The Huayan Philosophers Fazavg and Li Tongxuan on the "Six Marks" and the "Sphere of Edification (original) (raw)
Related papers
Yin-Cheng Journal of Contemporary Buddhism, 2023
The discourse surrounding the interplay between the concepts of "one" (or "unity" [yi 一]) and "many" (or "multiplicity" [duo 多]) has been a subject of extensive debate within both premodern and contemporary world philosophy. Within the context of medieval Chinese philosophy, this discourse takes on a particularly rich and nuanced form. The introduction of Buddhism to China significantly influenced discussions on this topic, leaving a profound impact on Chinese philosophical thought. Notably, the Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Ch. Huayan jing 華嚴經, Flower Ornament Sūtra, hereafter Huayan jing) stands out as a pivotal example, epitomizing the Sinitic development of these philosophical ideas. This study concentrates on a comprehensive examination of the concepts of "one" (yi) and "many" (duo), scrutinizing their relationship within the Huayan jing. Additionally, it explores the interplay between "one" and "many" in the broader context of the Huayan school (Huayan zong 華嚴宗) and Chinese philosophy as a whole. Emphasis is also placed on understanding the influence of the Huayan school's ideas on the broader Chinese philosophical discourse. Furthermore, the study delves into the contemporary Buddhist perspective, specifically investigating the significance of "perfect interfusion" or "interpenetration" (yuanrong 圓融) between "one" and "many."
The Review of Korean Studies (Special feature: Korean Religion and Philosophy), 2020
Despite previous efforts to provide an East Asian counter-narrative to nationalistic perspectives, notions of “national lineages” continue to exert a detrimental effect on our understanding of the Buddhist traditions of East Asia. As Korean and Japanese scholars have previously shown, sources from Silla greatly impacted Fazang 法藏 (643-712) and his disciples. Thus, the history of Huayan 華嚴 in Tang China should be seen on the backdrop of overarching developments that perhaps should more accurately be termed “East Asian Huayan/Hwaeom/Kegon.” The present article attempts to demonstrate that this influence extends even to the elaboration of a core concept of Huayan thought, the fourfold dharma sphere, and ultimately also to the genesis of the very notion of a Chinese “Huayan lineage” beginning with Du Shun 杜順. As to be argued, these related developments have to be interpreted not merely with regard to a doctrinal innovation by Fazang’s disgraced disciple Huiyuan 慧苑 (673–743), but last but not least on the backdrop of the Silla monk Wonhyo’s 元曉 (617-686) influence.
Studies in Chinese Religions, 2020
Juefan Huihong’s覺範惠洪(1071–1128) Linji zongzhi shows that eminent statesmen and contemporary Chan monastics during the twelfth century in China interpreted the core teaching strategies of several Linji Chan patriarchs – especially Linji Yixuan臨濟義玄(d. 866) and Fenyang Shanzhao汾陽善昭(980–1024) – through the Buddhāvataṃsaka-sūtra (Huayan jing 華嚴經, T nos. 278–279), and with special consideration for Mañjuśrī and ṛs_ i (seera) in the Gaṇḍavyūha (Ru fajie pin 入法界品) chapter, Bhīs_ môttaranirghos _ a 毗目仙人. Huihong was certainly influenced by the writings of the highly admired ‘Two Shuis’ – Changshui Zixuan 長水子璿(964–1038) and Jinshui Jingyuan 晉水淨源(1011– 1088) – and by his close confidant, Zhang Shangying 張商英(1043– 1122), who visited Mount Wutai circa 1088 and recorded his journey in Xu Qingliang zhuan 續清涼傳(Further Record of Mt. ‘Chill Clarity,’ T. 2100). In this article I reconsider the central role the Huayan jing and the cult of Mañjuśrī play in the core teachings of the Linji Chan lineagewith particular attention to how current Song dynasty, rather than late Tang (618–907) era, readings and uses of the Huayan jing underscore the enduring significance of this seminal Mahāyāna Buddhist scripture and Mount Wutai as a sacred space in the history of Chinese Chan Buddhism.