Avatamsaka Buddhist Community of
British Columbia ABCBC
Surrender and plunge Into the Ocean of
Sarvajnata Sublime Essence of the Universe!
The Mahavaipulya Buddha Avatamsaka Sutra
On Entering Into the Inconceivable State of Emancipation by
the Practice and Vows of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra
Translated from Sanskrit into Chinese on imperial command by the Tang Dynasty Tripitaka Dharma Master Prajna of Kubha
When the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Samantabhadra having discoursed upon and eulogised
the exalted merits and virtues of the Tathagata, he addressed the Kumara Sudhana and a great company of Bodhisattvas as
follows:
O Noble-Minded Man, the
(infinite) merits and virtues of the Tathagata are ineffable. If such were preached by all the Buddhas of the ten quarters
who consecutively enumerated them during unspeakable and incalculable aeons in Buddha-domains equal in number to the
smallest dustmotes (in the atmosphere) , they could not thereby be exhausted. If (there be any who) aspire to attain this
high state of merit, (let them understand that) its realisation depends upon the attainment of the Tenfold Paramita: the vows
of the widest and highest aspiration and the actual practice of them.
But what are the Tenfold Paramita? (you may ask) They are: Firstly, to pay the highest
homage and veneration to all Buddhas. Secondly, to preach (the virtues of) and to praise (the glories of) the
Tathagatas. Thirdly, to make abundant offerings for the veneration to the Buddhas. Fourthly, to
be penitent and confess one's evil deeds and hindrances. Fifthly, to approve of and rejoice at
merits and virtues of others. Sixthly, to request Buddha to set in motion the "Wheel of Dharma." Seventhly,
to beseech Buddhas to remain in the world. Eighthly, to be a zealous follower of the "Way
of Buddhas" for ever. Ninthly, to be always in harmony with all beings (bestowing on them gifts
according to their needs). Tenthly, to turn over all one's merits to (benefit) all beings.
Re-translated from Chinese into English by Upasika Chihman (Miss P. C.
Lee of China) Boddhisattva in Precepts
BACKGROUND
On June 5, 1987, the Huayen Society in
Taipei was initially established under the guidance of Ven. Sakya Haiyun, which now parents nine Huayen monasteries
in Taiwan. More than 10 monestary branches have sprung up abroad in regions such as Beijing, the United States, Canada, Australia,
New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia. Here at home, the Huayen Buddhist Community of North America parents
local chapters in Ann Arbor and Chicago in the US, and Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.
Here at our local chapter in beautiful British Columbia, the ABCBC celebrates the greatness
of life with you by sharing our views, thoughts and experiences in our practice of the Avatamsaka Sutra ("Huayen"),
under the guidance of our founder, Ven. Sakya Haiyun Jimeng. You will not only meet good friends when you participate
in our activities in real life, but also find Ven. Haiyun's virtual presence through the multimedia and interactivities
on this site. We hope that you make good use of the information on this site to integrate the principles of Huayen
with your daily life, work and interaction with others, for the benefit of yourself and a better world for
everyone now and hereafter! You'll also meet others on the same path and you'll learn to help them
too. It's through helping them that all will reciprocally attain realisation. We sincerely hope that you give us
your feedback so that we may improve and continue to serve you better. By serving and helping you grow, blossom and fruit, we live
the spirit of Huayen - the holistic law of interpenetrated and interdependent origination and reciprocal integration
that naturally operates in the Incomprehensible Dharma Realm of boundless possibilities.
We
hope that you will walk with us to fulfil our common goal of reciprocal perfection. We shall put into
practice Huayen Buddhism in the conduct of our daily affairs as the Samantabhadra Bodhisattva has done. If
you'd like to sign up as members, please complete and submit the form on the Sign Uppage. We shall protect your personal info and not disclosed it to any third party.
We value your participation and hope that the information we provide here will benefit you.
240-DAY CIRCUMSCRIBED RECITATION OF THE AVATAMSAKA SUTRA FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE 2010 HUAYEN SANGHA-DANA
AND 7TH WBSY GENERAL CONFERENCE
All members of the Da Huayen Monastery and the Huayen World Community shall
commence a 240-circumscribed practice to pray for the success of the 2010 Huayen Sangha-Dana and the 7th WBSY General
Conference. If you wish to join us in this solemn pledge, please use the Dharma program below:
I. VOWS
Compassionate and Great Buddha! I (_________), for the purpose of perfecting Buddhahood and delivering all living beings and praying for
the success of the 2010 Huayen Sangha-Dana and the 7th WBSY General Conference, now vow to engage in a 240-day circumscribed
practice from 1 December 2009 to 28 July 2010, during which I will recite one chapter consecutively of the 80-fascicle
Avatamsaka Sutra each day. I earnestly pray to all Buddhas of the ten directions for protection, to the Bodhisattvas of the
past, present, and future for acceptance, and to our patriarchs for blessings. (One prostration)
II. REPENTANCE
I (_________), from
eons without beginning in the past, I have created all kinds of measureless and boundless evil karma with my body, speech,
and mind, because of greed, hatred, and delusion. If that karma had a substance and form, all of empty space could not contain
it. I now completely purify these three karmas, and before the assemblies of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, throughout the
Dharma Realm in lands as many as fine motes of dust, I sincerely repent and reform my offences and vow never to create them
again. I will always dwell in all merit and virtue of the pure precepts until I perfect Buddhahood. My repentance and reform
will only end when all living beings are delivered in thought after thought without cease, my three karmas never weary of
such deeds. (One prostration)
III. AVATAMSAKA SUTRA
RECITATION
Namo Upadhyaya Shakyamuni Buddha (Three invocations, three prostrations.)
(Contemplate gradually its meaning as you recite the following stanza.) The unsurpassed, profound, and wonderful Dharma Is difficult to encounter in hundreds of millions of eons. I now see and hear it, receive and uphold it, And I
vow to fathom the Tathagata's true meaning. (Contemplation vow: As you open the Avatamsaka Sutra, contemplate the Dharma
Wheel always turns, that all the living beings who hear the Dharma attain Bodhi.)
IV. DEDICATION OF MERIT
May the merit and virtue accrued
from this work Help devas, dragons and Dharma protectors attain Buddhahood early. May all great good and wise advisors
who preach the Huayen tradition and spread its teachings long remain in the world to turn the Great Dharma Wheel. May
all living beings in the Dharma Realm generate supreme Bodhi-mind and attain Thusness and Ultimate Reality. May the Huayen
Dharma prosper and flourish, the Right Buddhadharma long remain in the world! May peace be on earth, may there be social
stability, may the winds be gentle and the rain be subdued, and may all countries prosper and their people be at
ease! May the 2010 Huayen Sangha-Dana and the 7th WBSY General Conference be successful. "The supreme, endless
blessings from Samantabhadra's conduct I now universally transfer to all. May every living being, drowning and adrift, Soon return to the Land of Limitless Light!" Namo Universal Worthy King Bodhisattva Mahasattva! (Three invocations,
three prostrations)
PREAMBLE TO THE AVATAMSAKA SUTRA
The Avatamsaka Sutra spoken by Vairocana Buddha describes the state
of Enlightenment of the historical Gautama Buddha and forms the basis of the metaphysics of interpenetration and
mutual containment of all phenomena in the universe. Avatamsaka Sutra Chapter 1 Book 1.1 Preambe, one of the basic Huayen
Buddhist liturgical songs, is sung in Mandarin by Ven. Sakya Longyen of Great Flower Garland Monastery. This Preamble especially
is sung in the morning service at the Great Flower Garland Monastery to remember guru's and the devotees' unyielding
will towards liberation from sansara.
PRAISE THE WILLOW TWIG AND PURICATION WATER
A ceremonial purification by water is performed before every seven-days retreat in the mahayana Chinese
Buddhist tradition. The bodhisattva Avalokitesvara who is also the avatar of Vishnu and Shiva holds the willow twig with his
right hand and a bottle of purification water in his left. Each drop of potion from this magic bottle will cleanse the sins
of living beings in as many worlds as the atoms of the world. He sprinkles the potion to purify the hearts and minds of the
faithful as well as the holy temple grounds where they practise the Dharma.
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva in Tuanhuang 680 A.D.
MASTER SEA CLOUD 海雲比丘
Sagaramegha
海雲 in Mandarin is hǎi yún. He chooses his Dharma name from the 40-Fascicles
Avatamsaka Sutra (四十卷華嚴經) Ch. 5, “On Entering Into The Inconceivable State
Of Emancipation By The Practice And Vows Of The Bodhisattva Samantabhadra Of The Mahavaipulya Buddha Avatamsaka Sutra,”
opening paragraph, which Sakyamuni Buddha described the story of Kumara Sudhana's (善財童子) long
spiritual path toward attainment Absolute Truth and liberation to become a Buddha.
In this story, Kumara Sudhana,
already a Bodhisattva (菩薩) learned from 53 different benevolent spiritual advisors before he finally attained
Ultimate Enlightenment (阿耨多羅三藐三菩提 ANUTTARA SAMYAK SAMBODHI)
and became a Buddha. First, he sought the spiritual guidance of Manjusri Bodhisattva (文殊師利菩薩,
who was Himself a Buddha, but He manifests Himself as a Bodhisattva to be the teacher of seven subsequent Buddhas). Manjusri
Bodhisattva, having answered all of Kumara Sudhana’s questions, instructed Kumara Sudhana to go south to the Kingdom
of Sea Door (海門國) to seek the advice of Master Sea Cloud (海雲比丘 Sagaramegha),
where Kumara Sudhana asked Master Sea Cloud (海雲比丘 Sagaramegha) how to renounce his worldly life
(捨凡夫家) to be born in the Family of Tathagata (生於如來家), how to
cross the river of births and deaths (斷生死流) over to the river of Buddha's purified acts (入佛淨行流),
how to destroy the Sansara wheel (壞生死輪) to achieve the Wheel of Great Vows (成就大願輪),
how to control his sea of passions and desires (竭愛欲海) to add to the Sea of Great Compassion (增長大悲海),
how to shut the doors of the three forms of existence (kama-loka, rupa-loka, and arupa-loka) and of the eight forms of suffering
(閉三塗八難門 ) to open the doors to Nirvana for man and gods (開人天涅槃門),
how to exit the city in which all beings are bound in the three forms of existence (出三有繫縛城,
again kama-loka, rupa-loka, and arupa-loka) to enter the city of liberation by acquiring Buddha’s wisdom (入種智解脫城),
and finally how to relinquish all worldly gems, toys, possessions, and means (棄捨一切珍玩資具)
to do good for the benefit of all beings (饒益攝受一切眾生).
Excerpt
from 40-Fascicles Avatamsaka Sutra (四十卷華嚴經) Ch. 5 “On Entering Into The Inconceivable
State Of Emancipation By The Practice And Vows Of The Bodhisattva Samantabhadra Of The Mahavaipulya Buddha Avatamsaka Sutra,”
opening paragraph - English translation by Master Longyen (釋隆嚴).
Master Sea Cloud was inspired
by Kumara Sudhana’s great vows and by the spiritual advice 海雲比丘 Sagaramegha gave Kumara
Sudhana when he read the Avatamsaka Sutra. Therefore he chose to name himself Haiyun or Sea Cloud in English. I have included
below the original Chinese scriptural text of the 40-Fascicles Avatamsaka Sutra (四十卷華嚴經)
Ch. 5, “On Entering Into The Inconceivable State Of Emancipation By The Practice And
Vows Of The Bodhisattva Samantabhadra Of The Mahavaipulya Buddha Avatamsaka Sutra,” for anyone interested in
further study.
The Mahavaipulya-buddhāvataṃsaka-sūtra
(Sanskrit: “The Great and Vast BuddhaGarland Sutra”), also called Garland Sūtra, or Avatamsaka Sutra (preserved in both Tibetan and Chinese versions was
the sublime revelation by Sakyamuni Muni Buddha upon his Enlightenment. He assumed the dharma body of the Great Deity Maha
Vairocana, (also in Tibetan Buddhism, and as Dainichi Nyorai 大日如來, of Shingon Buddhism of Japan,)
and spoke the Dharm simultaneously in nine assemblies of man, devatas, Bodhisattvas, and Buddhas in seven locations. Only
the shortest version of the Sutra is comprehensible to man and therefore still remains on earth. It contains 10, 000, 000,
095, 048 words and is the basic Sutra practised by the Floral Garland School of Buddhism. This is the Sutra most read in the
Da Huayen Monastery, founded by Master Sea Cloud.
To put you in the present context from the historical perspective
of this Sutra, in a recent conversation between Sri Swami Rajarshi Muni, Founder of the Lakulish International Fellowship's
Enlightenment Mission (LIFE Mission) and Master Sea Cloud, Founder of the Da Huayen Monastery, Muniji explained that Samantabhadra
is Lord Shiva the King of the Universe while Master Sea Cloud said that Samantabhadra is the Primeval Buddha. When we are
liberated, we become one with Barhma, Lord Shiva, or Samantabhadra the Primeval Buddha in whose body all Buddhas of the past,
present and future dwell.
As the saying goes, "If one hasn't read the Avatamsaka
Sutra, one doesn't know how rich and noble Buddhism is." Ven. Sakya Haiyun Jimeng (a.k.a Master Sea Cloud) has
been living and teaching the Avatamsaka way of life for over 20 years, an avenika-buddha-dharma that represents
the distinctive virtues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas not shared with lesser beings. Since Ven. Sakya Haiyun is
an esoteric Bhikshu leading an ascetic life, he is able to speak directly into the hearts of millions of lost
souls in this modern age of information explosion. Ven. Sakya Haiyun holds the key to the Avatamsaka Repository
Chiliocosms and is able to teach whoever wishes to listen to discover for himself or herself the fortunes
and treasures of such Avatamsaka avenika-buddha-dharma ("Huayen"), which has been lost for over a millenium,
buried in the forgotten tombs of ancient historical Buddhist volumes. Consider yourself very fortunate and blessed, that you
have eyes to see, that you have ears to hear, that you have an unclustered mind to listen, and that you have
an able body to act out the buddha-dharma about to unfold before you!
Over the past two decades, Ven. Haiyun has
established the Da-Huayen Monastery (DHYM) and its branches and the Huayen Buddhist World Community with centres
in Taiwan and worldwide:
DHYM Kaohsiong Fu De
Branch at 42 Fu De 3 Rd, Lingya Dist, Kaohsiong, Taiwan
DHYM Jhunan Branch at 62 Nanbao St, Jhunan Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan
DHYM Lugu Branch at 34-1 Aihsiang Rd, Heya Village, Lugu, Nantou
County, Taiwan
DHYM Sanhsia
Branch 192-1 Jian An Rd, Ankeng Village, Sanhsia Township, Taiwan.
At these temples, three faculties are emphasized:
Meditation
Scriptural Practice
Ashtanga Mahayana Yoga
Meditation involves both theoretic and practical training whereby practitioners learn to see
their true nature. With scriptural practice, students major in a comprehensive Avatamsaka study
program to learn, understand, practice, and teach the sutras. Besides, they do Flower Repository Programs
(FRP), sutra scripting, reading and discussions, dharma public-speaking practices, and publishing their own
dissertations. In their dharma practices, they major in education and insight into the nature of reality,emphasizing samadhi
and wisdom, as well as understanding and actualization. Mahayana Yoga is open only to selected candidates for active
participation in inner insight Yoga training camps. Cadets who pass specific tests will be given one to three years to
complete the course of fully developing the powerful insight abilities. Upon completion and fulfilment of all requirements
for graduation, they will be fully certified members of the Sangha of Ashtanga Mahayana Yoga School.
We hope that through such an intensive and comprehensive
program of studies that everyone may benefit from this long lost ancient ineffibly ineffible teachings of the Buddha, that
it is revitalised and brought into everyday practice to purify the minds of all sentients beings and the society.
May all practisers of Universal Worthy congregate and follow
the footsteps of the Buddha in the walk for the Truth. We cordially invite you to join our Flower Repository Processes where
you can learn to listen, appreciate, and accept the views of other people. Seats are limited. Call to register.
In this area we'll include links that highlight areas of our weblog.
240-DAY CIRCUMSCRIBED RECITATION OF THE AVATAMSAKA SUTRA FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE 2010 HUAYEN SANGHA-DANA
AND 7TH WBSY GENERAL CONFERENCE
