Guifeng Zongmi was a Tang dynasty Chinese Buddhist monk and scholar who is considered a patriarch of both the Huayan school and Chan Buddhism. Zongmi wrote a number of works on several Mahayana Sutras, Chan and Huayan, and he also discussed Taoism and Confucianism. His works are a major source for studying the various Chan schools of the Tang.
Guifeng Zongmi
A view of the Zhongnan Mountains
Zongmi's doctrinal views are largely based on the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment, a text likely composed in China.
The Andes reflected in a flawless crystal
The Huayan school of Buddhism is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty (618-907). The Huayan worldview is based primarily on the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra as well as on the works of Huayan patriarchs, like Zhiyan (602–668), Fazang (643–712), Chengguan (738–839), Zongmi (780–841) and Li Tongxuan (635–730).
The Three Worthies of Huayan (Manjushri (left), Vairocana (center), and Samantabhadra (right)), a triad venerated in Huayan – Dazu Rock Carvings, Chongqing, China
Aerial view of Huayan Temple, Datong, built during the Jin dynasty (1115–1234).
13th century Japanese print of Fazang, Todaiji, Nara, Japan.
The Wanbu Huayanjing Pagoda, likely built during the Emperor Daozong of Liao (1055–1110).
