Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 23. (Budapest, 2004)
Imre HAMAR: Hermeneutical Methods in Chengguan's Commentary to the Avatamsakasütra
est on its own right. The original title of the sütra, according to Professor Takasaki Jikidö's reconstruction, is Tathägata-utpattisambhavanirdesa-sütra. 26 This is an early Mahäyäna sütra that was probably composed in Central Asia around AD 1-2. century. It was circulated before the compilation of the Avatamsakasütra, as is attested by Dharmaraksa's early translation titled Rulai xingxian jing #0$ÄJS1$§. The title of this chapter in the sixty and eighty volume Avatamsaka-sütra is Rulai xingqi pin ^^ffciEiSi and Rulai chuxian pin $P3kili-5pn, respectively. The fourth Chinese version, Dafang guang rulai xingqi weimizang jing J<fî&iQ'%:tëMW$;MÎa, lost in China, has been discovered recently in Nanatsudera of Nagoya along with other important scriptures. 27 This sütra describes the Tathâgata's appearance in the world, the features of his body, speech and mind, as well as his activity in the world. The importance of this work, from the aspect of the development of Buddhist philosophy, lies in being a precursor to the tathägatagarbha theory. Moreover, it also had a great impact on Huayan philosophy, as one of the central concepts of the school, the nature-origination {xingqi t4S) is associated with this chapter. As Chengguan remarks, the special feature of this sütra is that it draws a parallel between the outer world and Buddha's spiritual world. For example, Buddha's wisdom does not rely on anything like space in the world. However, the parallels are not so clear everywhere in the text, therefore Chengguan has to make a great effort to clarify them. Describing Buddha's body, the sütra compares it to the sun from which infinite living beings receive benefit. The text lists seven benefits from the sun and ten benefits from Buddha's body. When the sun comes out, infinite living beings all receive its benefits - (A) it disperses the darkness and gives light, (B) dries up moisture, (C) causes plants and trees to grow, (D) matures crops, (E) permeates the sky, (E) causes lotuses to bloom, (G) allows travellers to see the road, (H) allows people to do their work - because the orb of the sun radiates infinite beams of light everywhere. The sun of knowledge of Buddha is also like this, benefiting sentient beings everywhere by infinite works -(I) destroying evil and producing good, (2) breaking down ignorance and creating knowledge, (3) benevolently saving, compassionately liberating, (4) causing growth of faculties, powers, and elements of enlightenment, (5) causing beings to to develop profound faith, [expelling impure thoughts,] 2 * (6) enabling them to see inevitable cause and effect, (7) fostering in them the celestial eye to see where beings die and are born, (8) causing their minds to be unimpeded and not destroy roots of goodness, (9) causing them to cultivate illumination by knowledge and open the flower of awakening, (10) causing them to determine to fulfill their fundamental task. 19 m\m\nwm • mm.± - <• mm • m mif-m • mm<m » ft^m* « mám • mrm^. • m T 10, 279: 266a20-bl. Chengguan relates them and comments on their relationship in the following way. (A) disperses the darkness and gives light (1) destroys evil and produces good (2) breaks down ignorance and creates knowledge Commentary: The first two [benefits of Buddha's body] are parallel with the first of the parable, and show the difference between this world and transcendental world. T35, 1735: 875, bl7. (B) dries up moisture (3) benevolently saving, compassionately liberating Commentary: Buddha saves beings from the stream of the four swift torrents™, and presents them with the transcendental happiness. He saves the followers of two vehicles from sinking in the water of meditation, and causes them to
