The Avatamsaka Sutra 华严经
The Buddhāvataṃsaka-nāma-mahāvaipulya-sūtra 大方广佛华严经 (The Mahāvaipulya Sūtra named "Buddhāvataṃsaka") is one of the most influential Mahāyāna sutras of East Asian Buddhism. It is often referred to in short as the Avataṃsaka Sūtra （华严经）. It is the first sutra Shakyamuni Buddha expounded after he realised enlightenment under the Bodhi tree to the great Bodhisattvas in the entire Dharma realm while in meditation. This sutra was hidden from the human realm for quite a while (as no one would be able to understand it) until Bodhisattva Nagarjuna recovered an extremely tiny portion of it from the Dragon's Place.
In classical Sanskrit, avataṃsaka means garland, wreath, or any circular ornament. It can also be translated as the Flower Ornament or Flower Adornment Sutra). In Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit, the term avataṃsaka means "a great number," "a multitude," or "a collection." This is matched by the sutra's Tibetan title, A Multitude of Buddhas ("sangs rgyas phal po che").
The text has been described by the translator Thomas Cleary as "the most grandiose, the most comprehensive, and the most beautifully arrayed of the Buddhist scriptures."
The Buddhāvataṃsaka describes a cosmos of infinite realms upon realms filled with an immeasurable number of Buddhas. This sutra was incredibly influential in East Asian Buddhism. The vision expressed in this work was the foundation for creating the Huayan school of Chinese Buddhism. The last chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra is the Practices and Vows of Bodhisattva Samantabhdra, in which the Bodhisattva led all the great Bodhisattvas in the World of Flower Adornment to attain rebirth to Amitabha Buddha’s Pure Land, which means that all dharmagates eventually lead to the Pure Land Dharma. That’s why the final chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra is also a Pure Land sutra.
You can download a pdf copy of the Avatamsaka Sutra here.
(Please note that in the English translation by the legendary translator Thomas Cleary, he did not include the final chapter, which is the Practices and Vows of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, to have a better understanding, you can read the Practices and Vows of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra in the five Pure Land Sutras.)
You can download a pdf copy of the Practices and Vows of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra here.
