Avatamsaka Sutra, Avataṃsaka Sūtra, Avataṃsakasūtra: 6 definitions
Introduction:
Avatamsaka Sutra means something in Buddhism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit. 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)
In 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.
One 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.
The 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)
The 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.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Avataṃsakasūtra (in Sanskrit) can be associated with the following Chinese terms:
1) 大方廣佛華嚴經 [dà fāng guǎng fú huá yán jīng]: “Dafangguangfo huayan jing” [Chinese text name]; Alternatively: “Avataṃsaka-sūtra”; “Buddhāvataṃsaka”; “Buddhāvataṃsaka-mahāvaipulya-sūtra”; “Gaṇḍa-vyūha”; “Gaṇḍa-vyūha-sūtra” [Sanskrit text name].
2) 華嚴經 [huá yán jīng]: “Flower Ornament Sūtra”; Alternatively: “Huayan jing” [Chinese text name]; Alternatively: “Avataṃsaka-sūtra”; “Buddhāvataṃsaka”; “Buddhāvataṃsake mahā-vaipulya-sūtra”; “Gaṇḍa-vyūha-sūtra” [Sanskrit text name].
Note: avataṃsakasūtra can be alternatively written as: avataṃsaka-sūtra.
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Partial matches: Avatamsaka, Sutra.
Full-text (+828): Hua yan jing, Da fang guang fu hua yan jing, Qi chu ba hui, Jiu hua yan, Shi de pin, Hua yan jing tan xuan ji, Hai chuang bi qiu, Jiu hui shuo, Hua yan jing xin tuo luo ni, Ru fa jie pin, Guo tu shen, Shan cai, Liu du pi yu, Hua-yen School, Za hua, Shi tong, Hua yan wu shi yao wen da, Shi lei jing, Buddhavatamsaka, Xin hua yan jing.
Relevant text
Search found 20 books and stories containing Avatamsaka Sutra, Avataṃsaka sūtra, Avataṃsakasūtra, Avatamsakasutra; (plurals include: Avatamsaka Sutras, Avataṃsaka sūtras, Avataṃsakasūtras, Avatamsakasutras). 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]
Kailash: Journal of Himalayan Studies
Part 2.1 - Sa-skya-pa Criticisms < [Tantric Buddhist Pilgrimage Sites in Tibet]
Origin of the Avalokitesvara of Potala < [Volume 7, Number 1 (1979)]
A Sanctuary of Avataṃsaka < [Volume 16, Issue 4 (2025)]
Utilization of the Iconography of Buddhist Prints during the Joseon... < [Volume 12, Issue 5 (2021)]
The Dual Role a Buddhist Monk Played in the American South < [Volume 7, Issue 5 (2016)]
Theravada Buddhist studies in Japan (by Keiko Soda)
3. Development of Mahayana Sutras < [Chapter 3 - Theravada and Mahayana (comparison and contrast)]
Shurangama Sutra (with commentary) (English) (by Hsuan Hua)
The place of the tongue and tastes < [Chapter 4 - The Twelve Places]
Brings up the supremacy of two benefits < [Chapter 9 - Exhortation to Propagate the Sutra]
Samantabhadra: the ear consciousness < [Chapter 2 - Twenty-five Means to Enlightenment]
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