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267921911.Pdf View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE For copyright reasons, the frontispiece and all other illustrations in this volume have been blacked out. We are in the process of applying for permission to reproduce these illustrations electronically. Once permission is gained, the illustrations will be made available. We apologize for the inconvenience. ARTICLES The Huayan Philosophers Fazang and Li Tongxuan on the “Six Marks” and the “Sphere of Edification” SEUNGHak KOH RADITIONALLY, Huayan 華嚴 (Jp. Kegon; K. Hwaŏm) scholasticism Thas been characterized by a grandiose metaphysical edifice formulated by some pioneering figures during the Sui 隋 (581–618) and Tang 唐 (618– 907) periods. Led by this stereotyped depiction, scholars tend to pay a little too much attention to the thought of the so-called “five Huayan patri- archs,” to the point that they fail to notice diverse facets of the tradition.1 As pointed out by Robert M. Gimello, such an attitude can be labelled as a “drastic over-simplification of the actual complexity of its history.”2 He A KOREAN TRANSLATION of section 2 was already published in vol. 30 of Namdo munhwa yŏn’gu (Suncheon: Sunch’ŏn Taehakkyo Chirisan’gwŏn Munhwa Yŏnguwŏn Namdo Mun- hwa Yŏn’guso, 2016). 1 According to Yoshizu Yoshihide (1984, pp. 264–65), the theory of “five Huayan patri- archs” was introduced by Changshui Zixuan 長水子璿 (965–1038) and Jinshui Jingyuan 晋水 浄源 (1011–1088) during the Song 宋 period (960–1127). Before they set forth their theory, Zongmi 宗密 (780–841), who was later recognized as the fifth patriarch, presented a Huayan lineage that identified Dushun 杜順 (557–640) as the first patriarch and Fazang 法藏 (643– 712) as a de facto founder of the Huayan school. As Zongmi was active during the mid-Tang period and saw the flourishing of Chan 禪 Buddhism, he might have been influenced by the Chan notion of lineage which emphasized the unbroken succession of teachings between masters and disciples. Zixuan and Jingyuan then associated Fazang with Chengguan 澄觀 (738–839) in a master-disciple relationship despite the lack of any historical evidence of such relationship. Thereafter the Chinese Huayan tradition focused on the thought of Fazang and Chengguan. 2 Gimello 1983, pp. 321–24. The Eastern Buddhist 46/2: 1–18 ©2017 The Eastern Buddhist Society 2 THE EASTERN BUDDHIST 46, 2 thus suggests that we take due notice of “its great diversity” and “innovation and disjuncture.” In this respect, a comparative study of two Huayan thinkers, who were contemporaries but responsible for presenting quite different frameworks for the interpretation of the Dafangguang fo huayan jing 大方廣佛華嚴經 (here- after, Flower Garland Sutra), could redress the abovementioned stereotyped understanding of the tradition. In this paper, I will mainly draw on important passages from the works of Fazang 法藏 (643–712) and Li Tongxuan 李通 玄 (635–730), thereby hoping to give a nuanced picture of the tradition and counter the one-sided emphasis on the “orthodox” lineage.3 An exhaustive comparison of the philosophies of the two masters would go beyond the scope of this paper, however. My focus will thus be limited to an analysis of two key concepts, namely the “six marks” (liuxiang 六相) and the “sphere of edification” (shehua fenqi 攝化分齊 or shehua jingjie 攝化境界), which were adopted by the two figures but used in different ways. Since Li Tongxuan made extensive allusions to Fazang’s interpretations of the Flower Garland Sutra in his Xin huayan jing lun 新華嚴經論 (A Trea- tise on the Newly Translated Flower Garland Sutra; hereafter, Xin lun), it is evident that he was well aware of Fazang’s treatises and commentaries. What strikes us when we read Li’s works is that he had a tendency to read the Flower Garland Sutra more intuitively and boldly than the “orthodox” Huayan masters did. This attitude could possibly be attributed to his status as a layman who was free from any rigid doctrinal grid. Whereas a profes- sional scholar-monk like Fazang would examine a scriptural passage on the basis of established theories, especially those of the Yogācāra and Dilun 地 論 schools, a layman like Li Tongxuan could perhaps have had more room to bring his own intuition and practice into the explication of the same pas- sage. If the former might be in danger of satisfying himself with present- ing doctrinal theories that are well argued but lack fresh insights, the latter may more easily present an interpretation that can fit better with the “literary texture and imagery” of the scripture in question.4 In what follows, I will first introduce the two masters’ different exegetical styles, which can be dubbed as “literalism” and “intuitivism” respectively, 3 After the establishment of the five patriarchs theory, Chinese and Japanese scholar- monks generally followed the ideas presented in the works of these five Huayan masters and regarded the works by other thinkers as “heterodox.” The legacy of this orthodox-heterodox dichotomy can be found in Yusuki (1975, p. 227), where he severely criticizes Huiyuan 慧苑 (ca. 673–743) and Li Tongxuan. 4 Gimello 1983, pp. 338–39, 360. KOH: FAZANG AND LI TONGxUAN 3 by quoting some representative passages from their works. Next, I will exam- ine their different interpretations of two important scholastic concepts: the six marks and the sphere of edification. In this manner I would like to reveal their opposing practical orientations and stress the fact that diverse perspec- tives existed within the Huayan tradition. Literalism vs. Intuitivism As is well known, Fazang’s scholastic activities were inextricably associated with the political situation of his time. The Jin shizi zhang 金師子章 (A Trea- tise on the Golden Lion), one of his later works, is a record of his lecture delivered to Empress Wu Zetian 武則天 (625–705) in order to offer a succinct overview of Huayan philosophy to her. Although historical sources show discrepancies concerning the exact date of this work,5 all of them agree that Fazang’s lecture, which employed the simile of a golden lion standing at the corner of a royal palace, aroused great enlightenment in Wu Zetian’s mind. Here it should be noted that the backdrop against which this treatise was composed clearly shows Fazang’s active involvement in court politics. His ascent to prominent status as a religious leader may also be ascribed to his close ties with the contemporaneous polity. Whereas this short treatise uses a simile that can be easily understood by a person who has no expertise in Buddhist philosophy, his other works are replete with rather daunting philological analyses. For instance, the Dasheng qixin lun yiji 大乘起信論義記 (The Commentary on the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana) frequently provides sophisticated ways of breaking down Buddhist compounds even in the context of introducing such basic Bud- dhist terms as “basket of scriptures” (Ch. jingzang 經藏; Skt. sūtra-piṭaka) and “basket of discipline” (Ch. lüzang 律藏; Skt. vinaya-piṭaka).6 Besides such a pedantic style shown in his explication of Buddhist terms, we can also discern “literalism” in this work. In the Dasheng qixin lun 大乘起信 論 (Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana), for instance, the term “ultimate enlightenment” ( jiujing jue 究竟覺) is defined as “being aware of the initial 5 For instance, the Fozu tongji 佛祖統紀 (Chronological Record of the Buddhas and Patri- archs; ca. 1614) dates the composition of the Jin shizi zhang to 699. But the Fozu lidai tong- zai 佛祖歷代通載 (Annals of the Buddhas and Patriarchs; 1341) says that the Jin shizi zhang was written in 702. See Fozu tongji, fasc. 39, T no. 2035, 49: 370c6–11; Fozu lidai tongzai, fasc. 12, T no. 2036, 49: 585b23–c2. 6 Dasheng qixin lun yiji, fasc. 1, T no. 1846, 44: 241b27–c18. Here Fazang adopts diverse technical terms such as “descriptive compound” (Ch. zhiye shi 持業釋; Skt. karma-dhāraya) and “dependent compound” (Ch. yizhu shi 依住釋; Skt. tat-puruṣa). 4 THE EASTERN BUDDHIST 46, 2 arising of the mind and [coming to understand that] the mind is devoid of that initial characteristic [of arising]” ( juexin chuqi xin wu chuxiang 覺心 初起心無初相). Previous stages of “actualized enlightenment” (shijue 始覺) are, to the contrary, defined as “being aware of the changing and abiding of thoughts and [coming to understand that] thoughts are devoid of those charac- teristics of changing and abiding” ( jue yu nian yi nian wu yixiang ...jue yu nian zhu nian wu zhuxiang 覺於念異念無異相 ...覺於念住念無住相).7 Regard- ing the replacement of the word “thought” by “mind” in the definition of “ultimate enlightenment,” Fazang says: Although the previous three stages have something to be aware of, the wavering thoughts are not yet extinguished. Therefore those stages are just defined as “[coming to understand that] the thought is devoid of that characteristic of abiding, and so on.” Now, in this stage of ultimate enlightenment, the wavering thoughts are completely extinguished and only one mind exists. Therefore the expression “[coming to understand that] the mind is devoid of that initial characteristic” is used.8 Here we can clearly see that Fazang takes meticulous notice of the different expressions in the text and explicates the scriptural passage in question on the assumption that a subtle change in wording leads to a complete differ- ence in the meaning. Such an attitude that keeps a careful eye on each and every word in a given text can also be found in Fazang’s commentary on the Flower Garland Sutra. The most salient example that shows Fazang’s literalism is his interpretation of the phrase “first attainment of right enlightenment” (shicheng zhengjue 始成正覺), which appears four times at the beginning of important chapters of the scripture.
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