Cultural Identification: Huayan Study from the Perspective of the Chinese National Community

The various ethnic groups in China have historically maintained close interactions and exchanges, continuously fostering mutual cultural identification, and nourishing the ever-strengthening sense of community for the Chinese nation in thought and emotion, forming an integrated process of intermingling. Huayan study[1]1 Huayan study (Huayan xue) — the study of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra and its philosophical school, emphasizing interpenetration and harmony. originated in ancient India, took shape in China's western frontier, and spread from the western frontier to the interior during the Han and Tang dynasties. It gradually flourished in the Yangtze and Yellow River basins centered on Nanjing, Luoyang, and Chang'an, directly stimulating the transformation from Huayan scriptural study to Huayan school doctrine. This not only boosted a major breakthrough in the theoretical construction of Han Buddhism but also composed a brilliant chapter of cultural identification between the interior and the western frontier. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, the sinicized Huayan study spread from the interior to the northern frontier, being widely accepted by minority ethnic groups such as the Khitan, Tangut, Jurchen, and Mongol. In an era of war and division, it silently wove the spiritual bond of the Chinese nation through sacred faith and broad theory, advancing the historical process of Chinese unity. Over the long span of a millennium, Huayan study on Chinese soil demonstrated a propagation route from west to east and from south to north, connecting different regions and ethnic groups, and becoming a spiritual resource for maintaining the sense of community for the Chinese nation[2]2 Sense of community for the Chinese nation (Zhonghua minzu gongtongti yishi) — a political concept referring to the collective identity and unity of all ethnic groups in China..

中国各民族在历史上一直存在着紧密的交往与交流，不断促成彼此之间的文化认同，并在思想和情感方面滋养着中华民族共同体意识的不断牢固，形成相互交融的一体化进程。华严学源于古代的印度，成型于中国的西部边疆，汉唐之际从西部边疆传入内地，在以南京、洛阳、长安为中心的长江黄河流域逐渐兴盛起来，直接激发了从华严经学到华严宗学的转变，不但助推汉传佛教理论建构的重大突破，而且谱写了内地与西部边疆文化认同的灿烂华章；宋元之际，实现了中国化的华严学再从内地向北部边疆传播，为契丹、党项、女真、蒙古等少数民族广泛接受，在战乱和分裂的时代，以神圣的信仰和博大的理论默默编织着中华民族的精神纽带，推动了中华一体的历史进程。在跨越千年的漫长岁月中，华严学在中华大地上呈现出从西到东、从南到北的传播进路，既源接西部边疆，又流布北方边塞，连接起不同地区和不同民族，成为养护中华民族共同体意识的一种精神资源。

The Western Arrival of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra

《华严经》的西来

The Avataṃsaka Sūtra has long been honored as the "King of Sūtras." Its thought is grand and refined, regarded by academia as a model of Buddhist perfect fusion philosophy. The place where this sūtra was historically compiled in its final form is present-day Xinjiang, China. During the Eastern Han dynasty, the Yuezhi scholar Lokakṣema from Central Asia passed through the Western Regions and came to Luoyang, translating the first independent Huayan sūtra, the *Tushu jing* (Sūtra of the Ten Stages). During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhi Qian, also of Yuezhi origin, translated the *Benye jing* (Sūtra of Original Acts), a Huayan text originating from present-day Xinjiang, in Jiankang (present-day Nanjing). During the Western Jin dynasty, Dharmarakṣa, a Yuezhi resident of Dunhuang, collected scriptures from the Western Regions including present-day Xinjiang, and later translated several independent Huayan sūtras such as the *Pusa shidi jing* (Sūtra on the Ten Stages of Bodhisattvas) and the *Jianbei jing* (Sūtra on the Gradual Stages) in Chang'an and Luoyang. During the Sixteen Kingdoms period, Kumārajīva from Kucha (present-day Kuqa, Xinjiang) came to Chang'an and translated the Huayan text *Shizhu jing* (Sūtra on the Ten Abodes). These independent Huayan sūtras bear witness to the cultural exchanges between the western frontier and the interior during that period.

《华严经》素有“经中之王”的美誉，其思想恢弘而精致，被学术界视为佛教圆融哲学的典范。该经在历史上的集大成之地就在今天的中国新疆。东汉时期，中亚大月氏人支娄迦谶途经西域，来到洛阳，译出第一部华严类单行经《兜沙经》。三国时期，祖籍大月氏的支谦在建康（今南京）译出源于今天新疆的华严类《本业经》。西晋时期，世居敦煌的大月氏侨民竺法护在包括今新疆在内的西域各地搜罗经典，后在长安、洛阳等地译出了《菩萨十地经》《渐备经》等多种华严类单行经。十六国时期，鸠摩罗什从龟兹（今新疆库车）来到长安，译出华严类《十住经》。这些华严单行经成为那个时期西部边疆与内地文化交往的见证。

During the Eastern Jin dynasty, the region centered on Khotan (present-day Hotan, Xinjiang) in the southern part of present-day Xinjiang gradually became the center of Huayan propagation in the entire Buddhist world. Two complete versions of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra that would greatly influence later generations were nearly finalized here. Zhi Faling, a disciple of Huiyuan of Mount Lu, together with Fa Jing and others, traveled ten thousand li in the seventeenth year of Taiyuan of Emperor Xiaowu of the Eastern Jin (392 CE), reached Khotan, and obtained a Sanskrit manuscript of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra of 36,000 ślokas, bringing it back to the interior. Buddhabhadra, in the fourteenth year of Yixi (418 CE), together with the monks Fa Ye, Hui Yan, and over a hundred others in Yangdu (present-day Nanjing), completed the Chinese translation in sixty fascicles. Thus the first complete Chinese version of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra was born, and the spiritual bond between the interior and the western frontier became even stronger.

东晋时期，以于阗（今新疆和田）为中心的今南疆东部地区逐渐成为当时整个佛教界华严学弘传中心，对后世影响巨大的两种全本《华严经》几乎都定型于此。庐山慧远门下的支法领于东晋孝武帝太元十七年（392）与法净等人跋涉万里，抵达于阗，求得三万六千颂《华严》梵本带回内地。佛陀跋陀罗于义熙十四年（418）在扬都（今南京）同沙门法业、慧严等百余人完成汉译，共六十卷。汉地第一部全本《华严经》由此诞生，内地与西部边疆的精神纽带因此更加强劲。

The appearance of the sixty-fascicle Avataṃsaka Sūtra drew great attention in the Buddhist circles of the interior. Practitioners and propagators of the sūtra continued generation after generation, gradually forming a Huayan scriptural study centered on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. After the Tang dynasty, Du Shun[3]3 Du Shun (557–640) — first patriarch of the Huayan school. energetically promoted the Avataṃsaka Sūtra in Chang'an and was praised by Emperor Taizong as "the Venerable of the Emperor's Mind." His disciple Zhi Yan taught the Avataṃsaka Sūtra around Mount Zhongnan, and Fa Zang, along with the Silla monk Uisang, studied under him, creating a great influence and marking the formal establishment of the Huayan school. When Fa Zang was ordered to preach the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, he used the golden lion in front of the hall as a metaphor to explain the principle of perfect unimpededness, producing the famous *Jinshizi zhang* (Essay on the Golden Lion) that has been passed down through the ages. After more than two hundred years of development, Huayan study in the interior underwent a transformation from scriptural study to school doctrine, and the cultural interaction between the interior and the western frontier reached a new height.

六十卷《华严经》的出现引起内地佛教界的高度关注，研习与弘扬者代不绝人，逐渐形成以《华严经》为中心的华严经学。入唐以后，杜顺在长安力推《华严经》，被唐太宗赞为“帝心尊者”，其弟子智俨曾在终南山一带讲习《华严经》，法藏及新罗僧人义湘等人同堂听受，影响盛极一时，标志着华严宗的正式形成。法藏奉诏宣讲《华严经》时，以殿前的金狮子作比喻，讲解圆融无碍的道理，形成流传千古的《华严金师子章》。经过二百多年的发展，华严学在内地经历了从华严经学到华严宗学的转变，内地与西部边疆的文化互动达到全新高度。

In the first year of Yongchang of Wu Zhou (689), Devaprajña from the southern part of present-day Xinjiang came to Luoyang. By imperial order, he translated scriptures at the Wei State Eastern Temple. Two years later, he translated Huayan classics such as the *Huayan jing busiyi fo jingjie fen* (Section on the Inconceivable Buddha Realm of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra) and the *Huayan jing xiucifen* (Section on Cultivating Compassion of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra). Thus Huayan study from the Khotan area of the southern frontier was further accepted by the interior. At that time, a more complete Sanskrit manuscript of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra appeared in Khotan. Hearing this news, Empress Wu Zetian sent envoys to obtain it, and at the same time invited the Khotan monk Śikṣānanda, who was proficient in Huayan study, to come to Luoyang. In the first year of Zhengsheng (695), with the support of Empress Wu, a large translation team was formed, with Śikṣānanda as the chief translator. They began translating this sūtra at the Biankong Temple inside the Great Palace in Luoyang. The Empress personally visited the translation site, titled the sūtra, and wrote a preface. After four years, in the second year of Shengli (699), the eighty-fascicle *Avataṃsaka Sūtra* was completed at the Foshouji Temple. This is the most complete text of the *Avataṃsaka Sūtra* in both Chinese and world Buddhist history.

武周永昌元年（689），提云般若从今新疆的南疆来到洛阳，奉敕在魏国东寺译经，两年后相继译出《华严经不思议佛境界分》《华严经修慈分》等华严经典，南疆于阗一带的华严学进一步为内地所接受。此时，于阗又出现了更完整的梵本《华严经》。武则天听说这一消息后，便派遣使者前往求取，同时邀请精通华严学的于阗僧人实叉难陀一同来到洛阳。证圣元年（695），在武则天的支持下，组成了庞大的翻译团队，以实叉难陀为译主，于洛阳大内遍空寺内开始翻译此经。武后亲临译经现场，为经文题名、作序。历时四年，于圣历二年（699）在佛授记寺译成八十卷的《华严经》，这是中国也是整个世界佛教史上最全的《华严经》文本。

The new translation was complete in all sections and content, reflecting the continuous development of Huayan study in the western frontier during the Han and Tang dynasties, and directly influencing the direction of Huayan study in the interior. After the translation of the eighty-fascicle Avataṃsaka Sūtra, scholars such as Huiyuan, Chengguan, and Li Tongxuan competed to write commentaries on the new translation, exploring Huayan theory based on it, sparking a new wave of Huayan study in the interior. In the thirteenth year of Zhenyuan (797), on the birthday of Emperor Dezong of Tang, Chengguan was summoned to the capital, preached the new translation of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra in the palace, and was granted the title "National Teacher Qingliang." Zongmi used Huayan's perfect fusion thought to integrate with other schools; he was highly valued by the court and was awarded a purple robe. His Huayan integration thought also influenced many literati, such as Chancellor Pei Xiu, and Huayan study gradually deepened its impact on the cultural sphere.

新译本品目齐全，内容完备，反映了汉唐之际西部边疆的华严学始终保持发展态势，并直接影响到内地华严学的走向。八十卷《华严经》译出后，慧苑、澄观、李通玄等人为新译本竞作注疏，根据新译本探索华严理论，内地华严学激起新的热潮。贞元十三年（797）唐德宗寿辰之际，澄观奉诏入京，于殿内宣讲新译《华严经》，被赐予“清凉国师”的称号。宗密以华严学圆融思想会通其他宗派，倍受朝廷的重视，获赐紫方袍，其华严会通思想也影响到宰相裴休等众多士人，华严学对文化界的影响日渐加深。

The Huayan School Moves Northward

华严宗的北上

After the fall of the Tang dynasty, the Five Dynasties succeeded one another, the Ten Kingdoms were in turmoil, and the Central Plains had not yet achieved complete reunification. The north successively fell under the rule of several minority ethnic groups. In an era of national division and ethnic confrontation, Huayan study continuously spread northward. As northern minority ethnic groups accepted Huayan study, their social forms and cultural characteristics underwent significant changes.

唐朝灭亡之后，五代更迭，十国纷扰，中原尚未完成彻底统一，北方相继陷入多个少数民族统治之中。在国家分裂和民族对峙的时代，华严学源源不断地向北传播，北方各少数民族在接受华严学的过程中，其社会形态与文化特质均获得重大改变。

Huayan study was the most powerful ideological school in the Liao dynasty[4]4 Liao dynasty (907–1125) — empire ruled by the Khitan people in northern China.. All nine emperors of the Liao dynasty valued Huayan teachings. Among them, Emperor Daozong, who had the highest Buddhist attainment, promulgated the *Imperial Eulogy on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra* and personally wrote the *Five Hymns on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra*. He also authored the ten-fascicle *Commentary on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra by Chapter* and the two-fascicle *Essentials of the Bodhicitta Precepts*, advocating the Huayan teaching of "true mind" as the ideological basis for national political unity. The Buddhist circles of the Liao dynasty also vigorously promoted Huayan doctrine; a large number of Huayan works emerged, some of which spread widely and had great influence. Examples include Sī˘ola's *Great Avataṃsaka Sūtra*, Dàobì's *Collection of Mysteries in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra Commentary* and *Commentary on Difficult Points in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra*, and Xiānyǎn's *Decisive Commentary on the Profound Discourse of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra*. All these works used the Huayan concept of "mind" to demonstrate the state of perfect fusion.

华严学是辽代势力最强的思想派系。辽朝九帝对华严教义均有重视，诸位皇帝中佛学造诣最高的道宗皇帝曾颁行《御制华严经赞》和御书《华严经五颂》，著有《华严经随品赞》十卷和《发菩提心戒本》二卷，主张用华严的“真心”教义作为国家政治统一的思想依据。辽代佛教界也力推华严学说，华严类著述大量涌现，其中一些作品传播甚广，影响巨大，如思孝的《大华严经》、道弼的《大华严经演义集玄纪》和《大华严经演义逐难科》、鲜演的《华严经玄谈抉择记》，它们均以华严之“心”论证圆融境界。

The Western Xia[5]5 Western Xia (1038–1227) — kingdom ruled by the Tangut people in northwestern China. also highly identified with Huayan study. The main Chinese translations of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra were all translated into Tangut script. Among the Khara-Khoto documents in Russian collections, there are twenty-four items of the *Avataṃsaka Sūtra: Chapter on Samantabhadra's Practices and Vows*. The Western Xia monk Huijue, in his *Great Vast Avataṃsaka Sūtra Ocean Seal Ritual for the Ten Great Vows and Constant Universal Repentance*, listed a patriarchal lineage: after "Orthodox Huayan Patriarchs of the Eastern Land," he listed "Various Masters Who Promoted Huayan in the Great Xia State." This shows that Western Xia Huayan study directly inherited Huayan study from the Tang and Song dynasties. Works by interior Huayan school patriarchs such as Fa Zang, Chengguan, Zongmi, Jingyuan, and Ben Song, as well as works by Liao Huayan masters such as Xianyan, Dao?heng, Hengce, and Fawu, have all been found among the Khara-Khoto Western Xia documents. From the Western Xia Huayan works *Three Contemplations and Nine Gates: Key* and *Essential Gate of the One Mind, Samadhi and Wisdom, Perfect and Unfathomable*, it can be seen that the manifestation of perfect fusion through "mind" was also a key emphasis in Western Xia Huayan study. This proves that there was a direct theoretical inheritance relationship between Western Xia Huayan and interior Huayan study.

西夏对华严学也高度认同。《华严经》的主要汉译本均译成了西夏文，俄藏黑水城文献中有24件《华严经·普贤行愿品》。西夏僧人慧觉在《大方广佛华严经海印道场十重行愿常遍礼忏仪》中所列祖师谱系，在“东土正传华严祖师”之后列举了“大夏国弘扬华严诸师”，由此可以看出西夏华严学是对唐宋华严学的直接传承。法藏、澄观、宗密、净源、本嵩等内地华严宗祖师以及辽代华严高僧鲜演、道敐、恒策、法悟的著作在俄藏黑水城西夏文献中均有发现。从西夏华严学著作《三观九门枢钥》及《诸法一心定慧圆满不可思议要门》可以看出，由“心”体展现圆融也是西夏华严学强调的重点。由此证明，西夏华严与内地华严学在理论上有着直接的传承关系。

The flourishing of Huayan study in the Jin dynasty[6]6 Jin dynasty (1115–1234) — dynasty ruled by the Jurchen people in northern China. can be attested by many unearthed tombstone inscriptions and pagoda epitaphs. Monks such as Binghui, Baoyan, Fayun, Huiji, Zhixuan, Xingxiu, Yuanming, Zhijian, Qian'gong, and Chongye frequently studied Huayan. Huiji received the Huayan lineage from Tianning Temple in Fenzhou, which had been an important Huayan monastery since the Tang dynasty. This shows the continuation of Han Chinese Huayan study under the Jin dynasty. The Jin rulers, while promoting Buddhism, also gave great support to Confucianism and the Quanzhen sect, and worked to promote Huayan's three-teaching syncretism in practice, fully demonstrating their identification with interior Huayan study.

金代华严学的兴盛可以从出土的诸多墓碑塔铭中得以证明。禀惠、宝严、法云、惠寂、志玄、行秀、圜明、知拣、谦公、崇业等常常研习华严。惠寂从汾州天宁寺获得华严学的传承，而天宁寺又是唐代以来重要的华严寺院，由此可以看出金朝对汉地华严学的延续。金代统治者在推崇佛教的同时也给予儒学和全真教很大的支持，并努力在实践中推进华严的三教会通思想，充分展现出对内地华严学的认同。

The rulers of the Yuan dynasty[7]7 Yuan dynasty (1271–1368) — the Mongol-led dynasty that united China. also vigorously promoted Huayan school thought. According to Xiangmai's *Bianwei lu* (Record of Refuting Errors), Khubilai Khan valued Huayan, "gathering famous monks from all over the world at Mount Qingliang, held a hundred-day grand feast to make offerings to the great sage Mañjuśrī," and built five major temples there. Subsequent emperors also regarded Mount Wutai as a holy site for Huayan and vigorously developed it. Mount Wutai became an important base for the propagation of Han Chinese Huayan study to the northern frontier. Many eminent monks of the Yuan dynasty, such as Xingyu, Wencai, Zhijian, Shanrou, and Miaowen, mostly made Huayan study their vocation. Wencai, in his *New Commentary on the Zhao Lun*, used the Huayan concept of "true thusness and one mind" to integrate Prajñā thought, continuing the lineage of interior Huayan study since the Tang and Song dynasties.

元朝统治者也大力弘扬华严宗的思想。祥迈的《辩伪录》记载，忽必烈重视华严，曾“聚集天下名僧于清凉山，建百日盛会享供文殊大圣”，并在此建五大寺。此后的诸位皇帝也都视五台山为华严圣地，并大力建设，五台山成了汉地华严学向北部边疆传播的重要阵地。元代的诸多高僧如行育、文才、知拣、善柔、妙文等人多以研习华严为业，文才在《肇论新疏》中以华严学的“真如一心”会通般若学，与唐宋以来的内地华严学一脉相承。

In summary, Han Chinese Huayan study had a broad and profound influence on the northern frontier during the Song and Yuan dynasties. In the period of political division before the Yuan unification, it promoted cultural identification and deep integration among different ethnic groups.

总之，汉地华严学在宋元之际的北方边疆产生了广泛而深远的影响，在元统一之前的政治分裂时期，推动了不同民族之间的文化认同和深度融合。

The Perfect Fusion of Huayan Study

华严学的圆融

As a cultural bond connecting the interior with the western and northern frontiers, Huayan study has both its sacred faith and its profound philosophy. Among its teachings, the thought of dharma-realm perfect fusion[8]8 Dharma-realm perfect fusion (sijie yuanrong) — core Huayan doctrine of the interpenetration and harmony of all phenomena. had a deep influence on modes of thinking and behavior.

作为连接内地与西部及北部边疆的文化纽带，华严学既有其神圣的信仰，也有其精深的哲学。其中，在思维方式和行为方式方面影响深刻的还是其法界圆融思想。

"Dharma-realm" (sijie) refers to the sphere of observation of all dharmas in the universe. It can be divided into four dharma-realms: the realm of principle (li), the realm of phenomena (shi), the realm of non-obstruction between principle and phenomena (lishi wu'ai), and the realm of non-obstruction between phenomena and phenomena (shishi wu'ai). Its meaning is to elucidate the state of harmony and perfection among all things manifested by the mind-substance. This state is presented through modes of observation such as the "six aspects" and the "ten mysteries." The six aspects are the universal aspect, the particular aspect, the identity aspect, the difference aspect, the integration aspect, and the disintegration aspect of things. The six aspects are mutually opposing yet complementary, without obstruction. The ten mysteries (shixuan men) display the mechanism of mutual containment and interpenetration of things from ten aspects. The thought of dharma-realm perfect fusion is a necessary product of the mode of thinking that "one is all" and "all is one." This mode of thinking dissolves oppositions between different things, advocates harmonious coexistence among them, and demonstrates strong inclusivity and coexistence. The Huayan thought of dharma-realm perfect fusion both compensates for the theoretical bias of "true emptiness" (zhenkong) in the Mahāyāna emptiness school (śūnyavāda) and overcomes the ontological looseness of the Mahāyāna substantialist school (astyavāda). It successfully shifts Mahāyāna Buddhism from analytical philosophy to synthetic philosophy. As a result, Huayan study reached the peak of philosophical speculation in China.

“法界”为宇宙万法所观之境界，可分为理法界、事法界、理事无碍法界和事事无碍法界“四法界”，其意在于阐明心体所现的一切事物之间和谐圆融的状态。这种状态又通过“六相”“十玄门”等观察进路而得以呈现。“六相”是指事物的总相、别相、同相、异相、成相、坏相。六相之间相反相成，无障无碍。“十玄门”从十个方面展现事物相融相摄、交错辉映的存在机制。法界圆融思想是“一即一切”“一切即一”思维方式的必然产物，这种思维方式消解了不同事物之间的对立，倡导彼此之间的和谐共生，展现出很强的包容性和共存性。华严学的法界圆融思想既弥补了大乘空宗“真空”的理论偏颇，也克服了大乘有宗在本体论上的松散，成功地将大乘佛教由分析哲学转向综合哲学，华严学也因此达到了中国哲学思辨的巅峰。

The thought of dharma-realm perfect fusion runs through all aspects of basic Huayan theory and social practice. It not only demonstrates the rationality of the existence of different ethnic groups on the ideological level, but also promotes exchanges, interactions, and integration among ethnic groups in the practical sphere. The acceptance and creative development of Huayan study from the western frontier in the interior during the Han and Tang dynasties, and the absorption and practical application of interior Huayan study by northern frontier minority ethnic groups during the Song and Yuan dynasties, directly facilitated the deep integration between the interior and the western frontier, as well as between the interior and the northern frontier, advancing the formation of the pattern of unity in diversity of the Chinese nation[9]9 Pattern of unity in diversity (duoyuan yiti geju) — term for the Chinese nation as a unified whole composed of diverse ethnic groups..

法界圆融思想贯通于华严学基本理论与社会实践的各个环节，不但从思想层面论证了不同民族存在的合理性，而且在实践领域推动了各民族之间的交往、交流和交融。汉唐之际中国内地对西部边疆地区华严学的接受与创造性发展，宋元之际北部边疆各少数民族对内地华严学的吸收与生活化运用，直接促成了内地和西部边疆以及内地与北部边疆的深度交融，推动了中华民族多元一体格局的形成。

The Huayan thought of dharma-realm perfect fusion also had a profound influence on mainstream Chinese culture after the Song dynasty. Cheng Hao[10]10 Cheng Hao (1032–1085) — co-founder of Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism., the founder of Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism, studied Buddhism and Daoism for decades and particularly loved the Huayan doctrine of perfect fusion, using it to unify the highest reality and the ethical code of the three bonds and five constant virtues. Zhu Xi[11]11 Zhu Xi (1130–1200) — leading Neo-Confucian philosopher., the synthesizer of Neo-Confucianism, also studied Huayan study for decades, drawing on Huayan ontology to propose his monism of principle (li), highlighting the perfect fusion between the laws of things and moral norms. Lu Jiuyuan and Wang Yangming[12]12 Wang Yangming (1472–1529) — philosopher of the School of Mind. borrowed the Huayan concept of the mind-substance, asserting that human ethics and the cosmic substance are both perfectly fused within the mind-substance. Profoundly influenced by Huayan perfect fusion thought, Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism and the Lu-Wang School of Mind deeply criticized and reconstructed ancient Chinese philosophy, and on the basis of Neo-Confucianism, they integrated Buddhist and Daoist thought, ushering in a new era of Chinese culture centered on the unity of the three teachings[13]13 Unity of the three teachings (sanjiao heyi) — the integration of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism.. A cultural system that comprehensively supports the Chinese national community gained unprecedented recognition during the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. Tracing back to its source, the Huayan thought of perfect fusion can be regarded as an important intellectual resource for consolidating the sense of community for the Chinese nation.

华严学法界圆融思想对宋以后的中华主流文化也产生了深远影响。宋明理学的奠基者程颢出入佛老数十年而尤爱华严的圆融之道，并以此对最高实体和纲常伦理进行统一。理学的集大成者朱熹亦研习华严学数十载，借鉴华严学的本体论提出理一元论，以凸显事物规律及道德准则之间的圆融。陆九渊、王阳明借鉴华严学的心体思想，主张人伦道德和宇宙本体均圆融于心体之中。受到华严圆融思想深刻影响的宋明理学和陆王心学对中国古代哲学进行了深入的批判和重构，并在理学的基础上会通释道思想，开启了以三教合一为主轴的中华文化新纪元，一种全方位支撑中华民族共同体的文化体系在宋元明清时期获得前所未有的认同。追根溯源，华严学的圆融思想堪称铸牢中华民族共同体意识的一种重要思想资源。

(The author is a doctoral student at the School of Philosophy, Nanjing University.)

（作者系南京大学哲学学院博士研究生）

Online editor: Huihui

网络编辑：慧慧