English
English version: The Zen master Xiude (Virtuous Cultivation), with tens of thousands of disciples, was a leader of Zen Buddhism. He specialized in the Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Garland Sutra), and to show his respect for this scripture, he first soaked water with agarwood, and then planted trees. When the trees grew large, he took their bark to make paper, which he used to transcribe the sutra. The scribe, the brush maker, and the paper maker, all three, had to bathe and purify themselves before and after urination and defecation. After each scroll was completed, ten bolts of silk were donated. After the mounting was completed, a vegetarian feast was held to celebrate and praise the sutra. The sutra was placed in a fragrant wooden box and reverently worshipped. On the day of the vegetarian feast, monks and laypeople flocked like clouds. When the box was first opened, golden light shone far and wide, illuminating more than a hundred li (Chinese mile). People from more than fifty prefectures in Shandong came to worship the sutra. Outsiders and laypeople all heard about it. At that time, there was a eunuch named Liu Qianzhi, who was a follower of the third prince of the Northern Qi Dynasty. During the Taihe years of the Qi Dynasty, the prince burned himself as an offering to Manjushri Bodhisattva. Liu Qianzhi, feeling deficient due to his physical condition, vowed to live on Mount Wutai, specializing in the Avatamsaka Sutra, reciting and upholding it day and night, and performing repentance rituals six times a day. After many years, his sincerity and diligence moved Manjushri Bodhisattva to bless him, and suddenly his beard and hair grew back, restoring his complete body. His voice also became elegant and resonant, surpassing most people. After regaining his male form, he became even more devout and diligently studied the meaning of the sutra, and then wrote the Avatamsaka Treatise in six hundred volumes. Youzhen (Secluded Purity) has secretly heard that in the mountains of West Satchakubandhu, there is a complete Avatamsaka Sutra with one hundred thousand verses, the Inconceivable Liberation Great Expansive Buddha Flower Garland Sutra. I only hope that this sutra can be completely translated and transmitted here soon, to universally benefit all sentient beings. Youzhen, in the year Guihai of the Jianzhong era of the Tang Dynasty, respectfully makes this vow. For this reason, I composed this verse of refuge, reciting it during each Buddha worship and when reciting the twelve divisions of scriptures. When not worshipping the Buddha, I recite this verse of refuge. The Avatamsaka Sutra has an ineffable number of lands and oceans, as many as dust motes, of verses and chapters. How could it be completely transcribed on palm leaves? These are all remembered and upheld by the power of the dharani of the great Bodhisattvas. The sutra upheld by Bhikkhu Haiyun, even if one were to write one chapter with an ocean of ink and a mountain of brushes as large as Mount Sumeru, one could not exhaust even a small portion of it. Patriarch Nagarjuna saw in the Dragon Palace the scriptures transmitted by the textual compilation, which had three versions: upper, middle, and lower. The upper version had ten three thousand great thousand --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
世界微尘数偈一四天下微尘数品。中本有四十九万八千八百偈一千二百品。下本有十万偈四十八品。其上中之本。亦非阎浮人力可能受持。所以西域。唯有下本十万偈经。今在彼国山中。此土所译八十卷经。梵偈唯四万五千。于十万中。乃略出耳。幽贞悲此土经犹未具故。广发是愿。附出此传。盖欲劝诸道者见之。皆同礼念哀请。下本经具足。早传此土也。传中僧所教檀越神亮诵偈。是前所译经本也。后译偈言。 若人欲了知 三世一切佛 应观法界性 一切唯心造 上元年中。孙思邈服流珠舟云母粉。生一百五十岁。颜如处子。至长安说齐魏间事。明如目睹。书写此经七百五十部。 太宗欲读佛经问邈。何经为大。邈云。华严经佛所尊大。帝曰。近玄奘三藏。译大般若六百卷。何不为大。而八十卷华严经。独得大乎。邈答云。华严法界具一切。于一门中。可演出大千经卷。般若经乃是华严中一门耳。太宗方悟。乃受持华严一乘秘教。亦名大不思议解脱经。功用大故。感应亦大。道者欲学佛心慧。了佛境界。证佛地位。依此一乘法性悔而修行者。不历地位。初发心时便成正觉。悉与三世诸如来等。譬如众流一滴之水。才入海中即名海水。若依大乘二乘权教。备修万行。绵历多劫。不知闻是经。 现代汉语译本： 《世界微尘数偈》（世界微尘数偈，描述经文数量的术语）一四天下微尘数品（四天下微尘数品，描述经文数量的术语）。中本有四十九万八千八百偈（偈，佛经中的诗歌体裁）一千二百品。下本有十万偈四十八品。其上中之本，亦非阎浮（阎浮，Jambudvipa，指我们所居住的这个世界）人力可能受持。所以西域（西域，指古代中国对西方地区的称谓），唯有下本十万偈经。今在彼国山中。此土所译八十卷经，梵偈唯四万五千，于十万中，乃略出耳。幽贞（幽贞，作者的法号）悲此土经犹未具故，广发是愿，附出此传。盖欲劝诸道者见之，皆同礼念哀请，下本经具足，早传此土也。传中僧所教檀越（檀越，Dānapati，指佛教的施主）神亮诵偈，是前所译经本也。后译偈言： ‘若人欲了知，三世一切佛，应观法界性，一切唯心造。’ 上元年中，孙思邈（孙思邈，中国唐代著名医学家和道士）服流珠舟云母粉，生一百五十岁，颜如处子，至长安（长安，唐朝的首都）说齐魏间事，明如目睹，书写此经七百五十部。 太宗（太宗，唐太宗，唐朝的第二位皇帝）欲读佛经问邈，何经为大。邈云：‘华严经（华严经，Avataṃsaka Sūtra）佛所尊大。’帝曰：‘近玄奘三藏（玄奘三藏，唐朝著名僧侣和翻译家）译大般若（大般若，Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra）六百卷，何不为大？而八十卷华严经，独得大乎？’邈答云：‘华严法界具一切，于一门中，可演出大千经卷。般若经乃是华严中一门耳。’太宗方悟，乃受持华严一乘秘教（一乘秘教，Ekayāna，佛教的一种教义），亦名大不思议解脱经（大不思议解脱经，Achintyavimoksha Sūtra）。功用大故，感应亦大。道者欲学佛心慧，了佛境界，证佛地位，依此一乘法性悔而修行者，不历地位，初发心时便成正觉，悉与三世诸如来（如来，Tathāgata，佛的称号之一）等。譬如众流一滴之水，才入海中即名海水。若依大乘（大乘，Mahāyāna，佛教的一个主要分支）二乘权教（二乘权教，指声闻乘和缘觉乘的权宜教法），备修万行，绵历多劫，不知闻是经。
English
English version: 《World of Dust Motes Gāthās》（World of Dust Motes Gāthās, a term describing the number of sutras） and One Four-Continents of Dust Motes Chapters (Four-Continents of Dust Motes Chapters, a term describing the number of sutras). The middle version contains 498,800 gāthās (gāthās, verses in Buddhist scriptures) and 1,200 chapters. The lower version contains 100,000 gāthās and 48 chapters. The upper and middle versions are beyond the capacity of people in Jambudvipa (Jambudvipa, refers to the world we live in) to receive and uphold. Therefore, in the Western Regions (Western Regions, the ancient Chinese term for the western areas), only the lower version of 100,000 gāthās exists. It is now in the mountains of that country. The translated eighty-scroll scripture in this land contains only 45,000 Sanskrit gāthās, which is just a brief excerpt from the 100,000. Youzhen (Youzhen, the author's Dharma name) laments that the scripture is not yet complete in this land, so she makes a broad vow and appends this transmission. It is intended to encourage all practitioners who see it to respectfully recite and earnestly request that the complete lower version of the scripture be transmitted to this land soon. The gāthā recited by the monk who taught the Dānapati (Dānapati, refers to a Buddhist benefactor) Shenliang in the transmission is from the previously translated scripture. The later translated gāthā says: 'If one wishes to understand, all Buddhas of the three times, one should contemplate the nature of the Dharma realm, everything is created by the mind.' In the Shangyuan year, Sun Simiao (Sun Simiao, a famous Chinese physician and Taoist of the Tang Dynasty) took flowing pearl mica powder and lived to be 150 years old, with a face like a maiden. He went to Chang'an (Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty) and spoke of the events between Qi and Wei as if he had witnessed them himself. He wrote 750 copies of this scripture. Emperor Taizong (Taizong, Emperor Taizong of Tang, the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty) wanted to read Buddhist scriptures and asked Miao which scripture was the greatest. Miao said, 'The Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Avataṃsaka Sūtra) is revered by the Buddha as the greatest.' The Emperor said, 'Recently, the Tripiṭaka Master Xuanzang (Xuanzang, a famous Tang Dynasty monk and translator) translated the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra (Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra) in six hundred scrolls. Why is that not the greatest? And why is the eighty-scroll Avataṃsaka Sūtra uniquely considered the greatest?' Miao replied, 'The Avataṃsaka Dharma realm contains everything. From one gate, countless sutras can be derived. The Prajñā Sūtra is just one gate within the Avataṃsaka.' Emperor Taizong then understood and received and upheld the secret teaching of the One Vehicle (Ekayāna, a Buddhist doctrine) of the Avataṃsaka, also known as the Achintyavimoksha Sūtra (Achintyavimoksha Sūtra). Because its function is great, its response is also great. Practitioners who wish to learn the wisdom of the Buddha's mind, understand the Buddha's realm, and attain the Buddha's position, and who rely on this One Vehicle Dharma-nature repentance and practice, do not go through stages. At the initial arising of the mind, they attain perfect enlightenment, equal to all the Tathāgatas (Tathāgata, one of the titles of the Buddha) of the three times. It is like a drop of water from all streams, which, upon entering the sea, is called seawater. If one relies on the expedient teachings of the Two Vehicles (referring to the expedient teachings of the Śrāvakayāna and Pratyekabuddhayāna) of the Mahāyāna (Mahāyāna, a major branch of Buddhism), cultivates all kinds of practices, and spends many kalpas, one may not even hear of this scripture.' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
以少方便疾得菩提。经云。此经不入一切众生之手。唯除菩萨摩诃萨。一切声闻缘觉。不得此经。何况受持。若菩萨亿那由他劫。行六波罗蜜。不闻此经。虽闻不信。是等犹为假名菩萨。若有经卷地如来塔庙。礼拜供养。彼众生等。具足善根。灭烦恼患。得贤圣乐。吾徒其勉之。予师事禅祖无名公侧。闻普贤大行海印深定法界体性。方知华严释氏宗极。所以刊修此传。广示未闻也。 华严感应传一卷 现代汉语译本：以少的方便就能快速获得菩提（Bodhi，觉悟）。经书上说：‘这部经不会落入一切众生的手中，唯有菩萨摩诃萨（Bodhisattva-Mahāsattva，大菩萨）才能得到。一切声闻（Śrāvaka，听闻佛法者）、缘觉（Pratyekabuddha，独立觉悟者）都不能得到这部经，更何况是受持。’如果菩萨在亿那由他（Nayuta，数量单位，极大的数）劫中，修行六波罗蜜（Ṣaṭ-pāramitā，六种到达彼岸的方法，即布施、持戒、忍辱、精进、禅定、智慧），却没有听闻过这部经，即使听闻了也不相信，这些人仍然只是徒有菩萨之名。 如果有人对经卷所在之地，如来（Tathāgata，佛的称号）的塔庙，进行礼拜供养，这些众生就具足了善根，能够灭除烦恼患难，获得贤圣的快乐。我的同伴们，大家要努力啊！我曾经侍奉禅宗祖师无名公，听闻普贤（Samantabhadra，象征一切诸佛的理德与行德的菩萨）的大行、海印深定、法界体性，这才知道《华严经》是释迦牟尼佛（Śākyamuni，佛教创始人）一宗的极致。因此刊印修订这部传记，广泛地昭示给未曾听闻的人。 《华严感应传》一卷
English
English version: With few expedient means, one can quickly attain Bodhi (Enlightenment). The scripture says: 'This scripture will not fall into the hands of all sentient beings, except for Bodhisattva-Mahāsattvas (Great Bodhisattvas). All Śrāvakas (Hearers) and Pratyekabuddhas (Solitary Buddhas) cannot obtain this scripture, let alone uphold it.' If a Bodhisattva practices the Six Pāramitās (Six Perfections: generosity, morality, patience, diligence, concentration, and wisdom) for billions of Nayutas (a very large number) of kalpas (aeons) without hearing this scripture, even if they hear it, they do not believe it. Such beings are still merely nominally Bodhisattvas. If someone makes offerings and pays homage to the place where the scriptures are, such as the Tathāgata's (Thus Come One, an epithet of the Buddha) stupas and temples, these sentient beings will be endowed with good roots, able to extinguish afflictions and troubles, and attain the joy of the wise and noble. My companions, let us strive! I once served Zen Master Wuming, and heard about Samantabhadra's (Universal Virtue Bodhisattva, symbolizing the practice and vows of all Buddhas) Great Vows, the profound Samudramudrā-samādhi (ocean-seal concentration), and the Dharmadhātu (Dharma Realm) nature. Only then did I realize that the Avataṃsaka Sūtra (Flower Garland Sutra) is the ultimate teaching of the Śākyamuni (the founder of Buddhism) school. Therefore, I publish and revise this biography to widely reveal it to those who have not heard of it. Avataṃsaka Miraculous Responses Biography, one volume --------------------------------------------------------------------------------