Verse Upon Opening A Su tra T he unsurpassed, deep, profound, S ubtle and wonderful Dharma. I n hundreds of millions of kalpas I s difficult to encoun

Transcription

1 Verse Upon Opening A Su tra T he unsurpassed, deep, pround, S ubtle wonderful Dharma. I n hundreds millions kalpas I s difficult to encounter. I now see hear it, R eceive maintain it, A nd I vow to underst Thus Come One's T rue actual meaning. T HE GREAT MEANS EXPANSIVE BUDDHA F LOWER ADORNMENT SUTRA

2 C ommentary by T ripitaka Master Hsuan Hua W ONDROUS ADORNMENTS OF WORLD RULERS C HAPTER ONE -t ranslated by Bhikshuni Heng Tao -r eviewed by Bhikshuni Heng Ch'ih -edit ed b y Bhikshuni Heng Hsien T he GREAT M EANS EXPANSIVE B UDDHA FLOWER A D0RNMENT SUTRA [ Maha-Vaipulya- Buddha-Avatamsaka- S utra in Sanskrit T a Fang Kuang Fo Hua Yen C hing in Chinese) is king o f kings among S utras. I t was spoken by Shakyamuni Buddha i mmediately upon his enlightenment u nderneath t he Bodhi tree. Without rising still imm ersed in deep samadhi, Buddha spoke this S utra with his Dharma body in seven places n ine assemblies. T hree places were in h uman realm four t hem were in diff erent heavens. T he Buddha spoke this magnificent Sutra Dharma-d oor Perfect Sudden Te aching expounded principle ONE TRUE D HARMA REALM for living b eings with sharpest roots greatest c apacity for understing. Although it covere d nine different assemblies, Sutra was spoken in a relatively short time, only twenty- o ne days. Understing F lower Adornment Sutra i s tantamount to obtaining complete body B uddha. That is because Sutra cont ains fullest extent inconceivable wisdom w ondrous spiritual functioning a ll Buddhas three periods time. S ince Flower Adornment Sutra w as s poken for mighty Bodhisattvas beings great faculties, many Sound Hea rer disciples o f Buddha who were present at that time c ould not grasp t he vast infinite princ iples Sutra. T heir roots were not r eady for this perfect teaching. And s o, a fter Shakyamuni Buddha spoke this Sutra, it w as not preserved or circu lated in world, not e ven in India. T he Dragon King took it t o Dragon Palace in deep ocean to make o fferings to it, waiting for right opport unity when this inconceivable Sutra would surface in human realm to b enefit living b eings. Six hundred years after Buddha's Nirv ana, Nagarjuna (Dragon Tree) Bodhisattva went to D ragon Palace to see it. H e found t hat Sutra was divided into three versions. The first version was m ade up verses as many as dust motes in ten three-thous-g reat t hous world systems. Now t he dust motes i n one universe are already uncountably many, how much more number dust m otes in ten u niverses! O n top that, this version t he Sutra contained as many chapters as re are dust motes in f our continents: s ourn continent Jambudvipa, eastern continent Purvavideha, western continent Aparagodan iya, norrn contine nt Uttarakuru. Nagarjun a Bodhisattva discovered that middle version F lower Adornment Sutra h ad 498,000 v erses 1200 chapters. The last, t he small version, had 100,000 v erses 48 chapters. The first two versions far exceed ed scope understing people in t he world, only third

3 l ast version was appropriate for i r capacity. A lthough 100,000 verses 48 chapters was no small amount, noneless, Nagarjuna Bodhisattva had an excellent memo ry, so he memorized entire t ext this l ast version. A nd when he went back to India h e wrote it o ut. F rom India it was transm itted to Zhon g Kuo (China). The most comp lete text translat ed into Zhong Wen (Chinese) is m ade up 39 chapters in eighty rolls, not counting Chapter 40, "The Conduct V ows Universal W orthy Bodhisattva," from which this present English transl ation by t he Buddhist Text Translation S ociety is b ased. There a re also editions in forty s ixty rolls ( T sin, o r "Old" v ersion) which are n ot a s complete. T his edition we a re using ( T'ang o r "New" version) is e ighty rolls is also not c omplete. O f original 48 chapters 100,000 v erses, 45,000 v erses 39 chapters were t ransmitted to Zhong Kuo, while 55,000 verses nine chapt ers remained i n India. Although this edit ion Sutra is not complete, preface, main body, conclusion are all intact. Therefore, Nati onal Master Ch'ing Liang, F ourth Patriarch Hua Yen ( Avatamsaka, Flower Adornment) S chool, a transformation body Avatamsaka Bodhisattva himself, cons idered this edition a r epresentative t he entire Sutra. A s was mentioned earlier, Flower Adornment Sutra w as spoken in seven places in nine a ssemblies. T here is a verse which facilitates remembering those places assemblies: T he first was in Bodhi field, ninth in Jeta Grove; T he thir d fourth in Trayastrimsha Suyama Heavens; The second, seventh, eighth were held in Universal Light P alace; The fifth sixth took place in Tushita Paranirmitavashavartin H eavens. From begin ning to end, entire Sutra could be studie d by means Five Totalities Causes F ruitions. 1. T he first assembly discusses Causes Fruitions which are Believed In. 2. T he second through seventh assemblies discuss Causes Fruitions which are Different. 3. T he seventh assembly discusses Causes Fruitions as being Level Equal 4. T he eighth assembly discusses Causes Fruitions upon Accomplishment Practice. 5. The ninth a ssembly discusses Causes Fruiti ons as Being Certified to E n tered. M oreover, National Master Ch'ing Liang f urr divided eighty rolls into Four S ections: 1. The f irst assembly, which consists eleven rolls, is Section Joy at Postulating Fruition a nd Giving Rise to F aith. 2. The second through seventh assemblies, which consists forty-o ne rolls, is t he Section C ultivating Causes, Tallying with Fruition, Giving Rise to U ndersting. 3. The ei ghth assembly, which consists seven rolls is Section Relying on Dharma, P rogressing in Cultivation, Accomplishing One's P ractice.

4 4. The ninth assembly, which covers twenty- one rolls, A ccomplishment Virtue by Relying on Advisors. is Section C ertifying to Entry Into Now we s hall go into a brief analysis o f each nine assemblies. 1. THE FIRST ASSEMBLY. The Buddha first accomplished enlightenment in Bodhi Field, beneath Bod hi Tree, it was here that h e spoke f irst assembly this Sutra. T he Bodhi Field i s situated west Rajagriha in t he country Magadha, which is present Bodhgaya in Ind ia. In practically every assembly this Sutra t he Buddha emits great l ight wisdom when he speaks. In first assembly, he released light from between his eyebrows as well as from his teeth. Both incidences happe ned in Chapter Two, "The Thus C ome One's Manifestations Marks. " Wherea s light emit ted from teeth represents chewing fl avor Dharma Realm, l ight emitted from b etween eyebrows is symbolic One Vehic le Proper M iddle Way. S ince Flower Adornment Sutra i s a Sutra that al l Buddhas speak at outset ir enlightenment, it is protected cherished by all B uddhas ten directions three periods o f time. They all send pruse ligh t awesome spiritual power to aid Great Bodhisattvas M ahasattv as, G reat Knights Dharma body, to proclaim different chapters this Sutra. I n first assembly, Universal Worthy Bodhisattva i s Dharma speaking host. R elying on all Buddhas' spiritual aid, he explains many adornments proper dependent retri-butions in world t o inspire faith in living being s' minds. T he first assembly c overs six chap ters eleven scrolls. T he s ix chapters are: 1. W ondrous Adornme nts World Rulers 2. T he Thus Come One's Manifestations Marks 3. U niversal Worthy's Samadhi 4. T he Coming into Being Worlds 5. T he Flower Store Sea Worlds 6. V airochana T hese chapters fall under Totality o f Causes Fruitions which are Believed In, belong to S ection Joy in Postulating t he Fruition Giving Rise to Faith. I I. THE SE COND ASSEMBLY. T his assembly w as convened at Universal Light Palace, situated about one mile sou ast Bodhi Tree by Nairanjana River, was cons tructed by D ragon King as an fering. In this assembly, Buddha emits light from wheels soles h is feet, which is representative Four Aspects Faith: 1. Most Initial Faith, which propels one from below to above. 2. The Dharma Produced from Least Elevated Position. Thus light emits from feet, l owest part body.

5 3. The Basis Cultivation. 4. Faith Including Sea Results. This implied that fulfillment has already been r eached. M anjushri, Bodhisattva Great Wisdom, acts as Dha rma speaking host in this assembly. Relying o n Buddhas' spiritual aid, h e propounds virtue Ten Faiths. S ix Chapters four scrolls o f Sutra a re spoken in this assembly: 7. T he Thus Come One's Names Titles 8. T he Four Holy Truths 9. L ight Enlightenment 10. Bodhisattvas Ask for Clarification Pure Conduct Worthy Leader These six c hapters fall under Totality Causes Fruitions which are Different, bel ong to t he Section Cultivating Causes, Ta llying with Fruition, G iving Rise to Understing. T he twelve chapters th e first second assemblies w ere spoken in human realm. I II. THE T HIRD ASSEMBLY. T his assembly was spoken in Wo nderfully Sublime Palace Trayastrimsha Heaven, also known as Heaven Thirty- t hree. L ocated on top Mount Sumeru, it is second-l evel h eaven S ix Desire Heavens. S ince B uddha spoke Flower Adornment Sutra w ith his Dharma body, he could pervade all places a t all times. Without rising from s amadhi beneath Bodhi Tree, his Dharma body ascended to Trayastrimsha Heaven spoke Dharma. In this assembly t he Buddha emitted light from soles h is feet, meaning that one i s s ecure within Dharma, also that Dharma arises from lowest position. Dharma Wisdom Bodhisattva acts as Dharma speaking host. Relying on B uddhas' spiritual aid, he propounds p ri nciples Ten Dwellings. S ix Chapter s three scrolls were spoken: Ascent to Summit Sumeru Praises on Sumeru The Ten Dwellings Brahma Conduct 17. The Meri t Virtue from First Bringi ng Forth Mind 18. Understing Dharmas These six chapters still fall un der Totality Causes Fruitions which a re Different belong t o Section Cultivating Causes, Tallying with Fruition, Giving Rise to U ndersting.

6 I V. THE FO URTH ASSEMBLY. T his assembly w as held in Suyama Heaven, which is located above Mount Sumeru is c onsidered one t he heavens loc ated in empty space. The Suy ama is t hird Six Desire Realm H eavens. In t his assembly Buddha emits l ight from soles his f eet, meaning that Dharma pr ogresses from below to above, a nd that living beings should learn it accordi ng to its prope r order. F orest Merit Virtue Bodhi sattva is Dharma speaking host. R elying o n Buddhas' spiritual aid, he propounds th e principles Ten Pract ices. F our Chapters i n three scrolls are explained: Ascent to Suyama Heaven Praises in Suyama Heaven Palace The Ten Practices The Ten Inexhaustible Treasuries. This assembl y falls under Totality C auses Fruitions which are Different, belongs to Section Cultivating Causes, Tallying with t he Fruitions Giving Rise t o Understing. V. THE FIFTH ASSEMBLY. T his assembly was held at Tushita Heaven, in Palace Adorned b y All Wondrous Jewels. T he Tushita is heaven above Suyama is fourth level heaven i n Desire Realm Heavens. In this assembly, Buddha emitted light from his kneecaps, s ymbolizing turning away from self towards ors, turning away from specifics towards principles; t urning away fro m causes towards effects; in short, transference. Vajra Banner Bodhisattva acts as D harma speaking host. R elying o n Buddhas' spiritual aid, h e explained principles Ten T ransf erences. Three chapt ers comprising twelve s crolls are explai ned: Ascent to Tushita Heaven Praises in Tushita Heaven Palace The Ten Transferences T hese three chapters also fall under Totality Causes Fruitions which are Different, b elong to Section Cultivating Causes, Tal lying with Fruition, Giving Rise to U ndersting. V I. THE SIXTH ASSEMBLY. This assembly was held at B liss from Ors' Transformations ( Paranirmitavashavartin) Heaven, wh ich is sixth highest level Heavens i n Desire R ealm. I n this heaven, where Ten Groun ds were explained, The Buddha emits light from between his brows, which sts for having already been certified to princ iples Ten Suchnesses, having perfectly perceive d ultimate meaning M iddle W ay. That is why light r adiates from midd le point between Buddha' s b rows. Vajra Treasury Bodhisattva is Dharma s peaking host. R elying on Buddhas' spiritual aid, he proclaims principles Ten Grounds, t he equivalent one chap ter in six scrolls is explained. 26. The Ten Grounds

7 The fourte en chapters spoken from Assemb lies Three to Six were spoken in various heavens. V II. THE SEV ENTH ASSEMBLY. T his assembly w as held again i n Universal Light Palace, back in hum an r ealm. I n Appearances C hapter Bud dha emits two kinds light, from between h is eyebrows from his mouth. Light from eye brows represents not dwelling in birth death also not dwelling in Nirvana--n ot d welling in two extremes. L ight from his mouth represents that all true disciples t he Buddhas are born from B uddhas' mouths, transformationally born f rom t he Dharma. Un iversal Worthy Bodhisattva is t he Dharma speaki ng host. Relying on Buddhas' spiritual aid, he proclaims t he positions Equal Wonderful Enlightenment, Dharma o f Causes Becoming Perfected Fruition Being Fulfilled. W ithin a total eleven chapters t his assembly, first six chapters describe Causes Becoming Perfected while last five describe Fruit ion Being Fulf illed. T hese eleven chapters i n thirteen scrolls are: The Ten Samadhis The Ten Penetrations The Ten Patiences Asamkhyeyas Lifespans Bodhisattvas' Dwelling Places Inconceivable Dharmas The Sea Marks Ten Bodies Light Minor Characteristics Universal Worthy's Conduct The Thus Come Ones' Appearances These eleven chapters fall into Totality Causes a nd Fruitions Being Level E qual belong to section Cultivating Causes, Tallyi ng with Fruitions, Giving R ise to Understing. V III. THE EI GHTH ASSEMBLY. T his assembly w as again held a t Universal Light Palace. No light is rele ased in this assembly because i t is convened at s ame place. U niversal Worthy Bodhi sattva is Dharma speaking h ost. R elying o n Buddhas' spiritual aid, h e explains two t hous doors conduct. At begi nning one chapter that comprises this assembly, U niversal Wisdom Bodhisattva asks U niversal Worthy Bodhisattva t wo hundred questions concerning t he Dharmas o f conduct Universal Worthy Bodhisattva responds to each question with ten a nswers, thus making tw o thous perfect answers in a ll. A single chapter in seven scrolls comp rises t his assembly: 38. Leaving World.

8 T his assembly falls into Totality Causes Fruitions Upon Accomplishment Practice belo ngs to Section Relying o n Dharma, Progressing in Cultivation, Accomplishing P ractice. I X. TH E N INTH ASSEMBLY. T his last assembly was held at Jeta Grove in Shravasti. This B odhiman da, again in human realm, was also called Garden Benefactor Orphans Solitary because it was presented to t he Buddha as a joint gift by E lder Anathapindaka Prince J eta. In this assembly l ecture hall is referred to as Multi-S toried Jeweled Tower. Although a t time Buddha's enlightenment, when this assembly was spoken, Jewe led Tower had not yet been constructed, still, Buddha was abl e to speak part this Sutra i n it. I sn't that a wonderful a nd inconceiva ble state? Th e Buddha can move past to t he present move present to f ut ure. He ca n move around limitless aeons within entire range th ree periods time with c ompl ete ease mastery. T herefore, re i s no past, present, or future in realm A vatamsaka, F lower A dornment. Time is perfectly fused an d unobs tructed. I t is as Vajra S utra s ays, " The three minds cannot be got at," meaning mind past cannot be got at, t he mind pres ent cannot be got at, m ind fut ure cannot be got at. T o insist that any those periods time exists i s to have an attachment. I f you put down your attachmen ts, you will s ee that none t hem can be gr asped. T he past is past, p resent doesn' t stay, future has n ot c ome yet. In this assembly Budd ha emits light f rom white hairmark ( urna) b etween his b rows, meaning t hat this light illumines three thous great thous worlds-- entire universe- - causes all l iving beings to attain n ourishment Dharma rain a nd to bring for th good roots. This a ssembly is divided i nto an initial assembly a f inal assemb ly. I n initial ass embly, Buddha him self acts as host, enters Lion Sprint S amadhi speaks wonderful Dharma, enabling great a ssembly to instantaneously b e certified to entry into D harma Realm. In final a ssembly, all Good Knowing Advisors ( k alyanamitras ) a ct as hosts. Universal Worthy Bodhisattva, Manjushri Bodhisattva, or Good Knowing Advisor s o f Hundred Cities s uccessfully lead Y outh Good Wealth ( S udhana) t hrough stages o f Bodhisattva path as he gradually becom es certified to enters Dharma Realm, that is, all Buddhas' ultimate e nlightenment a nd wisdom. Only a single chapter in twenty- o ne scrolls comprises this assembly. 39. E ntering Dharma Realm This assembly falls into Totality Causes Fruition o f Certification to Entry, belongs to Section Relying on Adv isors to be Certified, to Enter, to Accomp lish Virtue. T he last thirteen chapters this Sutra, spoken during seventh to ninth assemblies, t ook place again i n human realm. Now that w e have done a brief analysis o f seven places nine assemblies a nd titles each thirty- nine chapters, it's hoped t hat everyone you will have gotten a g eneral im pression Sutra. L ater on, detail s each chapter will unfold as you study m o ne by one. The A vatamsaka Sutra was spoken for beings with th e capacity f or Great Vehicle, is completely dedic ated to outlining cultivation Bodhisattva resolve practicing Bodhis at tva Way. O nly Great Knights Dharma Body coul d fully hear see Buddha s peaking this Sutra. The average- g rade Bodhisattvas failed to "leap dragon's gate" transform f r om carp to dragons. The Shravakas Pratyekabuddhas, those Small Vehicle, simply could

9 n ot hear or see any wonderful changes tran sformations t hat were transpiring when B uddha spoke t his Sutra. Therefore National Master Ch'ing Liang says in his P reface t o this Sutra, T hose T oo high it is for gazing, S o Bodhisattva accumulated practice Are dried-u p gills scales B efore Dragon's Gate. T oo deep to be surveyed, S o Sound Hearers superior virtue S top seeing hearing I n fine assembly. Sound Hearer multitude Had eye s but could not see Nishya Buddha ( Reward Body B uddha); The y had ears but could not hear t he Perfect, Sudden Teaching. W hy is that? I t is because on cause ground y di d not cultivate Great Vehicle D harmas so y missed out on opport unity to obtai n this immense benefit. T hen w hy is it case that we, as o rdinary people who are not B odhisattva or Arhats, can get t o hear title Avatamsaka Sutra a s w ell as to li sten to its wonderful Dharma? It's because in past we plante d good roots Great V ehicle Dharma on this day t hose causes hav e ripened. T his is an opport unity hard to encounter in hundreds thous s year s! I t is my hope that all y ou will work hard to study i nvestigate t his Sutra. Of 45,000 verses that have been transmi tted, if you can remember but one verse, b enefit you will attain will be i nfinite. H ere's an illustration what I mean. In T'ang dy nasty re was a monk called Wang Ming Kan. Although he had left home-l ife, he was laz y did not cultivate. O ne d ay, ghost i mpermanence came to him with a summ ons from King Yama he was spirited f to hells. W hile in hells he met Earth Store Bodhisattva ( Kshitigarbha) B odhisattva who taught him a verse : I f people wish to know A ll Buddhas three periods time, T hey should contemplate Dharma Realm: E verything is made from mind alone. When Wang Ming K an saw King Yama, he recited this verse, whereupon he was immediately released allow ed to return to human r ealm. That single verse alone saved his l ife. L ater, upon q uestioning ors, he discovered that t he verse had come from Chapter Twenty, Praises in S uyama. N ot only d id that verse sav e his life, at same time, it also s aved lives limitless b eings i n hell s. T hey were all released at o nce when that ve rse was sounded in hells. From this a ccount, you can see magical indescribable workings A vatamsaka S utra. If you resolve t o read recite th e A vatamsaka Sutra, b ow to A vatamsaka Sutra, make ferings to Avatamsaka Sutra, a nd w rite out A vatamsaka Sutra,, t hen you will accrue infinite merit virtue. - c ontinued next issue.