The Origins and Supreme Merits of the Avatamsaka Repentance Ceremony
The Supreme Status of the Avatamsaka Sutra
The Avatamsaka Sutra (Sanskrit: Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra), fully titled The Great and Expansive Buddha Avatamsaka Sutra, is the first great Mahayana scripture expounded by Shakyamuni Buddha after attaining enlightenment in deep samadhi. Revered as the “King of Sutras,” it embodies the essence of the Tripitaka, systematically elucidating the origins of the universe, the true nature of sentient beings, and the ultimate realization of Buddhahood. Therefore, it is often said, “Without reading the Avatamsaka Sutra, one does not know the vast wealth of the Buddha’s teachings.”
On the night of his enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, Shakyamuni Buddha beheld the morning star and instantly awakened to the truth of all Dharma realms. In that very moment, he expounded the Avatamsaka Sutra, revealing a vast and boundless teaching. Like the rising sun illuminating all beings, this sutra guides great Bodhisattvas, Pratyekabuddhas, Sravakas, and all sentient beings toward ultimate liberation. Those who recite the Avatamsaka Sutra or sincerely participate in the Avatamsaka Repentance Ceremony will generate immeasurable merit, beyond all words and comparison.
Core Teachings of the Avatamsaka Sutra
The Avatamsaka Sutra primarily elucidates the interdependent arising of all phenomena, revealing the profound interconnection of the universe and all existences. Its key doctrines include:
- Four Dharma Realms – The phenomenal realm (事法界), the noumenal realm (理法界), the non-obstruction of phenomena and noumenon (理事无碍法界), and the non-obstruction of all phenomena (事事无碍法界).
- Six Aspects of Interpenetration – Totality, Particularity, Identity, Difference, Integration, and Disintegration (总相、别相、同相、异相、成相、坏相).
- Ten Mysterious Gates – Illustrating the infinite, interwoven relationships of the Dharma realm, likened to the Indra’s Net of infinite interpenetration.
These teachings manifest the highest wisdom of Mahayana Buddhism, presenting an inconceivable, all-encompassing, and perfectly harmonious vision of reality.
The Three Holy Ones of the Avatamsaka Sutra
The most revered figures in the Avatamsaka Sutra are known as the Three Holy Ones of Avatamsaka:
- Vairocana Buddha – The embodiment of the pure Dharmakaya (Ultimate Reality).
- Manjushri Bodhisattva – The manifestation of supreme wisdom.
- Samantabhadra Bodhisattva – The embodiment of universal vows and virtuous actions.
The well-known Chapter on the Practices and Vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, found within the Avatamsaka Sutra, describes the Ten Great Vows, which encapsulate the essence of the Buddha’s 84,000 Dharma teachings. These vows serve as a guiding path for all practitioners, leading them from faith and understanding to practice and realization, ultimately attaining perfect enlightenment.
Five Supreme Merits of the Avatamsaka Repentance Ceremony
The Avatamsaka Repentance Ceremony is a profound practice based on the principles of the Avatamsaka Sutra. Sincerely participating in this ceremony can bring five great merits:
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Eliminating the Five Heinous Karmic Offenses
The Avatamsaka Sutra states:
“If one, with deep faith, upholds, recites, or even copies a single four-line verse of this great vow, they will swiftly eradicate the karma of the Five Heinous Offenses.”
Even those who have committed the gravest of sins can purify their karma through sincere repentance, transforming misfortune into blessing. -
Healing from Illness and Mental Distress
By faithfully upholding and reciting the Avatamsaka Sutra, whether by chanting, transcribing, or contemplating its teachings, one can alleviate physical ailments, mental suffering, and all forms of affliction, attaining peace and well-being. -
Attaining Rebirth in the Realms of Virtue and Wisdom
The sutra describes a vision drawn by Samantabhadra Bodhisattva:
“Wherever such a person is reborn, they will be in noble lineages, free from evil realms, distanced from negative influences, victorious over non-Buddhist teachings, and completely liberated from afflictions. Like a lion among beasts, they will be honored and revered by all beings.”
Those who devotedly recite the Avatamsaka Sutra will escape all suffering, transcend all negative karma, and attain rebirth in virtuous realms. -
Subduing Evil Forces and Receiving the Protection of the Buddhas
The merit of practicing the Avatamsaka Repentance Ceremony causes malevolent spirits to recede and even transform, inspiring them to take refuge in the Dharma and offer their protection to sincere practitioners. -
Fulfilling Aspirations and Attaining Prosperity in All Endeavors
Those who uphold the Avatamsaka Sutra are praised and safeguarded by all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout time and space. Their careers, families, and spiritual practice will be harmonious and successful, and their aspirations will be fulfilled.
The Place of the Avatamsaka Sutra in the Buddha’s Lifetime Teachings
After attaining enlightenment, the Buddha spent twenty-one days expounding the Avatamsaka Sutra, known as the “Three Weeks of Avatamsaka”, radiating the vast and profound teachings of Mahayana Buddhism. Following this, he gradually adapted his teachings to the capacities of different beings:
- Twelve Years of the Agama Period – Establishing the foundation of Buddhism and teaching the early disciples.
- Eight Years of the Vaipulya Period – Transitioning from Hinayana to Mahayana teachings.
- Twenty-Two Years of the Prajna Period – Expounding the wisdom of emptiness, clarifying the distinction between Buddhist and non-Buddhist doctrines.
- Eight Years of the Lotus-Nirvana Period – Concluding with the doctrine of One Vehicle (Ekayana), declaring that all sentient beings possess Buddha-nature and can attain Buddhahood.
The Avatamsaka Sutra encapsulates the original enlightenment experience of the Buddha, a truth later affirmed by the Lotus Sutra and the Nirvana Sutra. These three scriptures, widely transmitted in Chinese Buddhism, have had the greatest impact on Buddhist philosophy and practice, as they directly unveil the ultimate reality of the Buddha’s teachings.
