Fazang (643–712)
Born 643 CE, died 712 CE.
Fazang (Chinese: 法藏; pinyin: Fǎzàng; Wade–Giles: Fa-tsang; 643–712) was a Sogdian-Chinese Buddhist scholar, translator, and religious leader of the Tang dynasty. He was the third patriarch of the Huayan school of East Asian Buddhism, a key figure at the Chinese Imperial Court, and an influential Chinese Buddhist philosopher. Some scholars see him as the main figure in or even de facto founder of the Huayan school. Fazang's ancestors came from the Central Asian region of Sogdia, a major center for Silk Road trade, but he was born in the Tang capital of Chang'an (now Xi'an), where his family had become culturally Chinese. Fazang was known for his skill as a translator, knowledge of Sanskrit, and for his efforts to produce a new translation of an extended edition of the Gaṇḍavyūha sūtra. He also composed an original commentary on the Avatamsaka Sutra, called the Huayan jing tanxuan ji (Record of Investigating the Mystery of the Huayan jing). He was also known as a popularizer and promoter of Huayan teachings, through his relationship with Empress Wu Zetian and his authorship of several essays on Huayan philosophy, especially Essay on the Golden Lion.
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