Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra in the context of "Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva)"

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⭐ Core Definition: Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra

The Buddhāvataṃsaka-nāma-mahā­vaipulya-sūtra (The Mahāvaipulya Sūtra named "Buddhāvataṃsaka") is one of the most influential Mahāyāna sutras of East Asian Buddhism. It is often referred to in short as the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. In Classical Sanskrit, avataṃsa, vataṃsa and uttaṃsa (from stem taṃs, meaning "to decorate") all mean garland, wreath, or any circular ornament, such as an earring; suffix -ka often functions either as a diminutive or plural. Thus, the title may be rendered in English as A Garland of Buddhas, Buddha Ornaments, or Buddha's Fine Garland. In Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, the term avataṃsaka means "a great number," "a multitude," or "a collection." This is matched by the Tibetan title of the sutra, which is A Multitude of Buddhas (Tibetan: sangs rgyas phal po che).

Modern scholars consider the Buddhāvataṃsaka to be a compilation of numerous smaller sutras, many of which originally circulated independently and then were later brought together into the larger mature Buddhāvataṃsaka. Many of these independent Buddhāvataṃsaka sutras survive in Chinese translation.

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👉 Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra in the context of Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva)

Samantabhadra (lit.'Universal Worthy' or 'All Good') is a great bodhisattva in Buddhism associated with practice and meditation. Together with Shakyamuni Buddha and the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, he forms the Shakyamuni Triad in Mahayana Buddhism. He is the patron of the Lotus Sutra and, according to the Avatamsaka Sutra, made the ten great vows which are the basis of a bodhisattva.

In Chinese Buddhism, Samantabhadra is known as Puxian and is associated with action, whereas Mañjuśrī is associated with prajñā (transcendent wisdom). As such, his name is often prefixed with the epiphet Daheng (大行; Dàhèng), meaning “He of Great Practice”. In the Huayan tradition, he is regarded together with Vairocana Buddha and the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī as one of the “Three Noble Ones of Huayan” (華嚴三聖; Huāyán Sānshèng) due to their preeminence in the Avatamsaka Sutra. In the Chinese Pure Land tradition, the Chapter of the Practices and Vows of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra from the Avatamsaka Sutra where Samantabhadra expounds on his ten vows is often regarded as one of the “Five Pure Land sutras” that are seen as foundational texts. In Japan, Samantabhadra is known as Fugen, and is often venerated in Tendai and Shingon Buddhism. In the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, Samantabhadra is also the name of the Adi-Buddha, often portrayed in indivisible union (yab-yum) with his consort, Samantabhadrī. In wrathful form he is one of the Eight Herukas of the Nyingma Mahayoga and he is known as Vajramrtra, but this Samantabhadra buddha and Samantabhadra bodhisattva are not the same.

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Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra in the context of Kegon

The Huayan school of Buddhism (traditional Chinese: 華嚴; simplified Chinese: 华严; pinyin: Huáyán, Wade–Giles: Hua-Yen, "Flower Garland," from the Sanskrit "Avataṃsaka") is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty (618–907). The Huayan worldview is based primarily on the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra (Chinese: 華嚴經; pinyin: Huáyán jīng, Flower Garland Sūtra) as well as on the works of Huayan patriarchs, like Zhiyan (602–668), Fazang (643–712), Chengguan (738–839), Zongmi (780–841) and Li Tongxuan (635–730).

Another name for this tradition is the Xianshou school (賢首, Xianshou being another name for patriarch Fazang). The Huayan School is known as Hwaeom in Korea, Kegon in Japan and Hoa Nghiêm in Vietnam.

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Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra in the context of Kyōgyōshinshō

Kenjōdo Shinjitsu Kyōgyōshō Monrui (顕浄土真実教行証文類), often abbreviated to Kyōgyōshinshō (教行信証), is the magnum opus of Shinran Shonin, the founder of the Japanese Buddhist sect, Jōdo Shinshū. The title is often translated as The True Teaching, Practice, and Realization of the Pure Land Way in English. The work was written after Shinran's exile, and is believed to have been composed in the year 1224.

It represents a synthesis of various Buddhist sutras in Mahayana literature, including the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life, the Nirvana Sutra, the Āvataṃsaka Sutra and the Mahaprajñāpāramitā Sutra. In this way, Shinran expounds Jōdo Shinshū thought. The work is divided into six chapters, not including the Preface:

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