Flower Ornament Sutra
Also known as: Avatamsaka Sutra, Avataṃsaka Sūtra, Flower Adornment Sutra, Huayan Jing, Kegonkyo, Hwaeomgyeong
A vast Mahayana scripture centered on Vairocana’s all-pervading Buddhahood and the interpenetrating cosmos, culminating in Sudhana’s pilgrimage (Gandavyuha) and Samantabhadra’s great vows.
Description
The Flower Ornament Sutra (Avataṃsaka) presents the Buddha’s awakening as a vision of an infinitely interpenetrating universe presided over by the cosmic Buddha Vairocana. Through elaborate assemblies and doctrinal expositions, it develops the Huayan teaching that all phenomena mutually contain and reflect each other without obstruction. Core sections outline progressive stages of bodhisattva practice (faiths, abodes, practices, dedications, and grounds), the purification of buddha-lands, and the ocean-seal samādhi that apprehends totality in a single thought. Its culminating book, the Gandavyuha, narrates the seeker Sudhana’s journey through encounters with spiritual friends across the ten directions, climaxing in entry into the dharmadhātu and the Ten Great Vows of Samantabhadra, a liturgical centerpiece in East Asian Buddhism.
Historiography
Surviving Indian materials are fragmentary; the work reached full canonical shape in Chinese translations, notably Śikṣānanda’s 80-fascicle version under Empress Wu. The Gandavyuha circulated independently in Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese and strongly influenced East Asian Huayan/Kegon traditions. The Daśabhūmika section also circulated as a standalone sutra. Commentarial traditions by Fazang and Chengguan systematized doctrines like mutual interpenetration and Indra’s Net, shaping scholastic and ritual reception across China, Korea, and Japan.
Date Notes
Composite Mahayana scripture with Indian formation; major Chinese translations by Buddhabhadra (418–420, 60 fascicles), Śikṣānanda (695–699, 80 fascicles), and Prajñā (796–798, 40 fascicles).
Major Characters
- Vairocana
- Sudhana
- Manjushri
- Samantabhadra
- Maitreya
Myths
- Vairocana’s Cosmic Realm
- The Ten Stages of the Bodhisattva
- Sudhana’s Pilgrimage (Gaṇḍavyūha)
- The Net of Indra
Facts
- The Avataṃsaka exists in multiple Chinese recensions: 60, 80, and 40 fascicles.
- Śikṣānanda’s 80-fascicle translation (695–699) became normative for Huayan scholasticism.
- The Gandavyuha section circulated independently in Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Chinese canons.
- The Daśabhūmika (Ten Grounds) also survives as a standalone sutra.
- Indra’s Net is a signature metaphor for mutual interpenetration and non-obstruction.
- Vairocana functions as the cosmic or dharmakaya Buddha in this scripture.
- Samantabhadra’s Ten Great Vows are a central liturgy in East Asian Buddhism.
- Only fragments of the original Sanskrit are extant; full texts survive in Chinese and Tibetan.
- The sutra profoundly shaped Huayan (China), Hwaeom (Korea), and Kegon (Japan) schools.
- Cleary’s English translation popularized the text in the late 20th century.