The Buddhist Teaching of Totality: The Philosophy of Hwa Yen Buddhism

by Garma C.C. Chang

Overview

The Hwa Yen school of Mahāyāna Buddhism bloomed in China in the 7th and 8th centuries A.D. Today many scholars regard its doctrines of Emptiness, Totality, and Mind-Only as the crown of Buddhist thought and as a useful and unique philosophical system and explanation of man, world, and life as intuitively experienced in Zen practice.

For the first time in any Western language Garma Chang explains and exemplifies these doctrines with references to both oriental masters and Western philosophers. The Buddha's mystical experience of infinity and totality provides the framework for this objective revelation of the three pervasive and interlocking concepts upon which any study of Mahāyāna philosophy must depend.

Following an introductory section describing the essential differences between Judeo-Christian and Buddhist philosophy, Professor Chang provides an extensive, expertly developed section on the philosophical foundations of Hwa Yen Buddhism dealing with the core concept of True Voidness, the philosophy of Totality, and the doctrine of Mind-Only. A concluding section includes selections of Hwa Yen readings and biographies of the patriarchs, as well as a glossary and list of Chinese terms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780271011790
Publisher:	Penn State University Press
Publication date:	09/15/1970
Pages:	300
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Renowned for his English translation of The 100,000 Songs of Milarepa, Garma Chen-Chi Chang was also the author of The Practice of Zen and The Teachings of Tibetan Yoga, and the editor and translator of A Treasury of Mahāyāna Sūtras. At the time of his death in 1988, Dr. Chang was Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies at The Pennsylvania State University.

Table of Contents

	Preface	ix
	Prologue	xiii
	Notes for the Prologue	xxv
Part 1	The Realm of Totality	2
	The Infinity of Buddha's Realm	3
	A Dialogue Concerning Totality	14
	Non-Obstruction--The Pivot of Totality	18
	Fa Tsang's Hall of Mirrors	22
	The Causes of Totality	25
	The Ten Stages of the Bodhisattva's Enlightenment	28
	The Inconceivable Dharmas of the Buddhas	48
	Samadhi, Miracle, and Dharmadhatu	51
	Notes for Part One	53
Part 2	The Philosophical Foundations of Hwa Yen Buddhism	58
	Introduction to Part Two	59
Section 1	The Philosophy of Emptiness	60
	Sunyata--the Core of Buddhism	60
	The Gist of the Heart Sutra	64
	The Prologue	66
	Illustration of the True Voidness	67
	The Rationale of "Form Is Emptiness"	69
	The No-Self Doctrine and Svabhava Sunyata	75
	The Svabhava Way of Man's Thinking	84
	The Doctrine of the Absolute Emptiness	88
	Absolute Sunyata and the Doctrine of Being	89
	Absolute Sunyata and Absolute Transcendence	95
	Absolute Emptiness in the Heart Sutra	97
	The Ten Similes of Emptiness	100
	Sunyata and Logic	102
	The Two Truths System	107
	The Two Truths on Three Levels	108
	The Non-Abiding Nature of Sunyata	110
	Further Discussions of True Emptiness	112
	The Significance of Sunyata	115
	Notes for Part Two, Section One	118
Section 2	The Philosophy of Totality	121
	Mutual Penetration and Mutual Identity--the Two Basic Principles of Hwa Yen Philosophy	121
	The Metaphor of the Ocean-Mirror Samadhi	124
	The Obstructions of Disclosure and Concealment	126
	The "Round View" and the "Round Doctrine"	128
	The "Round View" and Logical Consistency	132
	A Discussion of Mutual Identity	136
	The Philosophy of the Four Dharmadhatus	141
	The Dharmadhatu of Shih (Events)	142
	The Dharmadhatu of Li (Principle)	142
	The Dharmadhatu of Non-Obstruction of Li Against Shih (Li-shih Wu-ai)	143
	The Dharmadhatu of Non-Obstruction of Shih Against Shih (Shih-shih Wu-ai)	153
	An Elaboration of the Ten Mysteries	155
	The Harmonious Merging of the Six Forms
	Notes for Part Two, Section Two	170
Section 3	The Doctrine of Mind-Only	172
	The Mind and the External World	172
	The Alaya Consciousness and Totality	182
	Notes for Part Two, Section Three	184
Part 3	A Selection of Hwa Yen Readings and the Biographies of the Patriarchs	186
	The Great Vows of Samantabhadra [from the Hwa Yen Sutra]	187
	A Commentary on the Heart Sutra	197
	The Buddhist Teaching of Totality	vii
	On the Meditation of Dharmadhatu	207
	On the Golden Lion	224
	The Biographies of the Patriarchs	231
	Notes for Part Three	240
	Epilogue	242
	List of Chinese Terms	243
	Glossary	250
	Index	265

Editorial Reviews

That The Buddhist Teaching of Totality is a unique and long-needed contribution to Buddhological literature in English cannot be denied. Not only is it one of the very few introductions to a school of Chinese Buddhism other than Ch’an, it is one of the few attempts in any language to present systematically the essential features of the Flower (Hwa Yen) Garland School, perhaps the most philosophical sophisticated example of Buddhist syncretism ever to be produced.”

—Journal of the American Oriental Society

“Chang’s style is easy and concise, enjoyable, and stimulating. . . . This would be a useful book for any college or university library. Highly recommended.”

—Choice

“[This] is indeed a most welcome addition to the literature on the most comprehensive and most profound branch of Chinese Buddhism, the Hwa Yen School. . . . [It is] a work of real and present value.”

—Main Currents in Modern Thought

“The Western student of Buddhism should be grateful for this first full-length treatment in English of an important and interesting school of Buddhist thought.”

—Philosophy East and West

“This book is highly recommended to advanced students of Buddhism and to Westerners whose interests in Buddhism incline toward the metaphysical and phenomenological.”

—Philosophy and Phenomenological Research

From the Publisher