu came to have faith and awakened to their meaning. He wholeheartedly revered the One Vehicle teaching^[11] of the Avatamsaka Sutra and understood that it was the realm of the Buddhas. He therefore abandoned the Lesser Vehicle, cultivated the Great Vehicle, and felt profound remorse for his former errors. At that time, the bodhisattva intended to cut out his tongue with a sharp knife to atone for his offense, but Bodhisattva Asanga dissuaded him:

– Formerly, you used your mouth to extol the teachings of the provisional vehicle and denigrate the Dharma of the true vehicle. Now you should likewise use your mouth to praise the Dharma of the true vehicle; then that grave offense will naturally be extinguished. Why would you need to cut out your tongue?

From then on, Bodhisattva Vasubandhu entered the mountains and received and upheld the Avatamsaka Sutra. Later, the bodhisattva composed the Treatise on the Ten Grounds^[12]. Whenever he encountered a point he could not fully comprehend, he went to ask Bodhisattva Asanga. If Bodhisattva Asanga also did not thoroughly understand it, he would employ his spiritual powers to fly to the Tusita Heaven^[13] and request Bodhisattva Maitreya^[14] to render a decision. As soon as the treatise was completed, the great earth trembled, and a radiant halo issued from the treatise, illuminating an area several hundred li across. Seeing this, the entire kingdom rejoiced and regarded it as wondrous. This is recorded in full in the Account of Asanga.

2. MONK LINGBIAN OF BINGZHOU DURING THE WEI DYNASTY

The master entered monastic life in his youth, devoted his mind to the Buddha Vehicle, and made the Avatamsaka Sutra his principal vocation. At that time, no commentaries or treatises on it yet existed, so he constantly contemplated the sutra's profound and subtle purport, but did not know from whom he might seek instruction. He therefore adorned and purified a place of practice and bowed in homage to the Avatamsaka Sutra day and night. For more than six years, he practiced walking meditation throughout the day and night, until every step left traces of blood. With utmost sincerity, he implored Bodhisattva Manjusri for his aid, hoping to understand clearly the profound doctrine.

His sincere devotion continued without interruption. Then, one night, he suddenly dreamed of a young boy and clearly beheld the seven locations and nine assemblies^[15] of the Avatamsaka Dharma realm. At that very moment, he entered profound samadhi and saw that Dharma assembly as though he had personally witnessed it with his eyes, heard it with his ears, and apprehended it with his mind. Thus, everything he had previously failed to understand became completely clear. Thereafter, he entered Mount Yong in Xi County^[16], Bingzhou, and composed a one-hundred-fascicle treatise on the Avatamsaka Sutra.

3. SRAMANA ZHI FALING OF THE EASTERN JIN DYNASTY

The master entered monastic life in his youth, and his mental resolve and conduct were exceedingly sincere. He often lamented sorrowfully, “Since the passing into nirvana of the Able and Humane One^[17], the true Dharma has declined.” He therefore traveled to the Western Lands^[18] in search of sacred scriptures. Just as he arrived in Khotan^[19], he unexpectedly encountered Buddhabhadra, the Tripitaka Master who had come from the Western Lands and stood foremost in the Dharma of the One Vehicle.

Buddhabhadra, whose name was translated into Chinese as Juexian, “Awakened Worthy,” bore the surname Sakya and was a descendant of King Amritodana. He had realized the third fruition of the Great Vehicle—that is, he was a bodhisattva abiding on the third ground^[20]. He brought to China a Sanskrit text of the Avatamsaka Sutra containing more than thirty-six thousand verses. Whenever, while reading the sutra, he encountered a passage he did not understand, he would ascend to the Tusita Palace and inquire of Buddha Maitreya.

Sramana Zhi Faling earnestly implored the compassionate Tripitaka Dharma Master Buddhabhadra to translate and transmit the Avatamsaka Sutra so that the people of China^[21] might receive and uphold it. In response to this request, the master went to the capital and resided there. His every movement was entirely unlike that of ordinary people. At times, he entered and departed through windows without obstruction, causing the monks who lived with him to be astonished and to regard him as a spirit. The Sangha asked the Tripitaka Master:

– Has the Dharma Master attained a realization surpassing that of ordinary people?

The Tripitaka Master replied:

– I have now attained realization.

They immediately assembled the monks of the capital, performed a formal Sangha act^[22], and resolved to expel him from the capital. Knowing their thoughts, the Tripitaka Master took his robe and alms bowl, rose into the air, and manifested miraculous transformations, sometimes standing and sometimes sitting. He then traveled southward to Yangzhou^[23], soaring through the sky like a bird. Seeing this, the entire Sangha was filled with profound remorse, but they were unable to follow him.

On the fourteenth day of the third month in the fourteenth year of the Yixi era ⁽⁴¹⁸⁾, he constructed the Hujing Dharma Hall within the grounds of Xie Sikong Monastery in Jianye and translated the Avatamsaka Sutra there.

When the translation was about to begin, a pond suddenly appeared before the Dharma hall. Every morning, two young boys dressed in blue emerged from the pond, entered the Dharma hall, swept and cleaned it, ground the ink, and attended upon the master; each evening, they returned to the pond.

People handed down the account that this Avatamsaka Sutra had long been stored in the dragon palace. Now, rejoicing in the translation of the sutra, the dragon king had personally come to attend upon the master. Because of this event, the monastery was later renamed Xingyan Monastery.

In addition, sramanas^[24] such as Huiye, Huiyan, and Huiguan assisted the Tripitaka Master in recording the translation. Meng Kai, governor^[25] of Wu Commandery; Zhu Shudu, General of the Right Guard; and others served as donors.

On the tenth day of the sixth month in the second year of the Yuanxi era ⁽⁴²⁰⁾, the translation of the sutra was completed. However, it was not until the twentieth day of the twelfth month in the second year of the Yongchu era ⁽⁴²¹⁾ under the Song dynasty that the comparison with the Sanskrit text and the revisions were finally completed.

Later, the Song emperor invited Tripitaka Master Gunabhadra^[26] to lecture on this sutra, but the Tripitaka Master felt ashamed, thinking that he was not yet proficient in Chinese and fearing that he would be unable to convey the full purport of the sutra. He therefore entered a place of practice and asked the assembly to join him in reciting the name of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. Before seven days had passed, one night the Tripitaka Master dreamed that his Indian head had changed into the head of a Chinese man. From then on, the Tripitaka Master was fluent in Chinese and received the sobriquet “Tripitaka Master Who Changed His Head.”

As soon as Tripitaka Master Buddhabhadra arrived in the Guanzhong region, he asked Dharma Master Kumarajiva^[27]:

– Which sutras and treatises have you translated?

Master Kumarajiva replied:

– I have translated the Lotus Sutra and the Vimalakirti Sutra, as well as treatises such as the Treatise on the Middle Way and the Treatise on the Twelve Gates...

The Tripitaka Master asked:

– If the sutras and treatises you translated were not more outstanding than those of others, how could you deserve such renown? Yet the people of the Guanzhong region all call you Tripitaka Master and Great Treatise Master.

One day, Yao Xing, ruler of the Qin state, invited the Tripitaka Master Buddhabhadra to the Eastern Palace to preside over a debate. Among the more than three thousand scholars^[28] seated below the dais were renowned monks such as Daosheng, Sengzhao, Daorong, and Seng Rui, as well as eminent Confucian scholars such as Xie Lingyun and Fei Changfang. None of them dared to raise a question; only Master Kumarajiva spoke and asked:

– In your view, what is right view?

The Tripitaka Master replied:

– It is seeing that all dharmas are empty.

Master Kumarajiva asked:

– Since all dharmas are empty, how can they be seen?

The Tripitaka Master replied:

– One sees emptiness; it is not that one does not see.

Master Kumarajiva asked:

– Can the nature of emptiness be seen?

The Tripitaka Master replied:

– The nature of emptiness cannot be seen.

Master Kumarajiva asked:

– By what means do you analyze form into emptiness?

The Tripitaka Master replied:

– Form originally has no intrinsic substance. Through the aggregation of many minute particles, form comes into being; when form is divided, it becomes minute particles. Therefore, form is said to be empty.

Master Kumarajiva asked:

– You divide form into the most minute particles and thus call form empty. How, then, can the most minute particles be divided into emptiness?

The Tripitaka Master replied:

– Everyone relies upon directional parts^[29] to divide form and then says that the most minute particles are empty, but in my view this is incorrect.

Master Kumarajiva asked:

– What, then, is your meaning?

The Tripitaka Master replied:

– From one minute particle there should be many minute particles, and from many minute particles there should be one minute particle. Since a minute particle originally has no intrinsic nature, how could it be divided?

Upon hearing this, Master Kumarajiva was bewildered and did not understand what was being said, so he asked no further questions. At that time, no one in the entire assembly understood the essential principle of the One Vehicle expounded by the Tripitaka Master. Moreover, the ruler of Qin also supported Master Kumarajiva, and so he said:

– The Tripitaka Master will answer no further. The discussion should end here.

After the Tripitaka Master returned to his monastery, the monks Daosheng, Sengzhao, Baoyun, and others came again, wishing to inquire clearly into the meaning of the statement that even Master Kumarajiva had not understood. The Tripitaka Master told them:

– That meaning is exceedingly difficult to understand, but I expressed it with ease; it was merely Kumarajiva himself who was confused!

Later, Master Kumarajiva again posed the same question to himself, but his answer was still not entirely final and conclusive.

I, Yu Zhen, inquired about the discussion between the Tripitaka Master Buddhabhadra and Dharma Master Kumarajiva in order to record the doctrine of the One Vehicle. At that time, the sramana Daoxing also wished to attend carefully to the discussion of the One Vehicle. Because both of us heard the Tripitaka Master speak, we have recorded this additional account here.

Notes:

^[1] Mount Siming (Siming Shan 四明山): A mountain situated north of Mount Tiantai, southwest of Yin County in Zhejiang Province, along the borders of Cixi, Yin, Fenghua, Xinchang, Sheng, Siming, Shangyu, Yuyao, and other counties. Its circumference extends for several hundred li and encompasses more than 280 peaks. Since ancient times, it has been regarded as a celebrated Buddhist scenic site.

^[2] Master Fazang (Zang Gong 藏公; 643–712): An eminent Chinese monk and the third patriarch of the Huayan school. His style name was Xianshou, and he bore the title Dharma Master Guoyi. He was also known as Great Master Xiangxiang and National Preceptor Kang Zang.

^[3] Western Regions 西域: In historical usage, the term “Western Regions” had no fixed geographical scope, and the names of the countries in those regions changed with the passage of time. In Buddhist history, however, the term refers to the lands traversed when Buddhism was transmitted overland from India to China. Among the countries connected with Buddhism, west of the Pamirs were Yuezhi, Parthia, Kangju, Gandhara, and Kashmir; east of the Pamirs were Khotan, Chakuka, Kucha, Kashgar, and Gaochang, now Turpan. Here, the term refers to India.

^[4] Five Vinaya collections (five divisions 五部; variant name: five Vinaya divisions): The five Hinayana Vinaya collections belonging to five different schools, transmitted from approximately one hundred years after the Buddha’s entry into nirvana. They are the Dharmaguptaka, Sarvastivada, Mahisasaka, Kasyapiya, and Mahasanghika schools.

^[5] Hinayana 小乘 (S: Hīna-yāna; also called: Provisional Vehicle): The small vehicle, a metaphor for teachings of limited scope that are capable only of conveying those of lesser faculties to a lesser fruition.

^[6] Mahayana teaching (Great Teaching 大教; variant name: Mahayana teaching): The Buddha’s profound and sublime teaching, capable of carrying innumerable sentient beings from the shore of affliction to the shore of liberation. It is the path of practice through which the six paramitas are perfected and Buddhahood is attained, as taught in the Avatamsaka Sutra, Lotus Sutra, and other scriptures.

^[7] Vimalakirti 維摩 (S: Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa; also called: Sutra Spoken by Vimalakirti, Vimalakirti Sutra, Sutra of Inconceivable Liberation): A sutra in three fascicles and fourteen chapters, translated by Kumarajiva during the Later Qin dynasty and included in volume 14 of the Taisho Tripitaka. Its purpose is to teach the inconceivable Dharma gateway of liberation realized by Vimalakirti. Grounded in the prajnaparamita teaching of emptiness, the sutra expounds the truth and practice of Mahayana Buddhism while elucidating the role of the bodhisattva path and the meritorious practices of lay householders.

^[8] Lotus Sutra 法華 (S: Saddharma-puṇḍarīka-sūtra; variant name: Sutra of the Lotus of the Wonderful Dharma): A sutra in seven or eight fascicles and twenty-eight chapters, translated by Kumarajiva during the Later Qin dynasty and included in volume 9 of the Taisho Tripitaka. It is one of the important scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism. Its principal teaching is to reveal the Buddha’s knowledge and vision so that sentient beings may awaken to and enter it. It advocates the doctrine that the Three Vehicles return to the single Buddha Vehicle, based on the idea that all sentient beings can attain Buddhahood.

^[9] Nirvana 涅槃 (S: Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra; also called: Great Nirvana Sutra): A sutra in forty fascicles, translated by Dharmaksema in 421 during the Northern Liang dynasty in China and included in volume 12 of the Taisho Tripitaka. It teaches such doctrines as the eternal abiding of the Tathagata, the possession of Buddha-nature by all sentient beings, and the attainment of Buddhahood by icchantikas.

^[10] Avatamsaka 華嚴 (S: Buddhāvataṃsaka-mahāvaipulya-sūtra; also called: Great and Vast Buddha Avatamsaka Sutra): An essential scripture of Mahayana Buddhism and also the Dharma gateway of the Tathagata’s own inner realization, which he proclaimed after attaining enlightenment beneath the bodhi tree to eminent bodhisattvas such as Manjusri Bodhisattva and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.

^[11] One Vehicle 一乘 (S: Eka-yāna; also called: Buddha Vehicle): The single method that enables sentient beings to attain the fruition of Buddhahood.

^[12] Treatise on the Ten Grounds (Treatise on the Ten Grounds 十地論; variant name: Treatise on the Sutra of the Ten Grounds): A treatise in twelve fascicles composed by the Indian master Vasubandhu and translated by Bodhiruci and Ratnamati during the Northern Wei dynasty; it is included in volume 26 of the Taisho Tripitaka. It is a commentary on the Sutra of the Ten Grounds. Its contents explain the stages of bodhisattva practice and maintain that the ten grounds encompass all wholesome dharmas.

^[13] Heaven of Contentment (Tri Túc Heaven 知足天; S: Tuṣita; also: Đâu-suất Heaven): the fourth of the six heavens of the Desire Realm, situated between the Yāma Heaven and the Heaven of Delight in Transformation. This heaven has two courts: 1. The Inner Court of Tuṣita: the dwelling place of bodhisattvas who are about to attain Buddhahood (bodhisattvas in the position of succession), now the Pure Land of Maitreya Bodhisattva; 2. The Outer Court of Tuṣita: belonging to the Desire Realm, it is the dwelling place of heavenly beings who enjoy abundant sensual pleasures but rarely hear the Dharma.

^[14] The Compassionate One 慈氏 (S: Maitreya; also: Di-lặc): the bodhisattva bound to one more birth, whom the Buddha predicted would attain Perfect Enlightenment in the future.

^[15] Seven places and nine assemblies (thất xứ cửu hội 七處九會): the Dharma assemblies at which the Buddha expounded the Avataṃsaka Sutra. The seven places where the Buddha taught the Avataṃsaka Sutra were the Bodhi Seat, the Hall of Universal Radiance, the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, the Yāma Heaven, the Tuṣita Heaven, the Paranirmita-vaśavartin Heaven, and the Jeta Grove. Among these seven places, the Buddha convened the assembly three times in the Hall of Universal Radiance beside the Bodhi Seat.

^[16] Western District (Tây huyện 西縣): the name of an ancient district, located south of present-day Tianshui City, Gansu Province.

^[17] Able and Benevolent 能仁 (S: Śākya; Sino-Vietnamese transcription: Thích-ca): the name of one of the major clans of India. The Blessed One was a sage born into the Śākya clan and was therefore honored as Śākyamuni (S: Śākya-muni).

^[18] Western Heaven 西天: a designation for India. Because India lies west of China, it was called the Western Heaven.

^[19] Khotan 于闐 (S: Ku-stana; also: Vu-điện, Vu-độn, Khê-đan): the name of an ancient kingdom in the Western Regions, situated in western Xinjiang, in the area of present-day Hotan (Khotan).

^[20] The Third Ground (Đệ tam địa 第三地; S: Prabhākarī-bhūmi; also: Ground of Radiance): the third of the ten bodhisattva grounds. At this stage, through meditative concentration, a bodhisattva obtains the light of wisdom and cultivates the three kinds of wisdom born of hearing, reflection, and practice, thereby causing the truth gradually to become clear.

^[21] Zhendan 震旦: the name by which India anciently referred to China.

^[22] Karman 羯磨 (S: karman): acts associated with the monastic precepts, such as receiving ordination, performing repentance, and establishing boundaries; that is, formal procedures that give rise to good and eliminate evil.

^[23] Yangzhou 揚洲: one of the nine ancient provinces of China.

^[24] Śramaṇa 沙門 (S: śramaṇa; translated as: calming the mind, diligently calming, one of the poor Way): a renunciant who shaves the beard and hair, abandons all evil, skillfully harmonizes body and mind, and diligently performs wholesome deeds in the hope of attaining nirvana.

^[25] Grand Administrator 太守: the highest-ranking official governing a commandery.

^[26] Guṇabhadra 求那跋陀羅 (394–468; S: Guṇabhadra; translated as: Virtuous and Worthy): an eminent Indian monk who came to China to translate sutras during the Liu Song dynasty. A native of Central India, he was originally of Brahmin lineage. Because he propagated the Mahayana teachings, people called him Mahāyāna.

^[27] Kumārajīva 鳩摩羅什 (344–413): an eminent monk in China who lived during the Eastern Jin dynasty. A native of the kingdom of Kucha, he was one of the four great translators of Buddhist scriptures. His parents were virtuous people, and both later renounced the household life to follow Buddhism.

Intelligent from childhood, at the age of seven he asked his mother for permission to enter the monastic life. He later traveled to India and studied widely under renowned masters. Broadly learned and possessed of an exceptional memory, his fine reputation spread throughout the five regions of India.

Upon returning to his own kingdom, he was honored by the king as his teacher… In 401, after Emperor Yao Xing defeated the Lü clan, the master was finally escorted to Chang’an. Emperor Yao Xing honored him as National Preceptor.

Residing in Xiaoyao Garden, he devoted himself to translating scriptures with the assistance of such monks as Sengzhao and Sengyan.

^[28] Scholar 學士: a person devoted to extensive study and research.

^[29] Directional division 方分: spatial position—above, below, right, and left—and the portion of volume occupied in space.

DHARMA MASTER HUIJU OF THE NORTHERN QI DYNASTY

From childhood, the master was weary of worldly life; upon growing older, he devoted himself to the study and practice of the Avataṃsaka Sutra.

At the age of fifteen or sixteen, he entered the place of practice. During the six periods of day and night, he never neglected prostration and recitation. One night, he dreamed of a youth who introduced himself as Sudhana and said to him:

– You have devoted yourself to upholding and reciting the Avataṃsaka Sutra and also wish to understand the realm of the Buddhas. Tomorrow, go south, and I shall give you a medicine of intelligence to help you comprehend the essential meaning of the scripture.

The next morning, the master related this dream omen to the monks. He then bathed with fragrant water, put on clean robes, held an incense burner in his hands, bowed his head before the Three Jewels, and prayed that what he sought might be fulfilled just as in the dream.

Thus, following the youth’s words, the master traveled south, sincerely reciting the name of Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva with body and mind. After proceeding several miles along the road, he suddenly saw a pond about half a mile in circumference, surrounded by many kinds of flowers and containing sweet-flag plants^[1]. He thought to himself, “Sweet flag is a medicine of intelligence.” Remembering the youth’s words, he waded into the pond to gather some and suddenly encountered a root as thick as a cart axle.

He carried the root back to the monastery, pounded it into a fine powder, and rolled it into pills the size of jujubes. As soon as he swallowed one, he felt light and at ease in body and mind, while his spirit became clear and refreshed; in a single day, he could recite ten thousand characters. From then on, he thoroughly understood the Avataṃsaka Sutra and composed a commentary on it in more than ten fascicles.

He recited the sutra more than fifty times.

LAYMAN FAN XUANZHI

During the Yonghui era (650–655) of the Great Tang dynasty (618–907), there was a layman named Fan Xuanzhi, who had studied together with the Avataṃsaka master Fazang.

At the age of twenty, the layman began studying the Way. He mastered the Five Classics^[2] of Confucianism and the Three Baskets^[3] of Buddhism, but made the Avataṃsaka Sutra his principal vocation. He lived in the mountains of Fangzhou and ate only pine leaves.

Even after the age of sixty, the layman continued constantly to uphold and recite the Avataṃsaka Sutra without ever ceasing.

Before he reached the age of fifty, in response to his practice, a sweet spring appeared where he lived. It provided enough water that the forest not only bore delicious, fragrant fruit, but every tree was laden with it. People came from everywhere to gather and carry the fruit home, yet it was never exhausted.

One day, heavy snow suddenly fell, preventing traveling merchants from passing through, and provisions ran out. At that very moment, the mountain spirit offered a kind of medicine resembling ghee and tasting as sweet as milk. After drinking a single spoonful, the layman felt no hunger for seven days.

His spirit became clear and refreshed, his body light, and his eyesight markedly brighter. Whenever he performed prostrations and recited at night, lamps spontaneously appeared; whenever he recited during the day, birds gathered to listen to the sutra. The mountain spirit’s retinue manifested around him, frequently offering delicious fruit, while a wondrous fragrance wafted everywhere.

One night, as the layman was reciting the sutra, light the color of pure gold streamed from his mouth and shone for more than forty miles, astonishing everyone. Some people followed the light to the mountain, where they saw only the layman reciting the sutra as light issued from his mouth.

At the age of ninety-two, the layman passed away without illness. When his body was cremated^[4], his teeth transformed into relics^[5]. More than a hundred pieces were obtained, each radiating brilliant light that did not fade for several days. At that time, monastics and laypeople gathered the relics, built a stupa, and made offerings to them.

TWO MONKS OF THE MEDITATIVE CONCENTRATION MONASTERY

During the Yonghui era (650–655), two monks of the Meditative Concentration Monastery, Daoxiang and Huiwu, both lived in seclusion on Mount Taibai^[6]. Master Daoxiang devoted himself to upholding and reciting the Nirvana Sutra, while Master Huiwu devoted himself to upholding and reciting the Avataṃsaka Sutra. The two used pine leaves as food and, throughout the six periods of day and night, performed prostrations and recited the scriptures. They continued in this way for many years.

Then one day, an elderly layman with snow-white hair and beard, dressed in clean garments, tall in stature and dignified in bearing, slowly approached, bowed, and said:

– I respectfully invite one venerable monk to my home so that I may make offerings.

One of the monks said:

– There are only two venerable monks here. May we both go together?

The layman replied:

– My household is poor and lacking in means, so I can invite only one venerable monk.

The monk asked:

– Then whom do you wish to invite?

– I respectfully invite the Dharma master who recites the Avatamsaka Sutra.

At his request, Master Huiwu followed the layman. After they had gone more than a hundred paces, the layman rose into the air and asked Master Huiwu:

– Why do you not rise into the air, Venerable?

Master Huiwu replied:

– This poor monk has no wings; how could I fly?

The layman asked:

– Have you still not attained supernatural powers?

The master replied:

– Indeed, I have not attained them.

The layman immediately descended from the air, seated the master within the fold of his robe, and told him to close his eyes.

At that time, the master heard only the rushing sound of wind beside his ears. In the space of half a mealtime, the layman brought him back down to the ground and told him to open his eyes. Not knowing where he had arrived, the master looked around and saw only majestic mountains. He saw that all the layman’s buildings seemed to rise straight out of the earth. The layman then invited the master into his home. Just after paying homage to the Buddha, the master suddenly saw five hundred unfamiliar monks, carrying khakkhara staffs and alms bowls, descend through the air. Out of respect for these unfamiliar monks, the master did not dare sit in a higher place, but went down and sat in the lowest row. The layman approached and said to him:

– Venerable, you uphold the Avatamsaka Sutra, which is the realm of all Buddhas. Why do you sit below those of the lesser holy states?

Having said this, the layman invited the master to sit above the five hundred holy ones. After taking the meal, washing their hands, and rinsing their mouths, the holy ones rose into the air and departed. The layman instructed someone to bring out a casket of precious objects as an offering to the master and asked him to pronounce a blessing upon his sincere offering. The master said:

– This poor monk came here entirely through your aid, Layman, and did not come by my own power; therefore, I cannot return by myself. Please be so kind as to take me back. I shall recite the sutra to repay your meritorious kindness.

The layman said:

– I prepared this vegetarian feast chiefly to make an offering to you alone, Venerable. Although five hundred arhats^[7] came to receive the meal, they merely happened to arrive and were invited as well. Please pronounce a blessing upon this sincere offering, and I shall have someone take you back to your former place.

As soon as the blessing was completed, the master saw three or five young boys in the courtyard, about six or seven years old. The layman called the children over, then called one boy by name and instructed him:

– Go and attend upon this Dharma master.

The boy immediately said to the master:

– Venerable, please open your mouth.

The master did as the boy said. The boy looked into his mouth and said:

– You have a great many illnesses, Venerable.

Having said this, the boy rubbed his own body with his hand and extracted a small amount of medicine, each portion about the size of a sesame seed. He divided it into three pills and gave them to the master to swallow. The boy again asked the master to open his mouth, then suddenly flew into it. At that very moment, the master rose into the air and returned to his former place. While remaining suspended in midair, he said to Master Daoxiang:

– Just now, through the invitation of an immortal layman who made offerings to me, I attained supernatural powers. Before long, I shall visit the palaces of Penglai, the Golden Portal, Ziwei, and others to uphold and recite the Avatamsaka Sutra.

Having said this, Master Huiwu bade farewell to Master Daoxiang, took his three robes, alms bowl, and the sutra scroll he regularly upheld and recited, then rose into the air and departed.

A NUN ON MOUNT JIULONG

During the Xianqing era (656–661), there was a nun on Mount Jiulong who devoted herself to upholding and reciting the Avatamsaka Sutra, the secret Dharma treasury of the Buddha Vehicle. The nun entered the mountains and upheld the sutra for more than twenty years without ever becoming lax. Because she practiced in accordance with the sutra text, her spirit became settled, her mind tranquil, and she attained the wisdom eye^[8]. She reached the realm of Indra’s Net^[9] and clearly saw the sites of the nine assemblies^[10] appearing in countless worlds throughout the ten directions, just like scenes reflected in a mirror.

AN INDIAN MONK

In the first year of the Zongzhang era ⁽⁶⁶⁸⁾, a Tripitaka master, an Indian monk^[11] from the Western Regions, came to the imperial capitals^[12]. At that time, Emperor Gaozong revered him and honored him as his teacher. Monastics and laypeople alike looked up to him.

When the Avatamsaka Master Fazang was still young, he bowed at the feet of the Tripitaka master and requested the bodhisattva precepts. At that time, the people said to the Tripitaka master:

– This child can recite the great Avatamsaka Sutra and clearly understands the meaning and principles of its text.

The Tripitaka master was astonished and praised him, saying:

– The doctrine of the One Vehicle in the Avatamsaka Sutra is the secret treasury of all Buddhas. It is exceedingly difficult even to encounter, much less to comprehend the meaning and principles of its text. If anyone can recite the Pure Conduct chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra, that person has already fully accomplished the bodhisattva’s pure precept-conduct and need not receive the bodhisattva precepts again. A record from the Western Regions states: “Whenever someone recites the Avatamsaka Sutra, if the water with which that person washes their hands happens to splash upon an ant, then when that ant’s life ends, it will be reborn in the Trayastrimsa Heaven^[13]; how much more so one who constantly upholds and recites the sutra.” You should know that in the future this child will certainly benefit many people and constantly bestow upon sentient beings the Dharma nectar of the unborn.

A MONK WHO RECITED THE AVATAMSAKA SUTRA

During the Shangyuan era (674–676 or 760–762), at Jing’ai Monastery in Luozhou, there was a monk who was a native of Zhengzhou. One day, the master returned to his native place to visit his parents. Just as he reached the territory of Zhengzhou, night fell, so he sought lodging at an inn. A short while later, another monk arrived. His name was unknown, and he too entered the inn to spend the night. The innkeeper arranged for the later-arriving monk to stay in the room adjoining that of the first monk. The later-arriving monk said to the innkeeper:

– This poor monk has come from afar and is both exhausted and faint with hunger. Sell me three liters of wine and one catty^[14] of meat. However much they cost, this poor monk will pay in full. Please bring them quickly, without delay.

In accordance with his request, the innkeeper brought wine and meat, and the monk consumed everything. Seeing this, the Vinaya-observing monk from Jing’ai Monastery became angry and rebuked him:

– You wear the Dharma robes, yet you come into a layperson’s house and freely eat meat and drink wine. You truly have no sense of shame!

The monk remained silent and did not reply. During the first watch of the night, he asked for water to rinse his mouth, sat upright in the full lotus posture, slowly opened a Sanskrit copy of the Great and Vast Buddha Avatamsaka Sutra, and began to recite it. First, he read the title of the sutra.

He then recited the words, “Thus have I heard. At one time, the Buddha was in the kingdom of Magadha, at the site of enlightenment in the state of quiescent extinction…” At that moment, light the color of pure gold streamed from both corners of his mouth, causing those who heard him to shed tears and those who saw him to arouse the aspiration for enlightenment. The Vinaya-observing monk also became filled with admiration and thought to himself, “So this monk who drinks wine and eats meat can recite such a great sutra!”

As the third watch approached, the Vinaya-observing monk still heard the steady sound of sutra recitation continuing without interruption. As the reciter neared the end of Scroll Four, the light in his mouth grew even more brilliant, illuminating the entire room, shining through the cracks, and brightly lighting both rooms. At first, the Vinaya-observing monk did not know what the light was and thought, “Why does that guest not extinguish his lamp? He is wasting the innkeeper’s oil.”

Thinking this, the Vinaya-observing monk got up and walked toward the latrine. Looking over, he saw golden light streaming from both corners of the monk’s mouth. When the monk began reciting Scroll Five, the light gradually withdrew back into his mouth. Just as the fifth watch arrived, he finished reciting Scroll Six and only then lay down to rest.

A short while later, when daylight came, the Vinaya-observing monk felt remorse. Weeping, he went to the scripture-reciting monk, prostrated himself with all five limbs^[15] touching the ground, and begged to repent of his fault in disparaging a noble sage, hoping that his offense might be extinguished.

TWO INDIAN MONKS

During the Yifeng era (676–679), two Indian monks from the Western Regions traveled to Mount Wutai^[16]. Carrying lotus flowers and holding censers, they proceeded toward the mountain summit, bowing at every step in homage to bodhisattva Manjusri.

Along the way, they encountered a nun sitting alone in an upright posture on a rattan seat beneath a pine tree in a rocky cave, reciting the Avatamsaka Sutra. As night was about to fall, the nun said to the two Indian monks:

– A nun cannot sleep in the same place as fully ordained monks. Venerable ones, you should go elsewhere and return tomorrow.

One of the monks said:

– The mountains are deep and the journey is long; we do not know where we might lodge. We beg you, Reverend Nun, to allow us to remain here for the night.

The nun said:

– If the venerable ones will not leave, then I cannot remain here. I shall go deeper into the mountains.

Hearing this, the two hesitated, both ashamed and apprehensive, yet they did not know where to go. The nun then said:

– Go down to the cave ahead; there is a meditation grotto within it.

Following the nun’s directions, the two monks went in search of it and indeed found a meditation grotto a little more than five li from where she was. With single-minded concentration, they joined their palms and held up their censers, paying homage from afar toward the north. Then, gathering their thoughts, they heard the sound of scripture recitation as clearly as though it were beside their ears.

First, the nun recited the title of the sutra, and then began, “Thus have I heard...” From afar, the two monks saw her seated upon the chair, facing south. Brilliant light, the color of pure gold, issued from her mouth and illuminated the entire mountain peak before them. By the time she had recited the first two fascicles, the light spread throughout the whole area south of the mountain cave, extending about ten li in circumference, no different from broad daylight. When she reached the fourth fascicle, the light gradually contracted; when she reached the sixth fascicle, it vanished completely and returned into the nun’s mouth.

The chapter “Dwelling Places of Bodhisattvas” in the Avatamsaka Sutra states: “To the northeast of the land of Cinasthana is Mount Qingliang^[17], a dwelling place of bodhisattvas, where bodhisattvas of the past constantly abided. At present, bodhisattva Manjusri^[18] and ten thousand bodhisattvas assemble there.” That mountain is Mount Wutai, located northeast of Zhe Prefecture and south of Dai Prefecture^[19].

The Surangama-samadhi Sutra states: “In a past age, bodhisattva Manjusri was the Buddha Supreme Honored King of the Naga Lineage in the world Equality.”

Furthermore, the Angulimaliya Sutra states: “Bodhisattva Manjusri was the Buddha Jewel Accumulation Mani in the eastern world Joy.”

The wondrous manifestation of that nun was surely an emanation of bodhisattva Manjusri, appearing in response to instruct the two Indian monks.

Notes:

^[1] Sweet flag 菖蒲: the name of a fragrant plant that grows in the mountains and is used medicinally.

^[2] The Five Classics (五經): five important works of Confucianism, comprising the Classic of Poetry, the Book of Documents, the Book of Changes, the Book of Rites, and the Spring and Autumn Annals.

^[3] The Tripitaka (三藏; S: trīṇi piṭakāni; Ch. alt.: Three Dharma Treasuries): the Sutra Pitaka, the Vinaya Pitaka, and the Abhidharma Pitaka.

^[4] Cremation 荼毘 (S: jhāpeti; Ch. alt.: đồ-tì, xà-tì): burning a corpse so that the remains may be preserved; one of the methods of disposing of the dead.

^[5] Sarira 舍利 (S: śarīra): bodily remains. The term ordinarily refers to the remains of a Buddha, but later also came to refer to bones remaining after the bodies of eminent monks were cremated.

^[6] Mount Taibai (太白山): a mountain southeast of Mei County, Shaanxi Province, China.

^[7] Arhat (羅漢; S: arhat; Ch.: Worthy of Offerings): a noble one who has completely eliminated the delusions of views and thought in the three realms, attained the knowledge of exhaustion, and is worthy of receiving offerings from devas and humans.

^[8] Wisdom-eye 惠眼 (S: prajñā-cakṣus; Ch. alt.: eye of wisdom): the eye possessed by sravakas and pratyekabuddhas.

^[9] Indra’s Net 因陀羅網 (S: Indra-jāla; Ch. alt.: Net of the Celestial Sovereign, Imperial Net): a jeweled net adorning the palace of Sakra, Lord of the Devas. At every mesh is fastened a jewel, infinite in number, and each jewel reflects the images of all the other jewels. The infinite jewels reflect one another, their images appearing layer upon layer. The Avatamsaka Sutra uses Indra’s Net as an analogy for the mutual identity and interpenetration of the one and the many, and for the endlessly interfolding nature of all dharmas.

^[10] The Nine Assemblies (九會): the nine Dharma assemblies at which the Buddha taught the Avatamsaka Sutra. The Newly Translated Avatamsaka Sutra collectively calls them the Nine Assemblies at Seven Places, while the Older Translation calls them the Eight Assemblies at Seven Places.

^[11] Indian monk 梵僧: a term for monks who came to China from the Western Regions or India, or for monks whose cultivation and observance of the precepts were pure. Later, the term gradually came to be used generally for members of the monastic Sangha.

^[12] Jingluo 京洛: another name for Luoyang.

^[13] Trayastrimsa Heaven (忉利天; S: Trāyastriṃśa; Ch. alt.: Heaven of the Thirty-Three): the heaven inhabited by thirty-three celestial princes, the second of the six heavens of the Desire Realm.

^[14] Jin 斤: a unit of weight equal to sixteen liang.

^[15] The five limbs (五體): the head, the two hands, and the two knees.

^[16] Mount Wutai (五臺山): a mountain northeast of Wutai County, Shanxi Province, China. Together with Mount Emei, Mount Putuo, and Mount Jiuhua, it is known as one of the Four Great Sacred Mountains of Chinese Buddhism. Because its five peaks tower aloft, with no forests upon their summits and with the ground spreading out like five terraces, it is called Mount Wutai, “Five-Terrace Mountain.” From ancient times to the present, this has been the bodhimanda where bodhisattva Manjusri manifests, and it is widely venerated throughout China.

^[17] Mount Qingliang (清涼山): another name for Mount Wutai in Shanxi Province, China. The mountain remains frozen throughout the year, and snow still falls there in summer. Because its climate is never hot, it is called Qingliang, “Clear and Cool.”

^[18] Manjusri 文殊師利: the bodhisattva who embodies wisdom, one of the great bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism. According to Chinese Buddhist tradition, Manjusri was personally entrusted by Sakyamuni Buddha with propagating the Buddhadharma at Mount Wutai.

^[19] Dai Prefecture 岱洲: the name of a mountain, namely Mount Dai, another name for Mount Tai.

TRIPITAKA MASTER DIVAKARA

In the first year of the Chuigong era ⁽⁶⁸⁵⁾, Tripitaka Dharma Master Divakara^[1], a native of Central India, brought Sanskrit scriptures from afar to China for translation. At that time, Emperor Gaozong (650–683) issued an edict inviting the master to reside at Taiyuan Monastery^[2] and summoned eminent monks^[3] from the capital to collaborate in translating more than ten scriptures, including the Great Avatamsaka Sutra, the Ghanavyuha Sutra, and others. Sramanas such as Daocheng, Bochen, Woncheuk^[4], Xuanying^[5], and others verified the meaning^[6]; sramanas Fuli^[7], Sixuan, and others recorded the text; and sramana Huizhi and others rendered the oral translation.

At that time, Dharma Master Fazang of the Huayan school was also residing at this monastery. Taking the opportunity presented by the translation work, he asked Tripitaka Master Divakara:

– In the Western Regions, has anyone who upheld the teachings of the One Vehicle ever received a miraculous response?

The Tripitaka Master replied:

– On one occasion, this humble monk^[8] traveled to Southern India in search of a master under whom to study the Way. At night, I asked to lodge in a monastery where there were more than sixty venerable monks. All those monks made the recitation of the Avatamsaka Sutra their vocation. They invited bodhisattva Manjushri to serve as the senior monk. Whenever a monk in the monastery passed away, the Sangha recited the Avatamsaka Sutra and dedicated the merit so that the departed spirit might be reborn in a Buddha-land. Ordinarily, the Sangha assembled every evening, burned incense, bowed to the Buddha, and performed repentance; then each monk recited one fascicle of the Avatamsaka Sutra, making this their regular practice. That monastery had originally been built through an offering made by a lun-jia bird^[9], which brought forth its own treasures for the purpose. Through the Sangha’s recitation of the Avatamsaka Sutra, after the bird died, it was reborn in a heavenly realm. There were also many other miraculous responses, too numerous to relate in full.

GUO SHENLIANG

In the middle of the fourth month of the third year of the Chuigong era ⁽⁶⁸⁷⁾, Master Fazang of the Huayan school lectured on the Avatamsaka Sutra at Great Ci’en Monastery^[10]. At that time, Master Tanyan, a monk residing at the same monastery, convened an unrestricted Dharma assembly^[11] to extol the Dharma master’s merit.

Later, Master Fazang went to Chongfu Monastery^[12], where he paid respects in turn to two eminent Vinaya masters, Daocheng and Baochen. At that time, Vinaya Master Baochen said to Master Fazang:

– This summer, a donor named Guo Shenliang from Xian’an Ward died and returned to life after seven days, whereupon he came to the monastery to bow to the Buddha. When he met me, he said: “I suddenly lost consciousness and died, but after a brief interval I returned to life. At that time, three emissaries escorted me to the presence of King Pingdeng. After I was questioned about my offenses and merits, the time came for me to undergo punishment, and the king handed me over to the emissaries to be taken to hell. Just as I was about to enter the prison, I suddenly encountered a monk. He said, ‘I wish to teach you a verse so that you may be delivered from the suffering of hell.’ Terrified, I implored the monk to rescue me and quickly bestow the verse upon me. The monk recited this verse:

If one wishes clearly to know

All Buddhas of the three periods of time,

One should contemplate in this way:

The Tathagatas are created by the mind.

Upon hearing it, I single-mindedly recited this verse several times. Through this verse, I and tens of millions of others undergoing punishment were all delivered from suffering and escaped falling into hell.”

This account was related by the donor himself. It should therefore be known that this verse possesses the inconceivable power to deliver people from the suffering of hell.

Master Fazang said to Vinaya Master Baochen:

– That verse is from the fourth assembly of the Avatamsaka Sutra.

At first, Vinaya Master Baochen did not recall it from the Avatamsaka Sutra and did not fully believe Master Fazang’s words. He therefore searched through the Chapter on the Ten Practices and found that it was indeed the final verse among the verses of that chapter.

Vinaya Master Baochen praised it, saying:

– Merely upon hearing a single verse, tens of millions of people were simultaneously delivered from suffering. How much more so would this be true of those who receive and uphold the entire scripture and expound with perfect clarity its profound principles?

TRIPITAKA MASTER RATNAMATI

In the third year of the Chuigong era ⁽⁶⁸⁷⁾, Bhikshu Huiying went to Ci’en Monastery to hear Master Fazang lecture on the Avatamsaka Sutra. After the lecture, Bhikshu Huiying practiced walking meditation around the compound. When he reached the Translation Institute, he walked together with Dharma Master Hongzhi of Ci’en Monastery and Dharma Master Guang of Chuguo Monastery.

Master Fazang said to the venerable monks: “In the Western Regions there was a Tripitaka master named Ratnamati^[13], translated into Chinese as ‘Jewel Mind,’ who lectured on the Avatamsaka Sutra to audiences numbering in the thousands. One day, two persons of dignified appearance suddenly arrived, brilliant light radiating from their entire bodies. In the midst of the assembly, they bowed at the Tripitaka master’s feet and said:

– We have come because Shakra^[14] of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three sent us down to invite the Dharma master to his celestial palace to lecture on the Avatamsaka Sutra. We respectfully beseech you, out of compassion, to accompany us.

The Tripitaka master said:

– This humble monk has not yet finished lecturing here and therefore cannot go with you. Once the lectures are complete, I shall comply with your request.

The emissaries asked:

– When will you finish lecturing?

The Tripitaka master replied:

– Two fascicles remain.

The emissaries then said:

– Please lecture swiftly and complete them soon. We shall descend again to receive you.

The Tripitaka master consented, and the two emissaries suddenly disappeared. When the lectures were finished, the Tripitaka master had just closed the scripture when the emissaries entered. At that moment, while the Dharma master was seated upon the high seat, he and the officials assisting the lecture, including the fan-yin^[15], the karmadana^[16], and the others, all passed away at the same time. Following the emissaries to Shakra’s palace, they expounded and praised the profound purport of the Mahayana scripture.”

Thus it should be known that the secret Dharma treasury of the Avatamsaka is revered by all, whether in the heavenly realms or in the human world.

A DAOIST TURNS HIS MIND TOWARD THE DHARMA

In the first year of the Tianshou era ⁽⁶⁹⁰⁾, Master Fazang of the Huayan school returned to visit his paternal grandmother. When he reached Zeng Prefecture, the prefectural and district officials brought incense and flowers outside the city to welcome him. In the second year of the Tianshou era ⁽⁶⁹¹⁾, they invited the master to lecture on the Avatamsaka Sutra, and during his exposition of the Dharma, he discussed the distinction between the true and the false.

At that time, a young Daoist seated nearby returned and reported to the abbot of Hongdao Abbey:

– The lecturer at the monastery to the north disparaged our Way.

Hearing this, the abbot became extremely angry. Early the following morning, he led more than thirty Daoists to the lecture hall. With a furious expression and coarse words pouring from his mouth, he said to the master:

– Lecture on your own scripture! Why do you discuss matters concerning our Daoism?

The master replied:

– This humble monk merely lectures on the Avatamsaka Sutra. I have neither discussed nor disparaged anything else.

The abbot asked:

– Then are all dharmas equal?

The master replied:

– Dharmas are both equal and unequal.

The Daoist asked again:

– Which dharmas are equal, and which are unequal?

The master replied:

– All dharmas are encompassed by the two truths: the ultimate truth^[17] and the conventional truth^[18]. From the standpoint of the ultimate truth, there is neither this nor that, neither self nor other, neither purity nor defilement; all distinctions are transcended, and therefore it is called equality. From the standpoint of the conventional truth, however, there are good and evil, high and low, false and true; how then could there be equality?

The Daoist was refuted and could not respond, yet his anger had not subsided, so he uttered slanders against the Tathagata’s true Dharma. The Daoist then returned to his dwelling and slept for the night. When he awoke the following morning and washed his face and hands, his beard and hair unexpectedly fell out, and sores covered his entire body. He immediately repented, took refuge in and revered the Three Jewels^[19], sincerely implored Master Fazang to rescue him, and vowed to recite the Avatamsaka Sutra one hundred times. He devoted himself to its recitation for nearly two years, but while ten recitations still remained unfinished, his beard and hair suddenly grew back naturally, and the sores on his body were completely healed.

Among the monastics and laity of Zeng Prefecture, there was no one who had not heard of this event.

Notes:

^[1] Rizhao 日照 (613–687; S: Divākara; Ch: Di-po-he-luo): an eminent monk from Central India who arrived in China around 676–678. He had mastered the Tripitaka and was highly proficient in the Five Sciences… Around 685–688, he and others translated many scriptures, including the Chapter on Entering the Dharma Realm from the Avatamsaka Sutra, comprising nearly eighteen works in thirty-four fascicles. He passed away in 687 at Taiyuan Monastery at the age of seventy-five.

^[2] Taiyuan Monastery 太原寺: the name of several major monasteries established during the Tang dynasty in places throughout China, including Chang’an, Luoyang, Taiyuan, Jingzhou, and Yangzhou. The Taiyuan Monastery where Master Rizhao resided was the monastery in Luoyang. This monastery was successively renamed the Eastern Monastery of the State of Wei, the Eastern Monastery of the Great Zhou, and the Great Fuxian Monastery.

^[3] Great Virtuous One 大德 (S: bhadanta): an honorific used in India for Buddhas, bodhisattvas, or eminent monks. In China, the term “Great Virtuous One” was used as a respectful title for eminent monks. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, however, those engaged in translation work were specifically called Great Virtuous Ones.

^[4] Yuance 圓測 (613–696): an eminent Chinese monk of the Faxiang school who lived during the Tang dynasty. He was descended from the royal house of Silla (Korea), bore the surname Kim, and was named Munung. At the age of fifteen, he went to China to study abroad and successively took eminent monks such as Fachang and Sengbian as his teachers. Later, when Xuanzang returned from India and opened a translation bureau, Yuance obeyed an imperial command to participate in the translations. Working together with Kuiji and Puguang, he became renowned in his time.... He successively studied and translated with Masters Rizhao and Divākara, serving as a verifier of meaning. He passed away in 696 at the age of eighty-four.

^[5] Xuanying 玄應: a renowned Chinese monk who lived during the Tang dynasty. He was widely learned, possessed a prodigious memory, and was highly proficient in phonology and the exegetical interpretation of ancient texts. In 645, when Xuanzang returned from the Western Regions and established a translation bureau, Xuanying was also invited to participate in translating scriptures.

^[6] Verifier of Meaning 證義: a position responsible for reviewing the Sanskrit text’s wording and meaning within a translation bureau.

^[7] Fuli 複禮 (also: Fuli 復禮): an eminent Chinese monk who lived during the Tang dynasty. His virtue and conduct were lofty and pure, and he was highly esteemed by his contemporaries. By imperial command, he once participated in the translation bureau of the great master Xianshou Fazang. Together with Masters Fazang and Daocheng, he translated the Entry into the Dharma Realm section of the Avataṃsaka Sutra.

^[8] This humble monk 貧道 (S: śramaṇa; transliterations: shamen, shamonna; translation: diligent pacifier, cultivator of the Way): one who has left the household life and shaved off his beard and hair, abandoned all evil, skillfully harmonized body and mind, and diligently performed wholesome deeds in hopes of attaining nirvana.

^[9] Krauñca bird 輪伽鳥 (S: krauñca; also: câu-luân-xà bird): a kind of stork or crane.

^[10] Great Ci’en Monastery (Great Ci’en Monastery 大慈恩寺; also: Ci’en Monastery): an ancient monastery south of the city in Xi’an County, China, built by Crown Prince Zhi, later Emperor Gaozong, to repay the loving kindness of his mother, Empress Wende. The monastery had approximately ten compounds and one thousand rooms and was magnificent and imposing. When its construction was completed, the crown prince personally went there to pay homage to the Buddha.

He then issued an edict permitting three hundred people to leave the household life and become monks, invited Xuanzang to serve as the senior monk, and specially invited fifty Great Virtuous Ones. A scripture translation institute was built in the northwestern part of the monastery to enshrine the scriptures, Buddha images, and relics that Xuanzang had brought back from India. Later, the emperor had the five-story Giant Wild Goose Pagoda constructed in the style of the Western Regions to preserve the Sanskrit Buddhist scriptures brought from India by the Indian Tripiṭaka Master Atikūṭa.

^[11] Unrestricted Dharma Assembly (Unrestricted Assembly 無遮會; S: pañca-vārṣika maha; transliteration: ban-già-vu-sắt assembly): a Dharma assembly in which material gifts and the gift of Dharma are bestowed impartially, without distinction between worthies and sages, monastics and laity, noble and humble, or high and low.

^[12] Chongfu Monastery (Chongfu Monastery 崇福寺; also: Western Monastery of the State of Wei): a monastery in Chang’an, Shaanxi Province, China. Initially, the Tang emperor built five monasteries in Yangzhou, Jingnan, Taiyuan, the Western Capital, and the Eastern Capital to commemorate and repay the places associated with the dynasty’s rise. He used the era name Taiyuan to name all five monasteries. The Taiyuan Monastery in the Western Capital was converted from an old residence into a monastery in 670 by Yang Gongren, Attendant-in-Center and Duke of Guan, a maternal relative of Empress Wu Zetian. After several renovations, it was renamed the Western Monastery of the State of Wei. In 690, it was renamed Chongfu Monastery.

^[13] Ratnamati 勒那 (S: Ratnamati; full transliterations: Lặc-na-ma-đề, Lặc-na-bà-đề): an eminent monk from Central India who came to China to translate scriptures during the Northern Wei dynasty. He possessed profound and extensive learning, thoroughly understood both principles and phenomena, and was especially accomplished in meditation.

^[14] Śakra 帝釋 (S: Śakra Devānām-indra): king of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, one of the twelve devas guarding the eastern direction, who especially protects the Buddha-Dharma.

^[15] Chief Lecturer 都講 (also: chief lecturing master): a monastic office in assemblies where sutras and treatises were expounded. From the Wei and Jin dynasties onward, whenever a Buddhist lecturing platform was opened for the exposition of scripture, one person recited the scripture and another explained it. The person who recited the scripture was called the chief lecturer, while the one who explained it was called the Dharma master.

^[16] Karmadāna 維那 (also: chief karmadāna, regulator of the assembly, steward, administrator): a monastic official during the Northern Wei dynasty in China. This official managed, directed, and attended to the affairs of the monastic community.

^[17] Ultimate Truth 真諦 (S: paramārtha-satya; also: truth of the highest meaning; contrasted with: conventional truth): the profound and wondrous truth that transcends all dharmas.

^[18] Conventional Truth 俗諦 (S: saṁvṛti-satya; also: worldly truth; contrasted with: ultimate truth): the principle of arising and cessation explained in accordance with worldly understanding.

^[19] The Three Jewels (Three Jewels 三寶; S: Tri-ratna, ratha-traya; also: Three Venerable Ones): the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

EMPRESS DOWAGER WU ZETIAN OPENS A TRANSLATION BUREAU

In the first year of the Shengli era ⁽⁶⁹⁸⁾, Empress Dowager Zetian^[1] issued an edict inviting the Tripiṭaka Master Śikṣānanda of Khotan and more than ten Great Virtuous Ones to translate the Avataṃsaka Sutra at the Monastery of the Buddha’s Prophecy^[2] in the Eastern Capital^[3]. At that time, the śramaṇa Fuli polished the text, Master Fazang recorded it, the śramaṇas Zhantuo, Deva, and others rendered it into Chinese, while the śramaṇas Fabao, Hongjing, Bolun, Huiyan, Quchen, and others reviewed it and verified its meaning.

Officials of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau^[4], Yingfu, an Assistant Secretary to the Crown Prince^[5], Yu Shiyi, a Military Adjutant of the Guard^[6], and others jointly assisted with the translation. When the Tripiṭaka Master Śikṣānanda and the Great Virtuous Ones participated in the translation at Biankong Monastery within the imperial palace precincts, the empress dowager personally ascended the Dharma seat, composed the preface, and spoke about the revision and finalization of the text.

That night, the empress dowager dreamed that sweet dew rained from the heavens. Near the fifth watch, a fine drizzle and a rain of fragrant water indeed fell. Furthermore, in a pond within the imperial garden, a hundred-petaled lotus arose, with a green stem and red blossom, exuding a rich fragrance and possessing beauty beyond compare.

There are three kinds of lotus flowers: first, lotuses in the human realm, which have ten petals; second, lotuses in the heavenly realms, which have one hundred petals; and third, lotuses in the Pure Land, which have one thousand petals. The empress dowager thought, “Now a hundred-petaled lotus has arisen in the imperial garden; clearly, it is a flower of the heavenly realm.” She therefore rejoiced and regarded it as an auspicious sign manifested in response to the translation of the scriptures.

The empress dowager ordered the flower to be picked and then instructed a palace eunuch^[7] to take it to the translation bureau at the Monastery of the Buddha’s Prophecy. The entire Sangha of the Monastery of the Buddha’s Prophecy, as well as Dharma Master Shi of Dayun Monastery in Huaizhou, saw it. All reverently believed and praised it as an extraordinary and exceedingly rare portent.

On the eighth day of the tenth month in the second year of the Shengli era ⁽⁶⁹⁹⁾, the translation of the New Sutra^[8] was completed. The Empress Dowager issued an edict inviting Master Fazang to lecture on this New Sutra at the Temple of the Buddha’s Prophecy. When he reached the chapter “The Worlds of the Flower Treasury,” the ground beneath the lecture hall and throughout the entire monastery spontaneously trembled, astonishing the assembly, who regarded it as a wondrous event. At that time, the chief administrator Huibiao, the śramaṇa Hongjing, and others jointly submitted a memorial reporting the event. The Empress Dowager endorsed it as follows:

– The other day, Master Fazang expounded the subtle words and elucidated the wondrous Dharma. On the first day of the translation, I dreamed that sweet dew rained down, signifying the manifestation of an auspicious omen. On the day of the lecture, the earth trembled in response, signifying a marvelous portent. This was a trace manifested by the Tathagata and, upon examination, accorded perfectly with the text of the nine assemblies. Being of meager ability, how could I dare suppose that those six kinds of trembling^[9] occurred on my account! Upon reading this memorial, my heart was filled with immeasurable joy.

THE NOVICE DIGABHAKA OF THE KINGDOM OF KHOTAN

During the Shengli era (698–700), Tripitaka Master Śikṣānanda of the kingdom of Khotan translated the Avatamsaka Sutra at the Temple of the Buddha’s Prophecy. The master said to Fazang:

– In my country there was a novice named Digabhaka who observed the ten precepts^[10]. Although he had not yet received full ordination, his body and mind were pure, and he devoted himself to reciting the Avatamsaka Sutra.

One day, two messengers of tall stature and extraordinarily handsome appearance, whose bodies emitted light, came and bowed at the novice’s feet. Astonished, the novice asked:

– Where have you two come from?

The messengers replied:

– We disciples have come because Śakra, in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, sent us down to invite the Dharma master to the celestial palace to lecture on the Avatamsaka Sutra. We respectfully ask you, out of compassion, to accompany us.

The novice said:

– May I ask for what cause and condition Śakra has invited me to the celestial realm to recite the Avatamsaka Sutra?

The messengers replied:

– Whenever Śakra fought with the asuras^[11], he was often defeated by them. Śakra used his divine eye^[12] to look down upon Jambudvipa^[13], seeking someone who could recite a sutra to assist him. Although there were four arhats, none of them could help in this matter. He saw only you, Dharma master, devoted to reciting the Avatamsaka Sutra, your mind roaming through the realms of the Buddhas, worthy of being a field of merit for gods and humans. Therefore, Śakra sent us down here to welcome you.

The novice said:

– This humble monk will surely be able to bring many benefits, so how could I dare refuse?

After accepting the invitation, the novice closed his eyes and, in a moment, arrived at the celestial palace.

Upon seeing the novice, Śakra joyfully said:

– I am constantly harassed by the asuras, and so I have humbled myself to invite you here. You uphold the Avatamsaka Sutra and are supported by the devas and protected by benevolent spirits. Please recite the sutra on my behalf to destroy my enemies.

Śakra immediately removed his celestial crown and waved it through empty space. Suddenly, it transformed into a palace made of the seven precious substances^[14], with four great gates and eight windows. It was adorned with various treasures such as mani jewels and was hung with banners, streamers, and jeweled canopies, while flowers and incense were arranged throughout as offerings. Śakra invited the novice into the palace, where he sat upon a lotus throne and recited the Avatamsaka Sutra. The sound of the sutra rose sonorously and resounded throughout the celestial palace.

At that time, surrounded by tens of thousands of devas, Śakra commanded the four divisions of his attendant army in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three^[15]. Seated upon a jeweled terrace, he traveled through empty space to the battlefield. Seeing such awe-inspiring spiritual might, the asura army immediately withdrew and fled, the entire host hiding within a lotus stalk. Śakra returned and invited the novice back to the celestial palace, where he made offerings of rare treasures among the seven precious substances. Śakra again said:

– If you require the elixir of immortality, I shall offer it as well. Please remain in the celestial palace; I hope you will not refuse.

The novice replied:

– This humble monk renounced attachment and left the household life in order to seek the unsurpassed Way^[16]. The rare treasures of the world and the elixir of immortality are not what this humble monk seeks.

Upon hearing this, Śakra prostrated himself with all five limbs touching the ground, bowed at the novice’s feet with utmost sincerity, and said:

– When you attain the fruit of bodhi, please deliver me. I pray that you will not forget!

Having said this, Śakra ordered the messengers to escort the novice back to Jambudvipa. All the novice’s garments had been permeated with celestial fragrance, and they remained fragrant throughout his life. Later, when approaching death, the novice vowed to be reborn in the Pure Land.

Tripitaka Master Śikṣānanda personally knew this novice well.

A SCROLL OF THE AVATAMSAKA SUTRA EMITS LIGHT

During the Shengli era (698–700), Tripitaka Master Śikṣānanda of the kingdom of Khotan related:

– The monks of the kingdom of Kucha studied and practiced only the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. They did not know that Śākyamuni Buddha manifested division-bodies to teach as ten billion Buddhas, displayed immeasurable cloud-like bodies^[17], and revealed unprecedented realms. Therefore, they did not believe in the great Avatamsaka Sutra.

At that time, an Indian monk brought a Sanskrit manuscript of the Avatamsaka Sutra from India to that kingdom. The monks of the Lesser Vehicle would not believe in or accept it, so the Indian monk left the sutra there and departed.

The monks of the Lesser Vehicle threw the sutra down a well. That night, they saw a brilliant red beam of light, resembling a mass of fire, radiating from within the well. The monks suspected that it was gold.

The next morning, after discussing the matter among themselves, they sent someone to retrieve it. It proved to be the very Avatamsaka Sutra that they had thrown down the well the day before. Seeing this, the monks were somewhat astonished and placed the sutra on the middle shelf of the sutra repository.

On another day, they suddenly saw the Sanskrit manuscript lying on the highest shelf in the repository. The monks thought, “Could these truly be words spoken by our Buddha Śākyamuni? It seems rather extraordinary. I placed it on the middle shelf; who moved it to the upper shelf?”

They again placed the Sanskrit manuscript on the lowest shelf. The monks personally locked the door of the sutra repository and kept the key themselves. The following morning, when they opened the door, they once again found the Avatamsaka Sutra lying on the highest shelf. Only then did the monks understand: “Such is the awe-inspiring spiritual power of the One Vehicle teaching!” From that time onward, the monks of the Lesser Vehicle felt ashamed, repented of their error, and gradually came to revere, trust, and treasure this sutra.

DENG YUANYING OF HUAYIN

During the Zhengsheng era ⁽⁶⁹⁵⁾, a close friend of Deng Yuanying^[18] of Huayin suddenly contracted an epidemic illness and abruptly died. Seven days later, he returned to life and said to Yuanying:

– I saw that the wardens of the underworld^[19] were about to come and seize your father; the judgment against him is nearly finalized. You must quickly create merit to avert this calamity.

Yuanying said fearfully:

– What meritorious deed should I perform so that he may swiftly escape this misfortune?

His friend said:

– You must quickly have one complete copy of the great Avatamsaka Sutra transcribed. If you delay, the great deadline will not be far away.

Upon hearing this, Yuanying hurried to the marketplace to purchase paper and writing materials. He then went to the residence of Chan Master Fu at a nearby monastery, invited the Chan master and several renowned sutra copyists, and personally maintained pure observance in accordance with the Dharma to support their work.

They then copied the sutra together. In fewer than ten days, the entire sutra had been completed. Yuanying arranged a vegetarian feast and offerings to thank them. Afterward, Yuanying’s father escaped this calamity.

At that time, Yuanying was still in mourning for his mother, and his loving remembrance of her never ceased. In the middle of the eleventh month, during the winter of that year, the branches of the trees by his mother’s grave, which had long since withered from the cold, suddenly blossomed and put forth leaves. They exuded a pervasive fragrance, grew fresh and luxuriant, and shone in myriad brilliant colors. This occurred in response to the merit of copying the sutra.

The officials of the prefecture and county reported this matter to the throne. Wu Zetian praised it as a marvel, bestowed upon the household the designation “Gate of Filial Piety”^[20], and proclaimed their meritorious virtue.

TWO YOUNG WOMEN ASPIRE TO LEAVE THE HOUSEHOLD LIFE

In the first year of the Ruyi era ⁽⁶⁹²⁾, there were two young women in Hangzhou, both gentle and benevolent by nature. From childhood, they had followed a bhiksuni master and recited more than thirty fascicles of the Avatamsaka Sutra. The bhiksuni strictly observed the precepts, practiced austerities, and made the recitation of the Avatamsaka Sutra her constant vocation. She wished to ordain the two young women, but before long, she suddenly sat upright and passed into nirvana. Thereafter, every morning the two young women went to their teacher’s grave and wept bitterly, continuing thus for three years.

One day, five red lotus stalks suddenly grew from the bhiksuni’s grave. Upon seeing the flowers, the two young women experienced an extraordinary feeling; their longing for their teacher deepened, and they grieved and wept without cease. Suddenly, they encountered an Indian monk of exceptionally lofty and imposing appearance, who came and asked them:

– Why do you weep so bitterly?

The two young women replied:

– For a long time, we followed our teacher in reciting the Avatamsaka Sutra, hoping to leave the household life. Unexpectedly, before our aspiration could be fulfilled, our teacher entered nirvana prematurely.

The monk said:

– Since you earnestly seek to leave the household life, why fear that you will not be able to do so?

Having spoken, the monk reached into his abdomen, took out a fired-clay Buddha image six or seven cun in height, handed it to the two young women, and said:

– Take this Buddha image home and enshrine and worship it. Before long, you will be able to leave the household life!

The two young women reverently received the Buddha image and bowed in gratitude to the Indian monk. In an instant, he vanished from sight.

Obeying his instruction, the two young women brought the image home, made offerings to it in accordance with the Dharma, and practiced diligently with reverence and faith, single-mindedly and without indolence. The image was exceedingly wondrous: each day it grew one cun taller. After ten days, it stood more than one zhang high^[21].

When the people of the prefecture and county heard of this, they all came to see it, offered flowers in worship, and reported the matter to the throne. Upon hearing the news, Empress Dowager Zetian regarded it as a marvel and issued an edict ordering that the two young women and the flower stalks be brought into the palace. When the grave was excavated to retrieve the flowering plant, the stalks were seen growing from within the coffin.

Upon lifting the coffin lid, they saw that the stalks had grown from the bhiksuni’s tongue, and their colors were fresh and beautiful. All the people of the prefecture and county witnessed and knew of this.

Moved by the two young women’s utmost sincerity, Empress Dowager Zetian summoned them to the palace, personally took up a razor and shaved their heads, and bestowed upon them the three robes, alms bowls, and other requisites. She also issued an edict assigning them to reside at Tiannü Monastery. On this occasion, the empress dowager further decreed that monasteries throughout the realm were permitted to ordain members of both the male and female Sangha.

MASTER HONGBÃO OF DAYUN MONASTERY IN YANGZHOU

During the Dazu era ⁽⁷⁰¹⁾, at Dayun Monastery in Yangzhou, there was a master named Hongbao. He had a dignified appearance and recited sutras beautifully, but he was habitually arrogant and looked down upon others.

One day, beneath the hairline above his forehead, a tumor as large as a peach suddenly appeared. In only ten days, it grew to more than three cun in size. The master became distressed and would not leave his room. He remained within the monastery seeking treatment, but the tumor continued to grow. He then reflected: “There are two possible causes of this illness: first, it may be karmic retribution incurred in a previous life; second, it may arise from my having despised sages and worthies in this life.”

Thereupon, the master vowed to remain in his room and recite the Avatamsaka Sutra one hundred times. Day and night, he offered flowers and incense, bowed before the Buddha with utmost sincerity, and practiced repentance. After he had recited it only sixty times, one night he suddenly dreamed that someone came and said:

– If you wish to recover from your illness, I shall cure you.

Having spoken, the person took a knife and cut away the tumor. The master started awake. The next morning, he related the entire matter to the assembled Sangha. At that time, a sore appeared where the tumor had been, and pus discharged from it. After one month, it healed completely, leaving no scar.

A monk named Jun from Yangzhou went to Luoyang and related the entire incident to Master Fazang of the Huayan school.

DHARMA MASTER HUIZHAO OF CHONGFU MONASTERY IN THE WESTERN CAPITAL

The master was also called Huiyou and was a fellow student of Master Fazang of the Huayan school. He applied himself diligently and practiced and studied with austere perseverance.

In his youth, he took the Venerable Zhiyan^[22] as his teacher and devoted himself to studying and practicing according to the Avatamsaka Sutra. However, he recited only the “Arising of the Nature” chapter in the third fascicle—called the “Manifestation of the Tathagata” chapter in the newly translated version—and made this his regular daily practice. The master delighted in secluded places. Before residing at Chongfu Monastery, he had practiced meditation and recited sutras in the mountains for a long time. On quiet nights, he would wash his hands, rinse his mouth, burn incense, sit upon a rattan seat, and recite this chapter of the sutra.

Suddenly, one night while the master was reciting the sutra, more than ten bodhisattvas sprang forth from the earth. Seated upon lotus pedestals, their bodies were the color of pure gold and emitted brilliant light. They knelt, joined their palms, and listened to the sutra. As soon as the master finished reciting, the bodhisattvas vanished.

The master privately told Master Fazang of this wondrous response. Master Fazang later recounted it to Huiliang, Huiyun, Xuanguan, Ruzong, and others, so that they too might hear of it.

CHAN MASTER XIUDE OF DINGZHOU

During the Yonghui era (650–655), there was a Chan master named Xiude in Dingzhou. He was the foremost leader in the practice of Chan and had tens of thousands of students, yet he devoted himself especially to practicing according to the Avatamsaka Sutra. Out of reverence, the master vowed to have this sutra copied. First, he steeped agarwood incense in water, planted paper-mulberry trees^[23], and watered them with this fragrant water. When the trees had matured, he stripped off their bark and made it into paper for copying the sutra. He invited three persons—a sutra copyist, a brush maker, and a papermaker—all of whom bathed and purified themselves and observed fasting and the precepts.

Each time the copyist completed a fascicle, the master rewarded him with ten bolts of fine silk. When the copying of the Avatamsaka Sutra was complete, the master held a vegetarian feast in celebration, placed the sutra in a perfumed case, and bowed before it with utmost sincerity.

On the very day the feast was held, monastics and laypeople arrived in great numbers. As soon as the sutra case was opened, pure golden light shone for more than one hundred li. People from more than fifty prefectures throughout Shandong came to bow in reverence and behold it. There was no one among non-Buddhists or worldly people who did not hear of it. At that time, the court eunuch Liu Qianzhi and a third-generation prince of the Northern Qi dynasty also came to bow in homage.

LIU QIANZHI

During the Taihe era ⁽⁴⁹⁹⁾ of the Qi dynasty (479–502), a prince burned his body as an offering to Bodhisattva Manjusri. Liu Qianzhi, ashamed of his physical impairment and believing himself useless, resolved to dwell on Mount Wutai and devote himself to studying and practicing according to the Avatamsaka Sutra. Day and night, he received and upheld it, bowing to the Buddha and practicing repentance during the six periods of each day and night.

After many years of praying with utmost sincerity and without negligence, he received the blessing of Bodhisattva Manjusri. Suddenly, his beard and sideburns naturally grew again, all his faculties became complete, and his voice grew so clear and resonant that few could equal it. Once his body, beard, and hair had been restored, he devoted himself still more earnestly to prayer, seeking to penetrate the essential purport of the sutra, and composed a six-hundred-fascicle Commentary on the Avatamsaka Sutra.

THE LOWER VERSION OF THE AVATAMSAKA SUTRA

I, Youzhen, have humbly heard: “Within a mountain in the land of Jagupan, which belongs to the country of Xisa^[24], the complete Lower Version of the inconceivable liberation of the Great and Vast Buddha Avatamsaka Sutra is preserved, comprising one hundred thousand (100,000) verses. I only hope that this Lower Version may soon be obtained in its entirety and transmitted to China for translation, so as to bring benefit to all people.”

In the Guihai year of the Jianzhong era ⁽⁷⁸³⁾ of the Tang dynasty, I, You Zhen, reverently made a vow to compose this text of taking refuge. Whenever I prostrated before the Buddhas, I additionally bowed to the twelve divisions of the scriptures^[25]; when I was not paying homage to the Buddha, I recited and recollected this text of taking refuge. In the Avatamsaka Sutra, there are chapters containing as many verses as there are minute dust particles in ineffable^[26] worlds; how, then, could palm leaves^[27] transmit them all in writing? Those verses are all remembered and upheld through the power of the dharani^[28] possessed by the great bodhisattvas.

Even if one used ink as abundant as the waters of the great ocean and piled writing brushes as high as Mount Sumeru^[30] to transcribe a single chapter of the scripture upheld by the bhiksu Sagaramegha^[29], one still could not record even a small portion of it. The patriarch Nagarjuna^[31] saw that the scripture compiled in written form and preserved in the dragon palace had three versions: the Upper, Middle, and Lower. The Upper Version contained as many verses as there are minute dust particles in ten trichiliocosms^[32], and as many chapters as there are minute dust particles in four continents^[33].

The Middle Version contained four hundred ninety-eight thousand eight hundred (498,800) verses and one thousand two hundred (1,200) chapters. The Lower Version contained one hundred thousand (100,000) verses and forty-eight ⁽⁴⁸⁾ chapters. Of these three versions, the capacities of people in Jambudvipa were insufficient to uphold the Upper and Middle Versions.

Therefore, in the Western Regions there was only the scripture of one hundred thousand (100,000) verses belonging to the Lower Version, which even now remains in the mountains of that land of Xisa.

The eighty-fascicle scripture translated in this land of China contains only forty-five thousand (45,000) Sanskrit verses selected from the one hundred thousand (100,000) verses of the Lower Version.

I, You Zhen, out of compassion that the land of China still did not possess the complete scripture, made a vast vow and added this account to the record. Wishing to encourage all practitioners of the Way to encounter this scripture and together bow to, uphold, and recite it, I pray that the complete Lower Version will soon be transmitted to this land.

The verse that the monk taught the benefactor Shen Liang to recite in this account was taken from the earlier translation. The later translation renders the verse as follows:

If one wishes to clearly know

All Buddhas of the three periods of time,

One should contemplate the nature of the Dharma realm:

Everything is created by the mind.

SUN SIMIAO

During the Shangyuan era (674–676), because Sun Simiao consumed Liuzhou elixir and mica powder^[34], he lived to the age of 150, while his appearance resembled that of a youth.

On one occasion, he went to Chang'an and spoke of events that had occurred during the Qi and Wei dynasties as clearly as though he had witnessed them with his own eyes. He also copied seven hundred fifty sets of the Avatamsaka Sutra.

EMPEROR TAIZONG

Emperor Taizong wished to read a Buddhist scripture, so he asked Sun Simiao:

– Which scripture is the greatest?

Sun Simiao replied:

– The Avatamsaka Sutra is the greatest.

The emperor then asked:

– Recently, there appeared the six-hundred-fascicle Great Prajnaparamita Sutra translated by Tripitaka Master Xuanzang. Why do you not consider it great, yet consider the Avatamsaka Sutra, which has only eighty fascicles, to be great?

Sun Simiao replied:

– The Dharma realm of the Avatamsaka encompasses everything in its entirety. From a single gateway, a scripture as vast as a trichiliocosm can be expounded, whereas the Prajnaparamita Sutra is itself merely one gateway within the Avatamsaka Sutra.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Taizong awakened to its meaning and resolved to uphold the secret teaching of the Avatamsaka One Vehicle, also called the Sutra of Great Inconceivable Liberation. Because this scripture possesses great power, the responses it evokes are likewise great. Practitioners of the Way who wish to cultivate in accordance with the Buddha's wisdom-mind, fully comprehend the Buddha's realm, and attain the fruit of Buddhahood should practice in accordance with this ocean of the Dharma-nature of the One Vehicle.

They need not pass through successive stages; at the very moment they first arouse the aspiration, they attain perfect enlightenment equal to that of the Tathagatas of the three periods of time. It is like drops of water from various rivers: as soon as they flow into the ocean, they are called ocean water. Likewise, even if one relies upon the Mahayana, the Two Vehicles^[35], or provisional teachings^[36] and cultivates the myriad practices to perfection, despite passing through many long kalpas, this cannot compare with hearing this scripture, through which, by employing only a small expedient means, one swiftly realizes the fruit of bodhi.

POSTSCRIPT

The Avatamsaka Sutra states: “This scripture cannot be accepted and upheld by all sentient beings, with the sole exception of great bodhisattvas. Even sravakas and pratyekabuddhas cannot accept it, much less uphold it. There may be bodhisattvas who cultivate the six paramitas^[38] for billions of nayutas^[37] of kalpas yet never hear this scripture; or, if they hear it but do not accept it, they are bodhisattvas in name only. Wherever a copy of this scripture is found, that place is a stupa-shrine of the Tathagata. Whoever reverently bows before it possesses all roots of goodness, eliminates suffering and affliction, and attains the joy of the sages and noble ones.” We should exert ourselves to uphold this Avatamsaka Sutra.

I took the meditation patriarch^[39] Venerable Wuming^[40] as my teacher. Through attending upon him, I heard of the vows and practices of the bodhisattva Samantabhadra, the great Ocean-Seal samadhi, and the essential nature of the Dharma realm. Only then did I understand that the Avatamsaka Sutra is the supreme scripture of Buddhism. Therefore, I revised this collection of accounts to reveal it clearly to those who have not yet heard of the Avatamsaka Sutra.

Notes:

^[1] Empress Wu Zetian (Empress Zetian 則天太后; 624–705): the only female emperor in Chinese history (690–705), a native of Wenshui in Jingzhou, now Wenshui County, Shanxi Province.

^[2] Foshouji Monastery (Foshouji si 佛授記寺): a monastery in the city of Luoyang, built by Venerable Huaiyi during the Tang dynasty. Most eminent monks who came from India to China resided at this monastery to translate scriptures. In the fifth month of the first year of the Zhengsheng era ⁽⁶⁹⁵⁾, Venerable Siksananda arrived in China. At first, he resided at Dabeiankong Monastery, but not long afterward he also moved to this monastery to translate the Avatamsaka Sutra.

^[3] Eastern Capital 東都: namely Luoyang, in present-day Henan Province, China.

^[4] Grand Historian 太史: the title of an official post. During the Western Zhou and Spring and Autumn periods, the Grand Historian was responsible for recording the history of the state, compiling historical works, drafting official documents, managing state books and records, astronomy, calendrical systems, and so forth. During the Sui dynasty, the office was renamed the Directorate of the Grand Historian, and during the Tang dynasty, the Bureau of the Grand Historian.

^[5] Zhongshe 中舍: the title of an official post. According to the Three Essays of Rongzhai, before the system of official appointments was changed, a person newly entering the court who possessed an examination degree was called a Crown Prince's Zhongyun, while one without such a degree was called a Crown Prince's Zhongshe; today both are collectively called Zhiliang. Later Confucian scholars perhaps did not clearly understand this and therefore referred to a Drafter in the Central Secretariat as a Zhongshe.

^[6] Military Adjutant 參軍: the title of an official post, meaning a military staff adviser.

^[7] Central Official 中官: the title of an official post in ancient times. From the Tang dynasty onward, this official was responsible for astronomy and calendrical systems.

^[8] New Scripture 新經 (also called the New Avatamsaka Sutra, the Eighty-Fascicle Avatamsaka, or the Tang Scripture): comprising eighty fascicles, translated by Venerable Siksananda during the Tang dynasty in China. This scripture is an alternative translation of the Sixty-Fascicle Avatamsaka.

^[9] Six kinds of trembling (六種之震): the six characteristics of the earth’s trembling. According to fascicle 16 of the Flower Garland Sutra (new translation), the six characteristics are moving, rising, surging, trembling, roaring, and striking. “Moving” means shaking without rest; “rising” means gradually ascending from low to high; “surging” means suddenly leaping upward. These three refer to the forms of an earthquake. “Trembling” means emitting a low, rumbling sound; “roaring” means the powerful roar of a beast; “striking” means producing a thunderous, reverberating sound. These three refer to the sounds of an earthquake. “Form” and “sound” each have one category, collectively called trembling...

^[10] Ten precepts (十戒): the ten precepts of a śrāmaṇerikā. They are: 1. Not to kill living beings; 2. Not to covet or steal; 3. Not to engage in sexual misconduct; 4. Not to speak falsely; 5. Not to drink intoxicants; 6. Not to wear garlands, use perfumes, or apply fragrances, powders, or cosmetics to the body; 7. Not to perform music, singing, or dancing, nor deliberately go to watch or listen to them; 8. Not to lie upon high, fine, or large beds; 9. Not to eat at improper times; 10. Not to possess or keep gold, silver, or precious objects.

^[11] Asura (脩羅; S: asura): a class of warlike spirits in India, regarded as malevolent deities and often engaged in battle with Śakra, Lord of the Devas; one of the six realms and one of the eight classes of beings.

^[12] Divine eye (天眼; S: divya-cakṣus): the eye possessed by devas of the Form Realm or attained by those who cultivate meditative concentration. With this eye, one can see things near and far, before and after, within and without, by night and by day, above and below.

^[13] Jambudvīpa (閻浮; S: Jambu-dvīpa; also called 閻浮提 or 贍部洲): the land where many jambu trees grow and where jambūnada gold is produced. Jambudvīpa originally referred to India and later came to denote the human world in general.

^[14] Seven treasures (七寶; S: sapta ratnāni): seven kinds of precious jewels in the world. Different sutras give different lists of these seven treasures. According to the Amitabha Sutra and the Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom, they are gold, silver, lapis lazuli, crystal, giant clam shell, red pearl, and agate. According to fascicle 4 of the Lotus Sutra, they are gold, silver, lapis lazuli, giant clam shell, agate, pearl, and rose-colored gemstone.

^[15] Heaven of the Thirty-Three (三十三天; S: Trāyastriṃśa; also called the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven): the celestial realm of the thirty-three devas, the second of the six heavens of the Desire Realm.

^[16] Unsurpassed Way (無上道): Buddhahood. Because Buddhahood is the unsurpassed ultimate attainment, it is called the Unsurpassed.

^[17] Cloud of bodies (身雲): a metaphor for the Buddha’s bodies pervading immeasurable and innumerable realms without boundary, or for his manifestation of various corporeal forms, as numerous as clouds, to shelter sentient beings.

^[18] Yuan Ying (元英): in some editions, the name is given as Yuan Shuang.

^[19] Nether realm (冥道; also called the dark realm or dark passage): the obscure and shadowy world to which people go after death, governed by King Yama and his retinue.

^[20] Filial family (孝門): a family whose children practice filial piety and fraternal respect.

^[21] Zhang (丈): ten Chinese chi, approximately 3.3 meters.

^[22] Venerable Zhiyan (儼和尚; 602–668): an eminent Chinese monk of the Tang dynasty, a native of Tianshui, in present-day Gansu Province, whose family name was Zhao. He was the second patriarch of the Huayan school and was also known as Great Master Zhixiang and Venerable Yunhua.

^[23] Paper mulberry tree (楮樹): a tree whose bark is used to make paper.

^[24] Ku-stana (西薩; S: Ku-stana; also called Yutian or Yudian): the name of an ancient kingdom in the Western Regions, located in what is now the Hotan region of western Xinjiang.

^[25] Twelve divisions of the scriptures (十二部經; S: dvādaśāṅga-buddha-vacana): twelve categories of scripture distinguished according to their mode of presentation and the content of their teachings. They are: 1. Prose: texts written in prose form; 2.

Reiterative verses: verses that restate and explain teachings presented in the preceding prose passages; 3. Predictions: the Buddha’s confirmations concerning the future attainment of his disciples; 4. Independent verses: verses that stand alone; 5.

Spontaneous teachings: teachings spoken by the Buddha without waiting to be asked; 6. Causes and conditions: accounts of the causes and conditions under which the Buddha taught and guided beings; 7. Parables: explanations of the meaning of the Dharma through parables; 8.

Accounts of past events: narratives concerning the past lives of the Buddha and his disciples; 9. Birth stories: narratives concerning the deeds of great compassion cultivated by the Buddha in past lives; 10. Extensive teachings: sutras expounding vast and profound doctrines; 11.

Unprecedented events: accounts of rare and extraordinary deeds of the Buddha and his disciples; 12. Expositions: the Buddha’s analytical discussions distinguishing the essential nature of dharmas and elucidating their meaning.

^[26] Inexpressible (不可說; S: anabhilāpya): one of the ten extremely large numbers in ancient India. Beginning with asaṃkhyeya, the numbers increase successively by multiplication until reaching “inexpressible inexpressibles.”

^[27] Pattra leaves (貝葉; S: pattra; fully called pattra leaves): leaves used for recording documents or scriptures. Before paper was invented, ancient Indians used leaves in place of paper. Scriptures were written on pattra leaves and then bound together with cord.

^[28] Dharani (陀羅尼; S: dhāraṇī; translated as “total retention”): the power of wisdom that gathers and retains the immeasurable Buddha-Dharma without allowing any of it to be forgotten or lost.

^[29] Bhikshu Sāgaramegha (海雲比丘): the second of the fifty-three spiritual teachers whom the youth Sudhana visited and consulted, as recorded in the Entry into the Dharma Realm chapter of the Flower Garland Sutra. This bhikshu dwelt in the country of Sāgaramukha and often went to the seashore to contemplate dependent origination. Because the great ocean and the qualities of the superior person dwelling by that ocean were magnificently arrayed and spread everywhere like clouds, he was named Sāgaramegha, “Ocean Cloud,” after the object of his contemplation.

^[30] Mount Sumeru (須彌山): originally a mountain in Indian mythology and later adopted into Buddhism, where it is regarded as a lofty mountain standing at the center of a small world-system. With this mountain as the center, eight ranges of mountains and eight seas surround it, forming a world-system known as a Sumeru world.

^[31] Nāgārjuna (龍樹; S: Nāgārjuna; also called Longmeng or Longsheng): the patriarch of the Madhyamaka school in India and the thirteenth patriarch in the Chinese lineage of those who transmitted the Dharma Treasury. He was born around the second or third century into a Brahmin family in southern India.

^[32] Three-thousandfold great-thousand world-system (三千大千世界; S: tri-sāhasra-mahā-sāhasra-loka-dhātu): a great world-system formed of one thousand small world-systems, one thousand medium world-systems, and one thousand great world-systems.

^[33] Four continents (四天下; S: catvāro dvīpāḥ; also called the four continents or four great continents): the four great continents in the cosmology of ancient India. They are Pūrvavideha in the east, Jambudvīpa in the south, Aparagodānīya in the west, and Uttarakuru in the north.

^[34] Liuzhudan and mica powder (服流珠丹雲母粉): elixirs compounded by Daoist adepts.

^[35] Two Vehicles (二乘): the two vehicles, a metaphor for two kinds of teachings by which the Buddha transports sentient beings to the fruit of awakening. They are the Śrāvaka Vehicle and the Pratyekabuddha Vehicle.

^[36] Provisional teaching (權教; also called expedient teaching): a provisionally established teaching—that is, a Dharma gateway established through provisional expedient means in accordance with the inclinations of sentient beings. It is an expedient Dharma established to guide practitioners into the True Teaching; after the realm of the True Teaching has been reached, the Provisional Teaching must be set aside.

^[37] Nayuta 那由他 (S: nayuta, niyuta): an Indian numerical term. According to the customary reckoning, one nayuta is one million. In Buddhist sutras, this term is often used to denote an exceedingly vast number.

^[38] Six paramitas (六波羅蜜; S: ṣaṭ pāramitā; Ch: the six perfections): the six practices cultivated by a bodhisattva, which are the causal seeds for attaining Buddhahood. They are the paramita of generosity, the paramita of moral discipline, the paramita of patience, the paramita of diligence, the paramita of meditative concentration, and the paramita of wisdom.

^[39] Chan Patriarch 禪祖: an honorific title for one who has received Dharma transmission in the Chan tradition.

^[40] Wuming 無名 (722–793): a Chinese Chan master of the Heze school who lived during the Tang dynasty. His family name was Gao, and he was a native of Bohai (present-day Yangxin County, Shandong Province). At the age of twenty-eight, he entered monastic life at Tongde Monastery. He initially studied the Vinaya Piṭaka and later studied under Heze Shenhui, the patriarch of the Heze school. After receiving Dharma transmission, he changed his name to Wuming. The master traveled widely to visit teachers and pursue his studies.