Fazang

Fazang
Fazang in a 13th-century Japanese print
Personal
Born643
Chang’an, China[1]
Died712 (aged 69)
Chang’an[1]
ReligionBuddhism
SchoolHuayan
Senior posting
TeacherZhiyan
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Fazang (Chinese: 法藏; pinyin: Fǎzàng; Wade–Giles: Fa-tsang; 643–712) was a Sogdian-Chinese Buddhist scholar, translator, and religious leader of the Tang dynasty. He was the third patriarch of the Huayan school of East Asian Buddhism, a key figure at the Chinese Imperial Court, and an influential Chinese Buddhist philosopher.[2][3] Some scholars see him as the main figure in or even de facto founder of the Huayan school.[1][4][5] Fazang's ancestors came from the Central Asian region of Sogdia, a major center for Silk Road trade, but he was born in the Tang capital of Chang'an (now Xi'an), where his family had become culturally Chinese.[6]

Fazang was known for his skill as a translator, knowledge of Sanskrit, and for his efforts to produce a new translation of an extended edition of the Gaṇḍavyūha sūtra. He also composed an original commentary on the Avatamsaka Sutra, called the Huayan jing tanxuan ji (Record of Investigating the Mystery of the Huayan jing).[7][8] He was also known as a popularizer and promoter of Huayan teachings, through his relationship with Empress Wu Zeitian and his authorship of several essays on Huayan philosophy, especially Essay on the Golden Lion.[9][8]

  1. ^ a b c The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Fazang". Britannica. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Fazang (Fa-tsang) | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy". Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  3. ^ Chen 2007, p. 1.
  4. ^ Cook, Francis (1977). Hua-yen Buddhism: The jewel net of Indra. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-271-01245-2.
  5. ^ Lin, Weiyu. Exegesis-philosophy interplay : introduction to Fazang's (643-712) commentary on the Huayan jing (60 juans) [Skt. Avataṃsaka Sūtra; Flower garland sūtra] — the Huayan jing tanxuan ji [record of investigating the mystery of the Huayan jing], University of British Columbia, 2021.
  6. ^ Gernet, Jacques (31 May 1996). A History of Chinese Civilization. Cambridge University Press. pp. 278–. ISBN 978-0-521-49781-7.
  7. ^ Lin, Weiyu (2021). Exegesis-philosophy interplay : introduction to Fazang's (643–712) commentary on the Huayan jing (60 juans) [Skt. Avataṃsaka Sūtra; Flower garland sūtra] — the Huayan jing tanxuan ji [record of investigating the mystery of the Huayan jing]. Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library.
  8. ^ a b Chen 2007, p. 66-325.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).