Entry Into the Inconceivable: An Introduction to Hua-Yen Buddhism

Unlike the previous reviewer, I don't think that this is the best translation of Hua-Yen principles. Rather, I would say that they all compliment each other in such a way where your understanding of the vast scope of literature will be born from within while reading in reflection of the others. Thus, reading them all (there's not that many), helps to engage yourself with the immensity of understanding so that it truly resonates with you. I have just finished utilizing Hua-Yen thought as model of perception in my Masters thesis and ... it changed my life. Really. Hua-Yen thought is not an easy understanding to grasp. It takes a lot of study and meditation for its understanding to sit within you. This is a very good starting point as it cuts out a lot of the jargon that other interpreters prefer and allows you to read it and sit with it. Yet and still, its simpler approach only shines in the light of the other texts. There is some antidotal stuff online as well. But, if you are interested in this school of Buddhism and its vision of totality ... this is a good start.

It seems to be a common misunderstanding that this particular sutra (or any other sutra for that matter) is "essential to the understanding of Hua Yen Buddhism". As a practicioner of true Zen, I would say that this is overly simplistic and even dualistic. All sutras, even the so-called "Hinayana" (Therevada) pali texts, can lead to sudden enlightenment. The Buddha taught via "expediant means", which is to say, he taught the same essential idea to everyone using different terms and symbols according to the capacities and tendencies of the listeners. Thus, the Flower Ornament Scripture contains the true essence of mind, as does all other sutras. Even the Holy Bible, if properly understood, can lead one to sudden enlightenment. This translation of the Flower Ornament Scripture is by far the best (and I am not aware of many more), and Thomas Cleary is, in my opinion, the very best translator of Asian, and particularly Chinese spiritual texts (both Buddhist and Taoist), and his expertise, along with the help of J.C. Cleary, shines through here. I admit it took me a while to attain this beautiful book due to it's high cost, but it will sit in a place of honor along with my other Buddhist texts on my bookshelf. If you read the Flower Ornament Scripture in order to "practice" the "doctrines" of the Flower Ornament Scripture, then of course you will be reborn in the lowest hell or even become a worm in a mud pit in the next life. However, if you read the Flower Ornament Scripture with your true nature and practice insight while reflecting on the rather massive text, there is absolutley no reason at all why you can't become a Buddha of the Western Paradise in a single moment! Maybe I sound too abtuse, but the simple fact is that the Flower Ornament Scripture, while applying primarily to the "practice" of institutional Hua Yen Buddhism, is indeed a skillful guide towards the observation that the Flower Ornament Scripture would make good kindling for a fire on a cold winter night. Thanks, and have a nice time reading this great translation of what may well be the most complete text of Buddhist practice (and yes, I am including the Heart and Lotus sutras) ever composed. But it still doesn't "mean" a single thing!