The Lotus Sūtra and Garland Sūtra According To the T'Ien-T'Ai and Hua-Yen Schools in Chinese Buddhism

The T'ien-t'ai and Hua-yen schools claimed as the textual authorities for their teachings the "Lotus Sūtra" and "Garland Sūtra" respectively. This paper attempts to highlight the respective "dialectical" and "transcendental" approaches of these two important Chinese Buddhist traditions by comparing their views of each other's central scriptures. It shows that Chih-i and Fa-tsang, their respective founders, were in close agreement regarding the basic purport and nature of the Lotus and the Garland. Their difference in evaluation is then traced to the diverse orientations of their thought, which are in turn attributed to their respective Mādhyamika and Yogācāra origins.