Flower Adornment Sutra

(Avatamsaka Sutra)

Lectures on the Great and Vast Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra

Lecturer: Venerable Master Hsuan Hua (宣化)

Chinese translation: Tang Dynasty by the Tripitaka Master Shramana Shikshananda of Khotan

Vietnamese translation: Bhikshu Thích Minh Định

A Brief Introduction to the Seven Locations, Nine Assemblies, and Thirty-Nine Chapters

This sutra originally consists of 45 chapters of scriptural text, but only 39 chapters, comprising 80 volumes, have been translated.

The first assembly teaches the principle of faith in cause and effect.

The second through sixth assemblies teach the differentiated aspects of cause and effect.

The seventh assembly teaches the equality of cause and effect.

The eighth assembly teaches the fulfillment of practices through cause and effect.

The ninth assembly teaches the realization and entry into cause and effect.

The first assembly consists of 11 volumes and is called the section in which the presentation of the results inspires joy and gives rise to faith.

The second through seventh assemblies together comprise 41 volumes and are called the section in which cultivating causes that accord with their results gives rise to understanding.

The eighth assembly consists of 7 volumes and is called the section in which relying on the Dharma to advance in cultivation brings practices to fulfillment.

The ninth assembly consists of 21 volumes and is called the section in which relying on causes to realize and enter the Dharma brings virtues to completion.

The First Assembly: At the Bodhi Site

This assembly covers six chapters:

The Chapter on the Wondrous Adornments of the Lords of the Worlds.
The Chapter on the Manifestation of the Tathagata.
The Chapter on Samadhi of Samantabhadra.
The Chapter on the Formation of Worlds.
The Chapter on the Flower Treasury World.
The Chapter on Vairocana.

The Second Assembly: At the Hall of Universal Light

This assembly covers six chapters:

The Chapter on the Names of the Tathagata.
The Chapter on the Four Noble Truths.
The Chapter on the Enlightenment of Light.
The Chapter on Bodhisattvas Asking About Light.
The Chapter on Pure Practices.
The Chapter on Worthy Leaders.

The twelve chapters mentioned above are the wondrous Dharma teachings delivered in the human realm.

The Third Assembly: At the Wondrous Victory Hall in the Trayastrimsha Heaven

This assembly also covers six chapters:

The Chapter on Ascending Mount Sumeru.
The Chapter on Verses Praising Mount Sumeru.
The Chapter on the Ten Abodes.
The Chapter on Brahma Practices.
The Chapter on the Merit of First Bringing Forth the Mind.
The Chapter on Clarifying the Dharma.

The Fourth Assembly: At the Jeweled Adornment Hall in the Yama Heaven

This assembly covers four chapters:

The Chapter on Ascending to the Yama Heaven.
The Chapter on Verses Praising the Yama Heaven.
The Chapter on the Ten Practices.
The Chapter on the Ten Inexhaustible Treasuries.

The Fifth Assembly: At the Hall Adorned with All Wondrous Jewels in the Tushita Heaven

This assembly covers three chapters:

The Chapter on Ascending to the Tushita Heaven.
The Chapter on Verses Praising the Tushita Heaven.
The Chapter on the Ten Dedications.

The Sixth Assembly: At the Mani Jewel Treasury Hall in the Paranirmitavasavartin Heaven

This assembly covers only one chapter:

26. The Chapter on the Ten Grounds.

The fourteen wondrous Dharma chapters mentioned above were taught in the heavenly realms.

The Seventh Assembly: At the Hall of Universal Light

This assembly covers eleven chapters:

The Chapter on the Ten Samadhis.
The Chapter on the Ten Superknowledges.
The Chapter on the Ten Endurances.
The Chapter on Asamkhyeya.
The Chapter on Lifespans.
The Chapter on the Abodes of Bodhisattvas.
The Chapter on the Inconceivable Dharma of Buddhas.
The Chapter on the Ocean of Marks of the Ten Bodies.
The Chapter on the Radiance of Excellent Characteristics.
The Chapter on the Practices of Samantabhadra.
The Chapter on the Manifestation of the Tathagata.

The Eighth Assembly: At the Hall of Universal Light

This assembly covers only one chapter:

38. The Chapter on Leaving the World.

The Ninth Assembly: At Jeta Grove

This assembly covers only one chapter:

39. The Chapter on Entering the Dharma Realm.

Opening Remarks

The Flower Adornment Sutra is also called the Dharma Realm Sutra and the Empty-Space Sutra. Throughout the entirety of empty space and the entire Dharma Realm, there is no place where the Flower Adornment Sutra is absent.

Wherever the Flower Adornment Sutra abides is also where the Buddha abides, where the Dharma abides, and where the noble Sangha abides.

Therefore, immediately after the Buddha attained perfect enlightenment, he taught this Flower Adornment Sutra to transform all great beings who possess the Dharma body. Because this sutra is wondrous and inconceivable, it was preserved beneath the Dragon King’s palace, where the Dragon King protected and safeguarded it.

Later, the Bodhisattva Nagarjuna descended into the Dragon King’s palace, memorized the sutra, and subsequently transmitted it to the human world.

The Flower Adornment Sutra is like an auspicious cloud in empty space, illuminating the three thousand great thousand worlds. It is like a rain of ambrosial Dharma that nourishes every living being. It is also like the sunlight that shines throughout the great thousand worlds, bringing warmth to all living beings.

The Flower Adornment Sutra is further like the great earth, which enables all things to grow. Therefore, as long as the Flower Adornment Sutra remains in existence, the Proper Dharma can be said to endure for a long time.

Every day, when we lecture on the Flower Adornment Sutra and study it, the important thing is to practice according to the meanings and principles of the sutra. We must use the sutra to treat the illnesses of our body and mind.

If we are greedy, then after hearing the Flower Adornment Sutra, we should eliminate our greed. If we are angry, then after hearing the Flower Adornment Sutra, we should eliminate our anger. If we are ignorant and deluded, then after hearing the Flower Adornment Sutra, we should eliminate our ignorance and delusion.

The principles of this sutra are intended to remedy our habitual faults and shortcomings.

Do not think that what the sutra teaches is intended only for Bodhisattvas and has nothing to do with us. Nor should you think that the teachings are meant only for Arhats and have nothing to do with us.

We ordinary people may listen to this sutra and think that we are merely listening, knowing that we cannot attain the states of the sages. If you think this way, you are harming yourself, abandoning yourself, and cutting yourself off from the path to sagehood.

Every sentence of the Flower Adornment Sutra is an unsurpassed Dharma treasure. If we put its teachings into practice and cultivate ourselves according to the principles of the text, we will certainly become Buddhas.

Therefore, the Flower Adornment Sutra can also be called the mother of all Buddhas. It is the Dharma body of all Buddhas.

The Buddha praised the Diamond Sutra, saying, “Wherever a sutra is present, the Buddha is present.”

Wherever the Flower Adornment Sutra is present, the Buddha is there. However, if your karmic obstacles are too heavy, you may stand face-to-face with the Buddha and still fail to recognize him. This is why there is the saying, “Face-to-face, yet failing to recognize Guanyin Bodhisattva.”

Consider Guanyin Bodhisattva, who has a thousand hands and a thousand eyes and constantly radiates unobstructed light, illuminating all sentient beings throughout the three thousand great thousand worlds who have an affinity with him.

Yet we bow before the Buddha every day, recite the Buddha’s name, bow to Guanyin Bodhisattva, and recite Guanyin Bodhisattva’s name, but still fail to perceive Guanyin Bodhisattva.

Instead, we merely imitate others: when they bow, we bow; when they recite, we recite. This means we are being led by external circumstances rather than genuinely returning to the depths of our own minds.

Every day, when we bow to and recite the name of Guanyin Bodhisattva, what should we do?

Do we still harbor a great deal of anger? Have we failed to correct our old faults? If so, then even if we bow until the end of the future, we will still not see Guanyin Bodhisattva.

If you turn away from evil and toward goodness, genuinely eliminate your habitual faults and shortcomings, correct your mistakes, and become a new person, Guanyin Bodhisattva will certainly bless and support you.

That is why some people practice for many years without developing even a little wisdom, while others practice for only a short time and then develop wisdom and attain unobstructed eloquence.

Therefore, those of us who have left the household life must diligently cultivate morality, concentration, and wisdom, and eliminate greed, anger, and delusion. In every action and movement, we must turn the light inward and reflect upon ourselves. Only by practicing this way can we make progress.

We lecture on the Flower Adornment Sutra, listen to it, bow to it, and recite it. But if we do not act according to its principles, then the sutra remains the sutra, you remain you, and I remain I. There is no genuine union between us and the sutra.

We must unite ourselves with the sutra by putting its teachings into practice. This is what it means to become one with the sutra.

If we do not practice according to its teachings, our compassion will be insufficient, our willingness to give will be limited, and we will remain accompanied by ignorance and afflictions. This shows that we have neither truly understood the sutra nor genuinely listened to it.

Whenever you hear a sentence from the sutra, ask yourself: “How should I put this into practice? Am I following my bad habits, or am I cultivating myself according to the sutra?”

If you continually question yourself in this way, you will certainly gain benefit.

Why do some people fail to gain great benefit? Because they regard the sutra as merely a sutra and believe that it has nothing to do with them.

In reality, when the Buddha first taught the Flower Adornment Sutra, he taught it for you, for me, and for all sentient beings. The Buddha was speaking directly to us.

When we hear this sutra, it should be as though we ourselves were listening to the Buddha explain these principles and instructing us to cultivate according to this Dharma method.

All Dharmas are inseparable from the inherent nature of each of us. Our inherent nature extends throughout empty space and the entire Dharma Realm.

Therefore, if you expand your mind to embrace all things, you can become one with the Flower Adornment Sutra—two, yet not two.

Everyone can take the state described in the Flower Adornment Sutra as their own state and absorb its boundless principles and immeasurable wisdom into their own wisdom.

Consider how vast and profound this is!

Introduction

The Great and Vast Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra was taught by Shakyamuni Buddha immediately after he attained perfect enlightenment while sitting beneath the Bodhi tree.

Without leaving his seat, he remained in samadhi and taught at seven locations—three in the human realm and four in the heavens—for nine assemblies over a period of twenty-one days. He taught this inconceivable sutra for beings of great and perfect spiritual capacity, explaining the perfect and sudden Dharma that he himself had realized and directly entering into the principles of the Dharma Realm.

The sutra contains 45 chapters, but only 39 chapters, comprising 80 volumes, have been translated. At every assembly, the Buddha emitted light, symbolizing the greatness of the Flower Garland Dharma. This radiance represents wisdom and bestows blessings upon all sentient beings so that they may benefit from the Buddha’s teachings.

From beginning to end, the Flower Adornment Sutra explains five cycles of cause and effect:

The first assembly teaches faith in cause and effect.
The second through sixth assemblies teach the differentiated aspects of cause and effect.
The seventh assembly teaches the equality of cause and effect.
The eighth assembly teaches the fulfillment of practices through cause and effect.
The ninth assembly teaches the realization and entry into cause and effect.

National Master Qingliang divided the entire 80-volume sutra into four sections:

The first assembly, consisting of 11 volumes, is the section in which the presentation of the results inspires joy and gives rise to faith.
The second through seventh assemblies, comprising 41 volumes, form the section in which cultivating causes that accord with their results gives rise to understanding.
The eighth assembly, consisting of 7 volumes, is the section in which relying on the Dharma to advance in cultivation brings practices to fulfillment.
The ninth assembly, consisting of 21 volumes, is the section in which relying on causes to realize and enter the Dharma brings virtues to completion.

The First Assembly: At the Bodhi Site

The first assembly took place at the Bodhi site, approximately two hundred li west of the city of Rajagriha in the kingdom of Magadha, corresponding to present-day Bodh Gaya.

The Buddha emitted light from the space between his eyebrows, symbolizing his radiance illuminating all places and enabling sentient beings everywhere to come and hear the great Dharma. He also emitted light from his teeth, symbolizing that sentient beings could taste the flavor of the Dharma.

This sutra is taught by Buddhas throughout the ten directions. Consequently, in many of the assemblies, the Buddhas of the ten directions empower Bodhisattvas to speak.

In this assembly, the Buddhas of the ten directions empowered Bodhisattva Samantabhadra to speak. Samantabhadra presided over the assembly and, relying on the Buddha’s spiritual power, explained the adornments of both the Buddha’s karmic results concerning his own body and those concerning his environment. His teaching awakened and thoroughly established the faith of sentient beings.

This assembly covers six chapters:

The Chapter on the Wondrous Adornments of the Lords of the Worlds.
The Chapter on the Manifestation of the Tathagata.
The Chapter on Samadhi of Samantabhadra.
The Chapter on the Formation of Worlds.
The Chapter on the Flower Treasury World.
The Chapter on Vairocana.

These six chapters constitute the cycle of faith in cause and effect, the section in which the presentation of the results inspires joy and gives rise to faith.

The Second Assembly: At the Hall of Universal Light

The second assembly took place at the Hall of Universal Light, approximately three li southeast of the Bodhi tree, near a bend in the Niranjana River. The Dragon Kings had built this hall for the Buddha.

The Buddha emitted light that illuminated boundless worlds throughout the ten directions, which is why the hall was called the Hall of Universal Light.

During this assembly, the Buddha emitted light from the soles of his feet, symbolizing that sentient beings should cultivate according to the Dharma.

Manjushri Bodhisattva presided over this assembly. Relying on the Buddha’s spiritual power, he explained the virtues of the Dharma method of the Ten Faiths.

This assembly covers six chapters:

The Chapter on the Names of the Tathagata.
The Chapter on the Four Noble Truths.
The Chapter on the Enlightenment of Light.
The Chapter on Bodhisattvas Asking About Light.
The Chapter on Pure Practices.
The Chapter on Worthy Leaders.

These six chapters belong to the cycle of differentiated cause and effect and form the section in which cultivating causes that accord with their results gives rise to understanding.

The twelve wondrous Dharma chapters described above were taught in the human realm.

The Third Assembly: At the Wondrous Victory Hall in the Trayastrimsha Heaven

The third assembly took place at the Wondrous Victory Hall in the Trayastrimsha Heaven, situated at the summit of Mount Sumeru. This is a heaven located on the earth, meaning the second heaven of the desire realm.

The Flower Adornment Sutra is taught through the Buddha’s Dharma body. The Dharma body extends throughout empty space and the entire Dharma Realm; it is nowhere absent and is present everywhere.

Therefore, the Dharma can be expounded at any location.

During this assembly, the Buddha emitted light from his toes, symbolizing that the Dharma begins from a lower level and that sentient beings should learn gradually, starting with the fundamentals.

Dharma Wisdom Bodhisattva presided over this assembly and, relying on the Buddha’s spiritual power, explained the principles of the Ten Abodes.

This assembly covers six chapters:

The Chapter on Ascending Mount Sumeru.
The Chapter on Verses Praising Mount Sumeru.
The Chapter on the Ten Abodes.
The Chapter on Brahma Practices.
The Chapter on the Merit of First Bringing Forth the Mind.
The Chapter on Clarifying the Dharma.

These six chapters also belong to the cycle of differentiated cause and effect and form the section in which cultivating causes that accord with their results gives rise to understanding.

The Fourth Assembly: At the Jeweled Adornment Hall in the Yama Heaven

The fourth assembly took place at the Jeweled Adornment Hall in the Yama Heaven. This heaven is above the summit of Mount Sumeru and is called a heaven in the sky. It is the third heaven of the desire realm.

During this assembly, the Buddha emitted light from the tops of his feet, symbolizing the progression of the Dharma from lower to higher levels and encouraging sentient beings to learn in the proper sequence.

Merit Forest Bodhisattva presided over this assembly and, relying on the Buddha’s spiritual power, explained the Dharma method of the Ten Practices.

This assembly covers four chapters:

The Chapter on Ascending to the Yama Heaven.
The Chapter on Verses Praising the Yama Heaven.
The Chapter on the Ten Practices.
The Chapter on the Ten Inexhaustible Treasuries.

These four chapters also belong to the cycle of differentiated cause and effect and form the section in which cultivating causes that accord with their results gives rise to understanding.

The Fifth Assembly: At the Hall Adorned with All Wondrous Jewels in the Tushita Heaven

The fifth assembly took place at the Hall Adorned with All Wondrous Jewels in the Tushita Heaven, which lies above the Yama Heaven and is the fourth heaven of the desire realm.

During this assembly, the Buddha emitted light from both knees, symbolizing dedication and the turning over of merit. Sentient beings are encouraged to redirect phenomena toward principle, causes toward results, and themselves toward others.

Vajra Banner Bodhisattva presided over this assembly and, relying on the Buddha’s spiritual power, explained the Dharma method of the Ten Dedications.

This assembly covers three chapters:

The Chapter on Ascending to the Tushita Heaven.
The Chapter on Verses Praising the Tushita Heaven.
The Chapter on the Ten Dedications.

These three chapters also belong to the cycle of differentiated cause and effect and form the section in which cultivating causes that accord with their results gives rise to understanding.

The Sixth Assembly: At the Mani Jewel Treasury Hall in the Paranirmitavasavartin Heaven

The sixth assembly took place at the Mani Jewel Treasury Hall in the Paranirmitavasavartin Heaven. This is the sixth heaven of the desire realm and the highest heaven within that realm.

During this assembly, the Buddha emitted light from between his eyebrows. Vajra Treasury Bodhisattva presided over the assembly and, relying on the Buddha’s spiritual power, explained the Dharma method of the Ten Grounds.

This assembly covers only one chapter:

26. The Chapter on the Ten Grounds.

This chapter also belongs to the cycle of differentiated cause and effect and forms the section in which cultivating causes that accord with their results gives rise to understanding.

The fourteen wondrous Dharma chapters described above were taught in the heavenly realms.

The Seventh Assembly: At the Hall of Universal Light

The Buddha returned from the heavens to the human realm for the seventh assembly.

During this assembly, he emitted light from between his eyebrows and from his mouth. The light from his mouth symbolized that all Buddha-sons are born from the Buddha’s mouth.

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva presided over this assembly and, relying on the Buddha’s spiritual power, taught the Dharma of Equal Enlightenment and Wondrous Enlightenment. This is also the Dharma method in which causes are perfected and results are fully realized.

The first six chapters of this assembly explain the perfection of causes, while the final five explain the fullness of results.

This assembly covers eleven chapters:

The Chapter on the Ten Samadhis.
The Chapter on the Ten Superknowledges.
The Chapter on the Ten Endurances.
The Chapter on Asamkhyeya.
The Chapter on Lifespans.
The Chapter on the Abodes of Bodhisattvas.
The Chapter on the Ocean of Marks of the Ten Bodies.
The Chapter on the Radiance of Excellent Characteristics.
The Chapter on the Practices of Samantabhadra.
The Chapter on the Manifestation of the Tathagata.

These eleven chapters belong to the cycle of equal cause and effect and form the section in which cultivating causes that accord with their results gives rise to understanding.

The Eighth Assembly: At the Hall of Universal Light

During the eighth assembly, which also took place at the Hall of Universal Light, the Buddha did not emit light because this assembly concerns a particularly important subject.

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva again presided over the assembly because he is the presiding figure of the great Flower Garland assembly. Relying on the Buddha’s spiritual power, he taught the Dharma of two thousand modes of practice.

A Bodhisattva named Universal Wisdom asked Samantabhadra Bodhisattva questions such as:

“What are the principles on which Bodhisattvas rely?”

“What practices should Bodhisattvas undertake?”

There were two hundred questions in total. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva provided two thousand answers.

This assembly covers only one chapter:

38. The Chapter on Leaving the World.

This chapter belongs to the cycle in which practices are brought to fulfillment through cause and effect. It forms the section in which relying on the Dharma to advance in cultivation brings practices to fulfillment.

The Ninth Assembly: At Jeta Grove

The ninth assembly took place at Jeta Grove in the city of Shravasti. This was the garden of Anathapindika, with trees belonging to Prince Jeta. It was also called Jetavana Monastery and the Multi-Storied Lecture Hall.

When the Buddha attained perfect enlightenment, this lecture hall had not yet been built; it was established later.

If the Multi-Storied Lecture Hall did not yet exist, how could the Buddha have taught the Dharma there?

This is an inconceivable and wondrous state.

The Buddha can bring countless eons of the past into the present, and he can also bring countless eons of the future into the present. Thus, there is no fixed distinction between past, present, and future; all are perfectly interfused without obstruction.

The principle is similar to the teaching in the Diamond Sutra that “the three minds cannot be grasped.” The mind of the past cannot be grasped, the mind of the present cannot be grasped, and the mind of the future cannot be grasped.

Why is this so?

To assert that the past exists as something fixed is to cling to it. To assert that the present exists as something fixed is also to cling to it. The same applies to the future.

The past has already passed, the present does not remain still, and the future has not yet arrived. This teaching breaks attachment.

During this assembly, the Buddha emitted a stream of white light, symbolizing illumination throughout the three thousand great thousand worlds. This enabled all sentient beings to be nourished by the rain of Dharma and to develop wholesome roots.

This assembly was divided into a principal assembly and subsidiary assemblies.

In the principal assembly, Shakyamuni Buddha presided and entered the Samadhi of the Lion’s Stretch, manifesting and teaching the wondrous Dharma so that the assembly could suddenly realize the Dharma Realm.

In the subsidiary assemblies, Bodhisattvas presided. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Manjushri Bodhisattva, and other good spiritual friends explained gradual realization of the Dharma Realm to Sudhana, the Youth.

This assembly covers only one chapter:

39. The Chapter on Entering the Dharma Realm.

This chapter comprises twenty-one volumes. It belongs to the cycle of realizing and entering cause and effect and forms the section in which relying on causes to realize and enter the Dharma brings virtues to completion.

The thirteen wondrous Dharma chapters described above were taught in the human realm.

We have now briefly introduced the seven locations, nine assemblies, and thirty-nine chapters. I hope everyone will remember these details. When we reach each chapter in our lectures, you should know where it was taught and which Bodhisattva spoke it. Having this basic understanding will help you comprehend the teachings.

The Flower Adornment Sutra is a Mahayana teaching intended for Bodhisattvas who possess the Dharma body. Its entire purpose is to cultivate the mind of enlightenment and practice the Bodhisattva path.

Followers of the Lesser Vehicle may be present in the same Dharma assembly, yet remain as if deaf and blind. They have eyes but cannot see Vairocana Buddha, and they have ears but cannot hear the perfect and sudden Dharma.

When they lived in the human realm, they did not cultivate the Mahayana Dharma and therefore lacked the conditions to obtain its great benefits.

We are neither Bodhisattvas nor Arhats, so why have we heard the name of the Great and Vast Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra and even gained the opportunity to hear its wondrous teachings?

It is because in past lives we planted wholesome roots connected with the Mahayana Dharma. Therefore, today we have the opportunity to come and hear the Dharma. Otherwise, we would be like those Lesser Vehicle practitioners, as though deaf and blind.

This is an opportunity that is difficult to encounter even once in a thousand eons.

I hope everyone will become increasingly diligent and make ever greater efforts to study the wondrous principles of this sutra.

Although only forty-five thousand verses have been translated, even remembering a single verse can have immeasurable wondrous applications.

During the Tang dynasty, there was a monastic named Wang Minggan. Although he had left the household life and become a monk, he did not practice diligently.

One day, the ghost of impermanence seized him and took him away. He encountered Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who taught him a verse from the Flower Adornment Sutra:

If someone wishes to understand All Buddhas of the three periods of time, They should contemplate the nature of the Dharma Realm: Everything is created by the mind alone.

When he met King Yama, he recited this verse and was released.

This verse not only saved his life but also saved sentient beings suffering in the hells.

Consider the wondrous power of this verse! Therefore, we should recite the Flower Adornment Sutra, bow to it, and sponsor the printing and distribution of copies of it. In doing so, we will certainly accumulate immeasurable merit and virtue.

Foreword

I believe this is the first time the Flower Adornment Sutra has been lectured on in the United States, and this is also the first time you have heard it explained.

Because our time is limited, I cannot explain every detail. Why? If I explained everything exhaustively, we might not even finish discussing the introduction during the six weeks available to us. Therefore, for now, I can only provide a general explanation. First, I will explain the origins of this sutra.

Among Buddhist scriptures, the Flower Adornment Sutra is the king of sutras, and indeed the king among kings. The Lotus Sutra is also a king among sutras, but it cannot be called the king among kings.

The Great and Vast Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra is honored as the king of kings. It is the longest Mahayana sutra taught by the Buddha, yet the time the Buddha spent teaching it was not particularly long. Shakyamuni Buddha taught this great Flower Adornment Sutra in only twenty-one days.

This sutra has eighty-one volumes in one version. Other versions contain only forty or sixty volumes, but none of those versions is particularly complete. Even the eighty-one-volume version is considered complete primarily because it contains all three sections: the introductory section, the principal teaching, and the section for transmitting and perpetuating the Dharma.

After Shakyamuni Buddha finished teaching the Flower Adornment Sutra, it was not transmitted in the human world. It was not even available in India.

Who, then, requested the sutra and took it away? The Dragon King requested it and brought it back to his Dragon Palace, where it was worshiped and venerated every day.

Six hundred years after Shakyamuni Buddha entered nirvana, a Bodhisattva named Nagarjuna appeared. He was extraordinarily intelligent, beyond comparison with anyone else.

He had read all the literature, treatises, discussions, and scriptures available in the world. Consequently, he developed the aspiration to visit the Dragon Palace and examine its collection of scriptures. There, he discovered the Flower Adornment Sutra.

There are three versions of the Flower Adornment Sutra: an upper version, a middle version, and a lower version.

The upper version contains a number of verses equal to the number of particles of dust in thirteen great thousandfold worlds.

Consider how many that would be! The number of particles of dust in a single world is already immeasurable and boundless. The number of particles in a great thousandfold world is even greater.

What is a great thousandfold world?

One Mount Sumeru, one sun, and one moon constitute one world.

One thousand Mount Sumerus, one thousand suns, and one thousand moons together constitute a small thousandfold world.

One thousand small thousandfold worlds constitute a middle thousandfold world.

One thousand middle thousandfold worlds constitute a great thousandfold world.

The number of particles of dust in a great thousandfold world is infinite and incalculable. If the number of verses in the upper version equals the number of particles of dust in thirteen great thousandfold worlds, then the number of verses is even more impossible to count.

How many chapters does the upper version of the Flower Adornment Sutra contain?

It has as many chapters as there are particles of dust in one four-continent world.

What does “one four-continent world” mean?

The word “one” refers to one Mount Sumeru. The word “four” refers to the four great continents: Purvavideha in the east, Jambudvipa in the south, Aparagodaniya in the west, and Uttarakuru in the north. Together, these are called one four-continent world.

The number of chapters in the upper version of the Flower Adornment Sutra equals the number of particles of dust in one four-continent world.

How many chapters would that be? I cannot calculate it either.

The middle version of the Flower Adornment Sutra contains 4,198,800 verses divided into 1,200 chapters.

The lower version contains 80,000 verses divided into 48 chapters.

Bodhisattva Nagarjuna possessed extraordinary powers of memory. He memorized the entire lower version of the Flower Adornment Sutra and, after returning to India, copied it in its entirety. It was later transmitted from India to China.

The version transmitted to China contained only eighty volumes and thirty-nine chapters. The remaining nine chapters were never transmitted.

Shakyamuni Buddha taught the Flower Adornment Sutra at seven different locations, holding a total of nine Dharma assemblies.

If you can thoroughly understand the principles of this Flower Adornment Sutra, it is as though you have seen the Buddha’s entire body.

If you thoroughly understand the Shurangama Sutra, it is as though you have seen the Buddha’s cranial protuberance.

If you thoroughly understand the Lotus Sutra, you can see the Buddha’s body, but not in its entirety.

However, if you thoroughly understand the principles of the Flower Adornment Sutra, you will clearly see the Buddha’s entire body and his wisdom-life.

The Flower Adornment Sutra is like a great ocean, while other sutras are like small rivers. Small rivers cannot compare with the great ocean.

In the world today, it is not that nobody can lecture on the Flower Adornment Sutra, but those who can do so are exceedingly rare.

If we say that nobody can lecture on it, are we not lecturing on it right now? How, then, can we say that no one can explain it?

Some people study the Buddha’s Dharma their entire lives without ever hearing the name of the Flower Adornment Sutra. How pitiful that is!

Not only is it rare for people to lecture on this sutra, but very few people have even read it from beginning to end. Reading it once, even at the fastest pace, takes at least twenty-one days.

Therefore, this sutra is extremely difficult to encounter.

A Verse Explaining the Seven Locations and Nine Assemblies

Regarding the seven locations and nine assemblies of this sutra, there is a verse that goes as follows:

From the Bodhi tree to Jeta Grove, the first and ninth assemblies are found; The third and fourth are at Trayastrimsha and Yama. The Hall of Universal Light hosts the second, seventh, and eighth; The fifth and sixth are at Tushita and the Other-Transformation Heaven.

The Buddha attained enlightenment at the Bodhi site, beneath the Bodhi tree, where he first taught the Flower Adornment Sutra. This first assembly consisted of six chapters and eleven volumes.

At the second assembly, in the Hall of Universal Light, he taught six chapters comprising four volumes.

At the third assembly, in the Trayastrimsha Heaven, he taught six chapters comprising three volumes.

At the fourth assembly, in the Yama Heaven, he taught four chapters comprising three volumes.

At the fifth assembly, in the Tushita Heaven, he taught three chapters comprising twelve volumes.

At the sixth assembly, in the Paranirmitavasavartin Heaven, he taught one chapter comprising six volumes.

At the seventh assembly, he returned to the Hall of Universal Light and taught eleven chapters comprising thirteen volumes.

At the eighth assembly, also in the Hall of Universal Light, he taught one chapter comprising seven volumes.

At the ninth assembly, in Jeta Grove, he taught one chapter comprising twenty-one volumes.

Jeta Grove is now described as a burial ground, a place where the remains of the dead are laid to rest.

This is the explanation of the seven locations and nine assemblies in the lower version of the sutra.

The lower version originally contained thirty-nine chapters and 445,000 verses. After it was transmitted to China, nine chapters containing 55,000 verses were still missing.

Although the sutra is incomplete, it nevertheless contains the introductory section, the principal teaching, and the section for transmitting and perpetuating the Dharma. Therefore, when National Master Qingliang of the Tang dynasty propagated the Flower Adornment Sutra, he considered it provisionally complete.

National Master Qingliang

National Master Qingliang was an emanation of the Flower Garland Bodhisattva. Why is he said to have been an emanation of this Bodhisattva?

Because he devoted himself exclusively to lecturing on the Flower Adornment Sutra and did not lecture on other sutras.

National Master Qingliang’s name was Chengguan, and his courtesy name was Daxiu. He came from Kuaiji and belonged to the Xiahou family.

He was born during the Kaiyuan era of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang dynasty, in the wuyin year, corresponding to 738 CE within the Kaiyuan period of 713–741.

His height was nine chi and four cun. His arms extended below his knees, and he had forty teeth.

Most of us have only a little more than thirty teeth. Having forty teeth was considered a sign of a person of exceptional distinction, and very few people possessed this characteristic.

The Buddha had forty-two teeth, while National Master Qingliang had forty.

In the darkness, his eyes appeared to emit rays of light. During the daytime, however, they looked ordinary, except that his pupils remained completely still.

In the fourth year of the Jianzhong era, he completed the Commentary and Subcommentary on the Flower Adornment Sutra (Huayan Shu Chao). This commentary is the most famous explanation of the Flower Adornment Sutra.

Before writing the commentary, he prayed for the blessings and support of the Bodhisattvas in the great Flower Garland assembly.

To receive such blessings means to receive assistance and support.

One night, he dreamed that the entire summit of a mountain had turned golden. Upon awakening, he understood this to signify light shining everywhere.

From that time onward, writing the Commentary and Subcommentary on the Flower Adornment Sutra became extraordinarily easy for him. He did not need to struggle with difficult thoughts or deliberate over every detail.

Ordinarily, when we write, we must think carefully about each sentence and each word. He, however, did not need to think in this way. His writing flowed quickly, as though he were copying something already written.

After four years, he had completed his commentary on the entire Flower Adornment Sutra.

After finishing the work, he had another dream—or perhaps it was not actually a dream, but rather a vision of a particular state. We may provisionally call it a dream.

He dreamed that he transformed into a dragon. Then that dragon transformed into thousands upon thousands, tens of thousands upon tens of thousands, and ultimately immeasurable, boundless dragons, which flew toward other worlds.

This was a manifestation of the Flower Garland state that he had experienced. Everyone regarded it as a symbol of the transmission and propagation of the Dharma.

National Master Qingliang lived through nine reigns spanning the Sui and Tang dynasties and served as the teacher of seven emperors.

After National Master Qingliang passed away, an Indian monk came to China. Along the way, he encountered two boys dressed in blue who were floating in the air.

The monk had attained the fruit of Arhatship. He stopped the two boys in midair and asked them:

“Where are you going?”

The boys replied:

“We are going to China to request the precious canine tooth of the Flower Garland Bodhisattva and bring it back to the Manjushri Hall in India for veneration.”

After arriving in China, the Arhat told the emperor about the two boys who had come to request the precious tooth of the Flower Garland Bodhisattva. This was apparently a reference to National Master Qingliang.

The emperor therefore ordered the master’s pagoda to be opened. Sure enough, one of his precious canine teeth was missing.

These phenomena are truly wondrous and inconceivable.

Consider this! The Flower Garland Bodhisattva had come to China, which explains why National Master Qingliang possessed such extraordinary physical characteristics.

The Division of the Sutra into Three Sections

According to National Master Qingliang’s division of the Flower Adornment Sutra, the first five volumes constitute the introductory section.

The next fifty-five and a half volumes constitute the principal teaching.

The final nineteen and a half volumes constitute the section for transmitting and perpetuating the Dharma.

Although the sutra was not translated completely into Chinese, all three sections—the introduction, the principal teaching, and the transmission section—are present.

Those who propagated the Flower Adornment Sutra in China were all great Bodhisattvas. If they had not attained the state of Bodhisattvas, they would not have been able to explain the Flower Adornment Sutra.

The state revealed by the Flower Adornment Sutra is exceedingly subtle, wondrous, and profound. It is the wondrous within the wondrous and the marvelous within the marvelous.