The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (299 page)

 
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Avatamsaka literature
.

An important and extensive literary compilation in
Mah
y
na
Buddhism centring on the
Avatamsaka-s
tra
, also known as
Buddh
vatamsaka-s
tra
(Sutra of the Garland of Buddhas; Chin.,
Hua-yen ching
; Jap.,
Kegon-kyo
). Most of the Skt. original of the work, reputedly extending to 100,000 verses, has been lost, but several translations exist in Tibetan and Chinese. Several chapters became revered as important s
tras in their own right, such as ‘The Ten Stages of a Bodhisattva's Career’ (
Da
abh
mika-s
tra
) and the ‘Entry into the Absolute’ (
Ga
avy
ha-s
tra
), these being the only parts, in consequence, which survive in Sanskrit.
Throughout the text the Buddha is portrayed as the focal point of all the spiritual energies of the universe which coalesce into a magnificent cosmic unity. The
Avatamsaka-s
tra