Fazang
Everything contains and reflects everything else, like jewels in a net each mirroring all the others – nothing exists on its own.
Placement
Systematiser of Huayan Buddhism: every phenomenon contains and reflects all others, like the jewels in Indra’s net – illustrated for Empress Wu with a golden lion.
Key ideas
- Interpenetration of all phenomena
- Principle and phenomena
- Indra’s net
Influence
Influenced by 2
Nagarjuna
influenced by
Fazang commented on the Twelve Gate Treatise ascribed to Nagarjuna and, in his five-teaching scheme, ranked emptiness teaching as elementary Mahayana below Huayan’s perfect teaching. Fazang, Shiermen lun zongzhi yiji; Huayan wujiao zhang; F. H. Cook, Hua-yen Buddhism: The Jewel Net of Indra (1977)
Evidence: AI draft
Nagarjuna › c. 150–250
Wonhyo
influenced by
Fazang’s commentary on the Awakening of Faith drew on Wonhyo’s earlier commentaries, though the two read the treatise’s storehouse consciousness and buddha-nature differently. Fazang, Dasheng qixin lun yiji; S. Lee, “On the Ālayavijñāna in the Awakening of Faith: Comparing and Contrasting Wŏnhyo and Fazang’s Views”, Religions 10 (2019)
Evidence: AI draft
Wonhyo › 617–686
Influenced 2
Kūkai
influenced
In The Ten Stages of Mind (Jūjūshinron, c. 830) Kūkai ranked Kegon, the Huayan teaching of Fazang, ninth, as the highest exoteric teaching just below esoteric Shingon. Kūkai, Himitsu mandara jūjūshinron (c. 830); Y. S. Hakeda, Kūkai: Major Works (1972)
Evidence: AI draft
Kūkai › 774–835
Jinul
influenced
Jinul reconciled Seon with Hwaeom, the Huayan doctrine systematised by Fazang, though mainly through Li Tongxuan’s commentary rather than Fazang’s own works (Hwaeomnon jeoryo, 1207). Jinul, Hwaeomnon jeoryo (1207); Wondon seongbullon; R. E. Buswell, The Korean Approach to Zen: The Collected Works of Chinul (1983)
Evidence: AI draft
Jinul › 1158–1210
Criticism
Criticizes 1
Vasubandhu
criticised
In his Treatise on the Five Teachings Fazang ranked Yogacara – Vasubandhu’s school as newly taught by Xuanzang’s Faxiang school – as only the “initial teaching” of the Mahayana, below Huayan, and reinterpreted its doctrine of the three natures. Fazang, Huayan wujiao zhang (T 1866); F. H. Cook, Hua-yen Buddhism (1977); I. Hamar (ed.), Reflecting Mirrors: Perspectives on Huayan Buddhism (2007)
Evidence: AI draft
Vasubandhu › c. 350–430
Works
- c. 700Essay on the Golden Lion
A short treatise for Empress Wu: gold and lion-shape illustrate how principle and phenomena – and all phenomena among themselves – interpenetrate.
Position
Fazang systematised Huayan thought: one cosmos (dharmadhatu) in which principle – emptiness – and phenomena do not obstruct each other, so that each phenomenon contains, and is contained in, all others. According to tradition he explained this to Empress Wu with a golden lion: the gold is principle, the lion-shape phenomena, and each hair of the lion contains the whole lion. A room of mirrors reflecting one another endlessly, like the jewels of Indra’s net, was another illustration. He ranked Buddhist doctrines in five levels, with Huayan as the “perfect teaching”. Through his fellow student Uisang and others Huayan reached Korea and Japan; Neo-Confucian talk of principle partly echoes it.
Life & context
Fazang was born in 643 in Chang’an, the Tang capital, into a family of Sogdian origin. He studied with Zhiyan, the leading interpreter of the Flower Garland (Huayan) Sutra, but was ordained only in 670, with the support of Empress Wu. He took part in translation projects, including a new Huayan Sutra version completed in 699, lectured at court and enjoyed imperial favour until his death in 712.
Further main works
- Treatise on the Five Teachings of Huayan (Huayan wujiao zhang, late 7th century)
- Record of Investigating the Mystery of the Huayan Sutra (Huayan jing tanxuan ji, late 7th century)
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