- Venerable Haiyun Jimeng
-
Translator:
volunteers
The Huayen School
of Chinese Buddhism takes its name from the scriptural text on which it is
based, known in Chinese as the ¡§Huayen Ching¡¨ and in Sanskrit as the ¡§Avatamsaka
Sutra¡¨. (¡§Huayen¡¨ literally means ¡§flower adornment¡¨
or ¡§flower ornament¡¨). It was
founded as a separate lineage in the seventh century and has continued down to
the present day.
In fact, Huayen is not so much a ¡§school¡¨ of Buddhism
as it is a distinct ¡§vehicle¡¨ (
Huayen teaches that the mind of every single being is
identical with the mind of the Buddha, and that recognition of this truth is
what constitutes Enlightenment. In other words, all beings are primordially
enlightened and their failure to perceive this is just a kind of illusion that
needs to be dispelled. It follows that in order for Buddhist practice to be
effective, it must be grounded in some degree of awareness of the enlightened
mind that is already present within us. This is why Huayen
says that the cause must be based on the result -- that the ethical and
spiritual practices of Buddhism should be understood as having Enlightenment as
their source rather than their goal.
Buddhist practice in Huayen, therefore, while not
necessarily differing in form from the practices taught by other schools of
Buddhism, is guided by a different understanding. Practice in Huayen is not a way to achieve Enlightenment but a way to
actualize Enlightenment, to make it manifest in the world through one¡¦s own
conduct. In traditional Mahayana Buddhist terminology, this is referred to as
¡§adorning the Buddha-realm¡¨, or acting so as to transform this limited world of
ignorance, ugliness and suffering into a limitless realm of wisdom, beauty and
compassion.
For this reason Huayen places great importance on
awakening the aspiration to Enlightenment (bodhicitta).
Perhaps the best-known saying in the Sutra itself is that ¡§the moment the
aspiration to Enlightenment arises, perfect Buddhahood
has already been attained.¡¨ If we believe that Enlightenment is something
separate from us, a distant goal to be aimed at, we will never achieve it. But
if we can understand that Enlightenment is our own true nature, we will come to
see that all our activities should be Buddha-activities and that their sole
purpose is to enable all other beings to realize this same enlightened nature.
This understanding is what bodhicitta really means,
and it is only in its realization or manifestation in the world through
practices grounded in wisdom and compassion that Enlightenment is to be found.
Huayen (Korean Hwao¡¦m,
Japanese Kegon) in Chinese Buddhism takes its name
from the Scriptural text on which it is based, known in Chinese as the¡§Huayen Ching¡¨ and in Sanskrit
as the ¡§Avatamsaka Sutra¡¨. ¡§Huayen¡¨
literally means ¡§flower adornment¡¨ or ¡§flower ornament¡¨.
¡§Huayen¡¨ teaches that the mind of every single being
is identical with the mind of the Buddha. It is also called One-Buddha-yana.
Practice in Huayen is not only a way to achieve
Enlightenment but also a way to actualize Enlightenment.
The
Our master, the Venerable Haiyun, points out that the
Avatamsaka Sutra is not an ordinary text to be
explained and commented on, but a teaching for practice and realization. He
adds that ¡§Huayen has a very rich tradition of
practice, and the Sutra itself will take you into that realm.¡¨
Four Endless Beneficence Aspirations
As a Samantabhadra practitioner, there are Four
Endless Beneficence Aspirations:
1. Until the infinite space exhausted,
2. Until the sphere of sentient beings comes to an end,
3. Until the klesa of sentient beings comes to an
end,
4. Until the karma of sentient beings comes to an end.
our Beneficence shall never cease by indefatigable
deeds of action, speech and volition.
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Huayen Buddhist Community of Ontario 2008. All rights reserved.