The Buddha in the Avatamsaka Sutra and the historical Buddha. According to most Buddhist researchers, the most reliable source of documents describing the historical Buddha's life is the Pali literary source, especially the Canon and Vinaya. More than 2,200 years ago, the idea of ​​the historical Buddha and the Buddha in the Mahayana sutras was also a matter of controversy among the sects. Specifically, in the treatise The Differences[1], one of the seven basic treatises of Theravada by the venerable Moggaliputta-tissa, mentioned the problem. this. The Flower Adornment Sutra, a philosophical cycle of Mahayana Buddhism, was born as early as the 1st century AD and developed during the time of the Bodhisattva Nagarjuna. Therefore, The image of the Buddha in the Avatamsaka Sutra in particular and the Mahayana Sutras in general has many differences with the historical Buddha image in the Nikāya Canon. The Nikāyas describe the Buddha from the following events: family lineage, birthplace, life, monastic life, ascetic practice, enlightenment of truth, attainment of unsurpassed enlightenment, 45 years of traveling, until Nirvana. at Ta-la song life in a full, detailed way with the image of a real person. The Nikayas also say that although an Arahant or a Buddha has all the attributes such as: the Three Intelligences (Tivijja), the Six Intelligences (chaḷbhiññā), the Ten Powers (Dasabala) and the Four Immortals (catuvesāraja) ), etc., but they are still subject to the laws of impermanence such as birth, old age, illness, and death. However, if we carefully read the Mahaparinirvana Sutra (No. 16) belonging to the School, we will see that in the Guru in particular and in the Arahants in general, there are still wonderful points. The Buddha taught the venerable Ànanda: Hey Ànanda, those who have cultivated the four divine powers, practiced many times, are very adept, very sure, very stable, skillful, skillful, then if they want to, they can live to one life or the rest of life. Now, Ànanda, the Tathagata has cultivated the four divine powers, practiced it many times, is very adept, very sure, very stable, skillful, and skillful. Ànanda, if desired, the Tathagata can live for one life or the rest of his life. The word "life", in the Pali language is "kappa" (in English aeon), a number indicating a very long time in ancient Indian mathematics, possibly equal to the age of the earth, but not the age of the earth. is a "human lifetime", 60, 70 or 100 years as we usually use. So, The Buddha's form body (rūpakāya) is not completely governed by the law of impermanence, because the Buddha himself saw that the time had come to enter Nirvana, so he passed away without using the powers of the four trainings. god to stay longer in life. This is the magic point of the Buddha that the pagan cardinals throughout the East and West cannot have. Therefore, we also cannot say that the Buddha, like other beings, is subject to birth, old age, sickness and death like an ordinary person. In the Anguttara Nikāya, I, page 662, the brahmin Dona asked the Buddha if he was a Brahma?[2] Was he a God?[3] a yakkha? not?[4] Is he a gandharva?[5] is he an ordinary man (manussa)? The Buddha replied that he was not all. He is an Enlightened One (Buddha). The Buddha also gave a very beautiful image of being like a born lotus, red or white that is born in the mud of stagnant water, but emerges from the mud of stagnant water and blooms. In the same way, the Buddha was born and raised in the world, but transcending life, has settled in the immaculate world, free from all taints or impurities in the mind. In short, the Buddha has all the attributes of his ten titles. The key difference between the historical Buddha and the Buddha in the Avatamsaka Sutra is that the Buddha in the Nikayas had only one body, the physical body or the sambhogakaya. Meanwhile, the Avatamsakaya Sutra exalts the Buddha to have three bodies (trikāya), that is, the Dharmakaya (Dharmakāya: the body that is eternally abiding from birth and death), the Sambhogakāya: the body of merit and virtue with 32 good signs born of parents. arising and nourishing matter) and Nirmāṇakāya: body transforms everywhere to save sentient beings in all realms). These three bodies are also called "self-nature body", "life use body" and "transform body". The concept of "three bodies" only appears in the Mahayana sutras, completely absent from the Nikayas. Perhaps because he wanted to warn the non-Buddhist followers that the Buddha was also governed by the law of birth, old age, sickness and death, unable to attain the ultimate results, the separation of birth and death, and the dharmas of the superior. The Mahayanas have introduced the concept of the three bodies to promote the Buddha's supreme enlightenment, which is to transcend life and death, to be eternally free in the three worlds to depending on the conditions of the salvation of sentient beings. This is the natural power of an omniscient Arahant, which is possessed by the divine and human guru (the teacher of gods and men), Kings of the heavens such as Brahma, Indra, honored by the Brahmins as the Creator were also unattainable. However, the concept of Dharmakaya has appeared in the Nikayas in a different form, the dharmakaya here refers only to the Buddha's teaching, not meant to be a permanent dharmakaya, imperishable in the same way. understand the philosophy of Mahayana Buddhism. Samyutta Nikaya III, page 219 says: "Whoever sees the Dharma, he sees me; whoever sees me, he sees the Dharma." The Mahaparinirvana Sutra of the School records the fact that the venerable nanda was deeply saddened by the passing of the Blessed One, the Buddha knew the thoughts of the venerable nanda and the whole community, especially for the Buddha. Dear friends, he called the venerable Ànanda and taught: Ànanda, if there are any of you who think: "The words of the Master are no more. Even though the sambhogakaya of Shakyamuni Buddha entered Nirvana at Sala, his life span would still be the same, and he would not be affected by birth, old age, sickness, or death. Although the concept of "improving body" (Nirmāṇakāya) in the Nikaya Canon is not mentioned, the power of "divine power" is described as being able to manifest one body into many bodies, freely traveling, not being hindered. thwarted by any obstacle. Thus, the concept of "Incarnation" has not been written down yet, but in fact that concept has been present in another term, which is the miraculous use of supernatural powers right from the time of the Buddha. The context of the Dharma assembly in the Flower Adornment Sutra such as the chapter "The Lord of the Universe" states that after the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, during those first 21 days, the Buddha entered the Sea Seal of Great Concentration, modern day Japan. Dharmakaya (Vairocana: Vairocana) preaches the Dharma for Bodhisattvas from the First Ground (Joyful Ground) or more, as many as micro-ceilings to enter invariably. Innumerable groups of Bodhisattvas (Boddhisatva) and countless Vajrayana gods (Nārāyaṇa), and assemblies of gods (deva) came to praise the Tathagata in verse. The body of the Buddha sitting at Bodh Gaya is only the sambhogakaya of the Buddha, while the body that speaks the Dharma for the bodhisattvas from the beginning and up is the body of the Buddha Vairocana. In the Great Product (Mahāvagga)[6] of the Pali Canon, it is said that, after the Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, during those first 21 days, the Buddha sat down to enjoy the liberation that he had attained. and contemplating dependent origination in two reversible directions. Based on the Nikaya, we can't find anywhere that the Buddha preached the Avatamsaka Sutra for 21 days as recorded in the history of this sutra, However, we cannot deny the value of the profound and profound meaning of this Sutra. This will be covered in part 3 of the article. Under the prism of Mahayana philosophers, the birth of the Buddha is seen as a sham. His images and Buddha's deeds from the moment of conception to the moment of Nirvana are all manifest, because the Buddha attained enlightenment from countless kalpas ago. If viewed as such, they unknowingly lose the character of the Buddha's efforts on the path of seeking truth, and fighting internally for ultimate enlightenment. Such an argument makes the Buddha's tireless spirit of teaching and saving birth have no strong effect, and the ascetic process of seeking liberation also loses its profound meaning. Reading the Pali canon, we will find that the Buddha described in the Sutta is very close. so close that we can approach him, kneel at his feet, and listen to the Dharma. We can come to Him at any time when we are suffering. His preaching life was noble but very simple. In contrast, Mahayana Buddhist literature offers us a vast array of philosophies, but the image of the Buddha may be too lofty for us. Not only the Avatamsaka Sutra, but most of the Mahayana Sutras are like that, with only a few exceptions. Of course, there are also a few passages in the four Nikayas and some sutras belonging to the Minor Departments, which were born a bit late, so they were filled with many mythological elements in history, making it difficult to convince. To identify this historical problem, we can rely on Buddhist texts, Classical works and literary commentaries of other religions such as Jainism or Upanisad works of Brahmanism (Bramanism, now Hinduism: Hinduism) ) to compare, and then draw conclusions. The source of Pali literature is still recognized by most of the senior monks and nuns and Buddhist researchers as the most reliable document. Today, many researchers are more inclined to understand the life and cause of saving sentient beings in the Pali literature than in the Mahayana literature. Other documents can be referenced, such as Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's Old Road, White Clouds, and HW Schuman's The Historical Buddha translated into Vietnamese by layman Nguyen Tam - Tran Phuong Lan. Documents directly related to the issue of this article, published by HT. Thich Chan Thien presented in the section "Buddha in Southern and Northern Tibet" in Buddhist Studies. Many other documents present the life of the Buddha from the historical perspective of many other authors in the section Buddha and Buddhadharma. The comparative study of two historical Buddha images and the Buddha from the philosophical point of view of Mahayana thinkers in general and the Flower Adornment Sutra in particular is a demanding work because it has to cite many references. in the Tripitaka. Such a review will take a long time, so here, the writer only presents an outline. 2) Was the Avatamsaka Sutra preached by the Buddha or written by Bodhisattva Nagarjuna? The process of forming the Canon shows that the Mahayana sutras were born as early as the first century BC. The first mark is the Prajna literary system, then Phap Hoa, Hoa Nghiem, Nirvana and other sacred scriptures were born one after another. Based on the Chinese Tripitaka, the Avataṃsaka Sūtra is called Dai Phuong Quang Buddha Hoa Nghiem Sutra (Buddhāvataṃsa-mahavaipulyana-sūtra) with three different translations. The first version was translated into Chinese by Mr. Buddhabhadra (Vietnamese pronunciation: Buddha-da-bat-dala, or translated as: Buddha Hien, in some places translated as: Giac Hien) into Chinese first in 418 AD. TL, Eastern Jin Dynasty, including 60 volumes. The second translation of His Holiness Śikṣānanda (Truth-sao-nanda) of the Tang Dynasty, including 80 volumes. The third translation, translated by Mr. Prajña (Prajna), also belongs to the Tang dynasty, with the era of Trinh Quan, including 40 volumes. The research paper "Introduction to the Hoa Nghiem Sutra" by scholar Cao Quan Nhu (China) translated into Vietnamese by layperson Dinh Hue[7] argues that the three translations above have different content because the three Sanskrit versions are not the same. Through the chronology and content of the three different versions, we can conclude that the Avatamsaka Sutra appeared quite late and out of sync. . Great Master Tri Khai said that the Flower Adornment Sutra is the most important sutra that the Buddha himself preached to the great bodhisattvas and devas right after attaining enlightenment in the first 21 days.[8] This classification is based solely on his own principles and views, not at all on the history of the Buddha's teachings or on the formation of the scriptures of the two great traditions. Saying this does not mean that we deny the merits of dividing the first Sutras in China by His Excellency the Great Master. In the writer's opinion, if it weren't for the above division of Great Master Tri Khai, it would be difficult for Chinese academics to find the gateway and put their faith to enter this vast land of Buddhism. For at that time, The scriptures from India and Central Asia were transmitted to China quite a lot and brought many specific ideologies but not many differences. As for the origin of this sutra, as the teacher questioned, was it due to the bodhisattva Nagarjuna (Nāgārjuna) going to the heavenly palace to invite him back or not?. It is not known which edition he read from, but most of the documents related to the real life and legend of the Bodhisattva Nagarjuna and the Flower Adornment Sutra say that he himself descended to Ta-kiet-la-long. Palace (Avanatapta), the place to hide this set of Avatamsaka Sutras to invite and propagate. Whether the legend of the formation of this sutra as mentioned above, or the legend of the Bodhisattva Manjushri appearing on the Marble Mountains in China to proclaim this sutra, cannot speak faithfully about the process of this sutra. forming the Hoa Nghiem Sutra. The noble Dharma of the Buddha is to popularize sentient beings, How could the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas hide them to the Dragon Palace or the world of gods and not spread them out for the benefit of the world? Nor can it be argued that this Sutra is so sublime and mysterious that the Dragon King hid it under the Dragon Palace. Such legends are of no value to the true Sutra formation. As for the Flower Adornment Sutra, was it written by Bodhisattva Nagarjuna himself, up to now, this Sutra is still believed as legend has it because it was requested by Bodhisattva Nagarjuna himself from Takiet-la Long Palace, propagated and propagated extensively in his time. Based on the Commentaries left by His Holiness, we see no mention of the Avatamsaka Sutra. However, in the treatises he composed, there are references to contemporary scriptures, including the "Entering the Dharma Realm" and "" Mr. Nagarjuna authored the Great Unresolved Thoughts to annotate the Flower Adornment Sutra, consisting of 100,000 recitations, and the Ten Pillars of the Bhikkhu-Virgins [...], just a small part of this series. ” (page 167). Another observation I would like to present here is that even if the Flower Adornment Sutra was written by the Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, or compiled by a later Saint Sangha, it is still valid as the Buddha's teaching, because of the doctrines. interdependence, "interdependence" "Six mysterious dependent origination" or "Six generals general content" etc.. do not go beyond the Buddha's doctrine of dependent origination but also expand on another level. At the same time, we must also acknowledge and be indebted that these works were born to meet the needs of the philosophical age, At a time when Buddhism was forced to have classic works with philosophical contents to surpass the strong doctrines of Brahminism, which had emerged like mushrooms at that time. 3) Attitudes of Buddhists when knowing historical facts The article should have ended in part 2. But because the writer wants to share a few small experiences of his own, as well as personal exchanges. with some brothers and Buddhists while reading Buddhist scriptures. Hopefully these will help a little bit of advice for Buddhists who have just come to Buddhism. 3.1. Accepting the truth Historically: Through the process of research, many scholars have discovered many points about the historical Buddha's life that are different from the Buddha described in the Mahayana sutras. In terms of ideology: Based on the ideas of each Sutra, we can deduce which sutras were preached by the Buddha or which sutras were written by later bodhisattvas and Buddhist monks. In terms of editing in written form: According to the research method based on the language in the text, we can determine which Sutra was edited before or after. Such findings sometimes shock those who have absolute faith in the scriptures. The writer himself has also had a "stumbling" experience when he discovered such a truth. Buddhism is a religion that respects the truth, we boldly accept historical truths, twists and turns, limitations in language and literature. The spirit of respecting the scriptures is a very precious thing, but insisting that it is 100% true of the Buddha's teachings is also not a good thing; or insisting that the Sutra was preached by the Buddha himself, although there is no basis for convincing, is also a point of view that needs to be revisited. Because Buddhism always calls for the spirit of "exploring the Dharma", that is, it is necessary to clearly understand the Dharma. This spirit of dharma investigation is very necessary for every Buddhist, because it will help those who practice according to the Buddha's teachings not to be lost when being led astray by foreign teachers. The Buddha allows us to doubt what may not be true, what is not ethical, with human wisdom, even if it is doubting the Buddha's teachings. In an exchange with Buddhist Tran Thanh about Mahayana and Hinayana: Which is more sublime? The author briefly presented this issue. 3.2. Do not lose faith and study in the scriptures The tracing of the author and chronology of the canon of the two traditions of the Northern and Southern traditions is really only of historical value. It helps later generations to know the philosophical views and ideas of that era. Furthermore, this knowledge saves us from having to worry much if we discover a thought or two that have been proven not to have been proclaimed by the Buddha himself. Silently thinking: "Read the scriptures to understand the truth of the Buddha" (reading the scriptures is to understand the meaning of the Buddha's teachings) is still the leading motto for Buddhists in all times. The background of the Buddha's appearance in the Sutras with countless rays of light shining throughout the three thousand great thousand worlds, with countless groups of Bodhisattvas who do not return, etc., are just a precondition for a erudite content of the teachings. That sutra carries. For example, the Flower Adornment Sutra, for example, not because this sutra was not proclaimed by the Buddha himself, but denied the value of ideas of "Six Generals Vien Dung", "Ten Mysteries of Dependent Origination" and the symbolic image of studying with 53 great Bodhisattvas of Thien Tai Dong. Death. That image will always be a shining example for our ordinary post-schoolers to follow. I would like to introduce a topical study and a work, including a presentation on the Huayan school, 1) Ten mystics: the order of the world in infinite relation 2) ) These are the studies Researching and composing extremely valuable works helps us gain more information about the history and erudite philosophy of the Hoa Nghiem Sutra. May all Buddha's children uphold and uphold the sutras with the spirit of those who collect Dharma flowers and form garlands to beautify their lives and others. May you always have a strong inner life with boundless Dharma bliss. May any Buddhist who is predestined to read this article always have unfailing faith in the Dharma and always live with the precious teachings of the Buddha. Namo Thuong Rejoice Bodhisattva Mahasattva.END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=BUDDHIST DHARMA WHEEL GOLDEN MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THE WOMEN OF THE SAKYA CLAN CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.1/5/2022.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THE WOMEN OF THE SAKYA CLAN CHAN TANH.