Commentarial literature constitutes a cornerstone in the edifice of Chinese Buddhism, providing critical exegesis of Indian Buddhist texts. This paper examines the pivotal role of Chengguan (738–839), the fourth patriarch of the Huayan school, revered for his extensive commentarial work on the Chinese translations of the Buddhāvataṃsaka-sūtra. Chengguan not only composed a written commentary but also engaged in discourses with the monastic and lay communities at Wutaishan, prompting the creation of a sub-commentary derived from these oral elucidations. The study posits that the composition of Chengguan’s audiences, comprising Confucian-educated scholars and Buddhist monks, necessitated a pedagogical strategy that integrated Chinese intellectual traditions into the Buddhist narrative to enhance comprehension. This analysis focuses on Chengguan’s citations of the Analects, showcasing how he interweaves Confucian maxims into the fabric of his commentary to illuminate Buddhist doctrines. The research articulates the method he employed to make the Buddhist texts resonate with a Chinese audience.
The practice of mindfulness of the Buddha is closely related to the Amitbha cult, but Chengguan does not mention Amitbha in his Commentary, presumably because the central figure in the Buddhvatam sakastra is Vairocana, the cosmic Buddha. He refers to the physical appearance of the Buddha using the expressions body of Dharmanature (faxing shen ) and merit body (gongde shen ) indicating the extraordinary excellence of the Buddhas body. Through this, the practitioner can understand the deepest truth, such as thusness (ruli ), and attain all merits. By contemplating the thirtytwo primary and eighty secondary characteristics of the Buddhas body, the practitioner can acquire these excellent qualities. All obstacles will be eliminated, and he will attain all merits. Every goal of the Buddhist religious practice can be achieved by contemplating the Buddhas body. Therefore, he says that everything can be summarized in one phrase (yiyan bi zhu )mindfulness of the Buddha.
id: 8d36535594c8186eb7e947b3378af837 - page: 8
In his Record, Chengguan refers to the Mahvaipulyamahsam niptastrabhadrapla parivarta, which is a version of the Pratyutpannabuddhasam mukhvasthitasamdhistra translated into Chinese by Jnagupta in 595 (See Harrison 1990, pp. xvxvi), saying that Buddha claimed that all merits originate from the practice of mindfulness of the Bud dha. Next, he explains that everything can be summarized in one phrase (yiyan bi zhu ),13 which comes from the Analects, and he quotes the relevant passage from the Analects. The passage underlies that the famous Chinese Classic the Book of Odes can be summarized in one phrase from Ode 297: Swerving not from the right path. This must refer to proper moral conduct in the Confucianist context, which should be regarded as the most important religious practice according to Confucius. Indeed, this can be parallelly as serted with the Buddhist practice of mindfulness of the Buddha, which is considered the foremost practice in Buddhism according to the stras testimony,
id: 176d913cd27894a61bcd8b7122447e99 - page: 8
Chengguan quotes Bao Xuans commentary for this passage: this means returning to the right path. However, he does not mention the commenta tors name.
id: 10d95e3622a18977ded37e5ab2bc14fa - page: 8
In the Mahvaipulyamahsam niptastrabhadraplaparivarta (Da fangdeng daji jing xianhu fen ), various merits are discussed in great details, and when inquiring about their causes, Buddha responds that all merits arise from mindfulness of the Buddha. The expression summarizing this in one phrase comes from the Analects. The Master said, The Odes are three hundred in num ber. They can be summed up in one phrase, Swerving not from the right path (Lau 1992, p. 11). This means returning to the right path. Reciting the Buddhas name can also be considered a phrase. If we highlight just one word, it is the char acter for Buddha. From the fourth patriarch onward, only the word Buddha is repeated. , , : (T36, no. 1736, p. 208a915) 8 of 15 Religions 2024, 15, 400
id: 384a039420e608cef063e706f2e68a49 - page: 8