Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara in the Gandavyuhasutra

《華嚴經》〈入法界品〉（Gandavyuhasutra）中之觀自在菩薩

林西華(Märt Läänemets)

《中華佛學研究》 10期 (2006/03) Pp. 295-339

https://doi.org/10.29669/CHBS.200603.0011

摘要

In the present paper the Avalokitesvara chapter of the Gandavyuhasutra will be examined. In this text, Avalokitesvara appears as one of the 53 benevolent friends or kalyanamitras of Sudhana, the protagonist of the sutra and prototype of all aspirants for bodhisattvahood. Avalokitesvara's role in the Gandavyuha is rather that of a teacher and not of the ＂superbodhisattva＂, almighty savior, as in the later Mahayana. He teaches the method of great compassion, the aim of which is to free all sentient beings from any kind of fears in order to lead them into the supreme perfect awakening, thus being adopted in the didactic scheme of the Gandavyuha. The relevant passages and terminological lists are presented and analyzed. The author develops the hypothesis that the Avalokitesvara chapter of the Gandavyuha reflects a very early phase of the development of the concept and image of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara when the cult of the latter had not yet taken shape and widely spread in the Buddhist world and he clearly remains in the shadow of the three other archetypical bodhisattvas - Samantabhadra, Manjusri, and Maitreya. The present writer does not exclude the possibility that the figure of Avalokitesvara might have been developed on the basis of syncretism of the Buddhist teaching of compassion and the cult of some local protective deity. The question of location of the mount Potalaka as the residence of Avalokitesvara is also discussed. on the basis of a glimpse comparison with a number of other sources (Lotus Sutra, Sukhavativyuha, Heart Sutra, Surangamasutra), the author concludes that in the Gandavyuha Avalokitesvara represents the active way of education and meditation as he does in the Heart Sutra, while in the Lotus Sutra and Sukhavativyuha the aspect of passive faith and devotion is dominant. In the Surangamasutra, being a later source, the combination of those two is elaborated.

關鍵字

Gandavyuhasutra ； Avalokitesvara ； Mount Potalaka ； Great Compassion ； Way of Education ； Way of Faith

並列摘要

本篇論文將討論《華嚴經》〈入法界品〉中之觀自在菩薩章。該品之主人公善財童子是發心修行菩薩道者的典型，而觀自在菩薩在該品之中，是以善財童子所參訪的五十三位善知識中之一位的身份出現。觀自在菩薩在〈入法界品〉中的角色是一位良師，而非如後期大乘所見的救苦救難、法力無邊之大菩薩。在〈入法界品〉所採用之教化體系中，他教導使眾生解脫一切怖畏的大悲法門，俾將眾生導入無上正覺。本篇論文中提出與此相關之章節與專門術語，並詳作分析。作者得到的一個假設，是根據〈入法界品〉中之觀自在菩薩章所反映的，於觀音思想演變最初期，一般人心目中的觀自在菩薩之觀念和形象。當時觀音信仰尚未成形並廣泛流傳於佛教世界，而他顯然還停留在普賢、文殊、彌勒等其他三位原型菩薩的陰影底下。作者也不排除，觀自在菩薩這個人物是以佛教的慈悲教義，以及某些地方性的保護神崇拜的融合信仰爲基礎，所演變而成的。論文中也討論到觀自在菩薩以補怛洛迦山爲居處的問題。依據與《法華經》（Lotus Sutra）、《無量壽經》（Sukhativyuhasutra）、《心經》（Heart Sutra）、《楞嚴經》（Surangamasutra）等若干經典的概略比較，作者推斷，〈入法界品〉中之觀自在菩薩，正如他在《心經》中一樣，代表教化與禪觀的積極面；而他在《法華經》與《無量壽經》中代表的，則是以消極信仰面爲主。《楞嚴經》出現較晚，故把這兩方面合併在一起闡述。

並列關鍵字

《華嚴經》〈入法界品〉 ； 觀自在菩薩 ； 補怛洛迦山 ； 大悲法門 ； 教化方式 ； 信仰方式

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