The Avatamsaka Sutra

The repetition in the Flower Ornament Scripture is a deliberate and meaningful feature, reflecting both its cultural context and its pedagogical and spiritual purposes. Tho it can feel excessive to modern readers accustomed to concise texts, the repetition serves several key functions in the sutra’s structure, methodology, and aims.

1. Oral Tradition and Memorization

Historical Context: The Avatamsaka Sutra originated in an era when Buddhist teachings were primarily transmitted orally, before widespread writing. Repetition was a practical tool for aiding memorization, ensuring that key ideas were ingrained in the minds of monks, nuns, and lay practitioners who would recite and pass them down.

Reinforcement Through Rhythm: The sutra’s repetitive phrasing often has a rhythmic, almost mantra-like quality, which not only made it easier to commit to memory but also created a meditative cadence during recitation, aligning with Buddhist oral practice.

2. Emphasizing Universality and Vastness

Illustrating the Infinite: The sutra aims to convey the boundless scope of the Dharma realm (Dharmadhatu) and the interconnectedness of all phenomena. It repeats descriptions of countless worlds, beings, and qualities of enlightenment to mirror the infinite nature of reality itself. For example, lists of bodhisattvas, virtues, or cosmic phenomena are reiterated to evoke a sense of awe and universality.

Indra’s Net in Textual Form: The repetition parallels the metaphor of Indra’s net—each repetition reflects and reinforces the others, symbolizing how every aspect of existence interpenetrates and echoes every other aspect.

3. Pedagogical Reinforcement

Deepening Understanding: Repetition serves as a teaching device to hammer home complex philosophical concepts like emptiness (shunyata), interdependence, and Buddha nature. By presenting these ideas in slightly varied ways or through different teachers in Sudhana’s journey, the sutra ensures they sink in over time, accommodating different levels of comprehension.

Gradual Awakening: For practitioners, encountering the same truths repeatedly—whether in lists of virtues, descriptions of enlightened qualities, or cosmic visions—builds a cumulative effect, fostering gradual insight and internalization of the teachings.

4. Ritual and Devotional Purpose

Liturgical Function: The Avatamsaka Sutra was not just a philosophical text but also a devotional one, often chanted in rituals. Repetition enhances its liturgical power, creating a hypnotic, transformative experience for participants. The act of reciting long, repetitive passages can induce a meditative state, aligning the practitioner with the sutra’s vision of enlightenment.

Exalting the Buddha: The frequent praise of the Buddha’s qualities, deeds, and realms (often in florid, repetitive detail) serves a devotional aim, inspiring reverence and aspiration in the listener or reader.

5. Cultural and Literary Style

Ancient Indian Literary Norms: Repetition was a common feature of ancient Indian texts, including the Vedas and other sutras, reflecting a stylistic preference for elaboration over brevity. The Avatamsaka Sutra, composed in this tradition, uses repetition to create a sense of grandeur and completeness, aligning with the aesthetic of the time.

Exhaustive Enumeration: The sutra often lists things exhaustively—e.g., the qualities of a bodhisattva, the features of a Buddha realm, or the stages of practice—to leave no aspect unaddressed, reflecting a cultural value of thoroughness.

6. Mirroring the Bodhisattva Path

Persistence and Patience: The repetitive nature of the text mirrors the perseverance required on the bodhisattva path. Just as Sudhana visits teacher after teacher, encountering similar lessons in new forms, the reader or practitioner is invited to engage with the text patiently, reflecting the dedication needed for spiritual growth.

Non-Linear Experience: The repetition discourages a linear, goal-oriented reading and instead encourages a contemplative, cyclical engagement, akin to the non-dual perspective the sutra seeks to cultivate.

Why It Might Feel Excessive Today

To a contemporary audience, the repetition can seem redundant because modern communication prioritizes efficiency and novelty. The sutra’s length (often spanning thousands of pages in translation) and its reiterative style clash with our preference for succinctness. However, in its original context, this was not a flaw but a strength—repetition was a tool to ensure the teachings endured, resonated, and transformed.

Conclusion

The repetition in the Flower Ornament Scripture is intentional, serving practical (memorization), philosophical (illustrating infinity), pedagogical (reinforcing insight), devotional (inspiring awe), and cultural (stylistic) purposes. It’s a feature that invites the practitioner to slow down, immerse themselves in the text’s vast vision, and experience its truths not just intellectually but experientially. While it may challenge modern readers, it’s an essential part of what makes the sutra a living, breathing expression of a means to enlightenment.