Avatamsaka Sutra, Avataṃsaka Sūtra, Avataṃsakasūtra: 5 definitions
Introduction:
Avatamsaka Sutra means something in Buddhism, Pali. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Buddhism
General definition (in Buddhism)
Source: Google Books: Cultivating the Mind of LoveIn the Avatamsaka Sutra, the cosmos is described as a lotus flower with many petals, each of which is also a full lotus, the petals of which are also a full lotus, and so on. Whenever we see one thing in the Avatamsaka realm, we always find everything in the cosmos in it. The notions of small and large do not exist here. When we stand facing the ocean, we may feel small and insignificant compared with the ocean. When we contemplate a sky filled with stars, we may have the impression we are nothing at all. But the thought that the cosmos is big and we are small is just an idea. It belongs to our mind and not to reality. When we look deeply at a flower, we can see the whole cosmos contained in it. One petal is the whole of the flower and the whole of the universe. In one speck of dust are many Buddha lands. When we practice that kind of meditation, our ideas about small, large, one and many, will vanish.
Source: Buddhist Door: GlossarySanskrit words, also known as Flower Adornment Sutra, or Flower Garland Sutra. One of the great sutras in Buddhism. It was sermoned in heaven by Buddha Shakyamuni soon after his attainment of Buddhahood. The sutra reveals different causes and ways of cultivation of many great Bodhisattvas, such as Ten Grades of Faith, Ten Stages of Wisdom, Ten Activities, Ten Transference of Merits, Ten Stages of Bodhisattva, Absolute Universal Enlightenment, Wonderful Enlightenment, etc. It also reveals how to enter Avatamsaka World (Buddhas world) from Saha World (our world).Source: Buddhist Door: GlossaryOne of the most important sutra in Buddhism, particularly Mahayana Buddhism. There are many volumes in the Sutra. It describes the entire Buddha Realm which is, of course, not easy to visualize. See also Avatamsaka Sutra.
Source: Buddhism Tourism: Glossary of Buddhist TermsThe and ldquo;Flower Sutra of Ornament Sutra and rdquo;, a Mahayana text which is at the basis of the Chinese Hua Yen and Japanese Kegon School of Buddhism.
Source: WikiPedia: BuddhismThe Avataṃsaka Sūtra is one of the most influential Mahayana sutras of East Asian Buddhism. The title is rendered in English as Flower Garland Sutra, Flower Adornment Sutra, or Flower Ornament Scripture.
The Avataṃsaka Sūtra describes a cosmos of infinite realms upon realms, mutually containing one another. The vision expressed in this work was the foundation for the creation of the Huayan school of Chinese Buddhism, which was characterized by a philosophy of interpenetration. Huayan is known as Kegon in Japan.
According to Paramārtha, a 6th-century monk from Ujjain in central India, the Avataṃsaka Sūtra is also called the "Bodhisattva Piṭaka." In his translation of the Mahāyānasaṃgrahabhāṣya, there is a reference to the Bodhisattva Piṭaka, which Paramārtha notes is the same as the Avataṃsaka Sūtra in 100,000 lines.
The sutra, among the longest in the Buddhist canon, contains 40 chapters on disparate topics, although there are overarching themes:
- The interdependency of all phenomena (dharmas)
- The progression of the Buddhist path to full Enlightenment, or Buddhahood
Two of the chapters serve as sutras in their own right, and have been cited in the writings of many Buddhists in East Asia.
The sutra is also well known for its detailed description of the course of the bodhisattva's practice through ten stages where the Ten Stages Sutra, or Daśabhūmika Sūtra (十地經, Wyl. phags pa sa bcu pa'i mdo), is the name given to this chapter of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. This sutra gives details on the ten stages (bhūmi) of development a bodhisattva must undergo to attain supreme enlightenment. The ten stages are also depicted in the Lankavatara Sutra and the Shurangama Sutra. The sutra also touches on the subject of the development of the "aspiration for Enlightenment" (Bodhicitta) to attain supreme Buddhahood.
etymology: Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Sanskrit: महावैपुल्यबुद्धावतंसकसूत्र Mahāvaipulya Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra)
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Avatamsaka, Sutra.
Full-text: Hua-yen School, Sukhakara, Dashabhumikasutra, Sudhana, Maitreya, Maitri, Meghashri, Ishvara, Bhayagrasvara, Ushmanayatana, Simhashri, Navikashura, Sucandra, Simhavijrimbhita, Mahamaya, Earliest Mahayana-sutras, Bhumi.
Relevant text
Search found 16 books and stories containing Avatamsaka Sutra, Avataṃsaka sūtra, Avataṃsakasūtra; (plurals include: Avatamsaka Sutras, Avataṃsaka sūtras, Avataṃsakasūtras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Dhyana in the Buddhist Literature (by Truong Thi Thuy La)
3.2 (c): The Dhyāna in the Avataṃsaka-sūtra (Hua-Yen) < [Chapter 3 - The Dhyāna in Mahāyāna Literature]
3.1 (b): The Bodhisattva Ideal < [Chapter 3 - The Dhyāna in Mahāyāna Literature]
Buddha-nature (as Depicted in the Lankavatara-sutra) (by Nguyen Dac Sy)
4. The Buddha-nature Thought in the Huayan School < [Chapter 6 - Further Development of the Thought of Buddha-nature in China]
Introduction (Hīnayāna and Hindu philosophy) < [Chapter 3 - The Laṅkāvatārasūtra and Hindu Philosophy]
Theravada Buddhist studies in Japan (by Keiko Soda)
3. Development of Mahayana Sutras < [Chapter 3 - Theravada and Mahayana (comparison and contrast)]
Guide to Tipitaka (by U Ko Lay)
The Great Chariot (by Longchenpa)
Part 2c.5 - The wisdom of the noble ones that is attained < [B. The gradation of powers of those who meditate into high, middle, and low]
Part 4 - Mind is essenceless < [B. The view that realizes suchness]
A. The teaching of the establishment of the kayas and wisdoms, by completing the path < [Chapter XIII - The Fruition, the Great Self-existence]
Shurangama Sutra (with commentary) (English) (by Hsuan Hua)
Brings up the supremacy of two benefits < [Chapter 9 - Exhortation to Propagate the Sutra]
The place of the tongue and tastes < [Chapter 4 - The Twelve Places]
Samantabhadra: the ear consciousness < [Chapter 2 - Twenty-five Means to Enlightenment]
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