The original context of this post was in a discussion about Madhyamaka, East Asian Buddhism, medieval sects etc., so in that context I would agree that it's not very "philosophical." The Flower Garland as "principally practice oriented" makes sense certainly. It has the Dasabhumika and the Gundavyuha in it, so those follow that theme. Also the Vairocana-centered Mahayanika Brahmajalasutra is related scriptural material -- very "practice oriented" that one is. Other than some of the ten stages material, and I don't think I'm alone in this on the forum, a lot of this sutra is very "distant," in the sense that it as a practice manual is inaccessible to me. Reading it, I can't imagine how one would "practice" some of the material presented in it. This is doubtless because of the disconnection I have with a living community "practicing the Flower Garland" both in the sense of "upholding the sutra" as would have been the case in some periods of East Asian Buddhist history and in the sense of "practicing a kind of Buddhism deeply related to it" other than the ten stages generally.
As a consequence, I am reading the Flower Garland as "Buddhist literature" rather than a hard "Dharma text," having nothing with which to guide myself through it. I am basically reading it as if it were a bunch of powerful maximalist poetry about how wonderful and inconceivable the Buddha is. The "Manifestation of the Tathagata" section was particularly good, which I read in a separately-published non-Cleary translation. This is not the highest sense in which to read scripture, but it is how I am reading it more or less. I don't actually believe in personally adopting practice directly out of scripture without learning it from an actual living tradition of Buddhism anyways. It is in this sense, as amazing Buddhist literature, that I earlier lauded the scripture as a masterpiece. I can't actually testify to any hard technical Dharma from it though, for numerous reasons. One is that the Cleary translation is IMO completely useless as a Dharma book to the point where it is not functionally a Dharma book at all. I tend to try to read as many translations as I can along with the source material (if I know the language at all), but translations of the Flower Garland are few. Cleary's idiomatic choices like "enlightening beings" for "bodhisattvas" is the least problem. When even normal terms like that are rendered so autodidactically, it becomes less and less useful as "principally practice oriented" material and only useful as translated pseudopoetic material when it comes to technical terms. It has its own kind of dignity, like the strange translations of the 1800s -- high on style and beauty but low on accuracy.
I adapted some of the Cleary translation and the Ven Cheng Chien translation after looking at the Chinese into a little quaint reflection piece: "If you see a river, pray that beings gain entrance into the stream and into the ocean of wisdom. If you see a reservoir, pray that beings swiftly taste the one taste of the Dharma. If you see a pond, pray that beings become great in locution and skillful in preaching. If you see a well, pray that beings draw deep from the well of reason to disclose all dharmas. If you see a spring, pray that beings have inexhaustible roots of virtue. If you see a bridge, pray that beings carry all across to safety, as via a bridge. If you see a waterfall, pray that all beings cleanse the stains of delusion." So sentimental, my eyes water (not really). That isn't the sutra-section though verbatim, just an adaption.
A lot of people don't like the idea of the words "pray" and "prayer" in Buddhism. I've come to think of a prayer more as a wish and a statement of conviction than a petition to a deity. A prayer can be a wish, an intention, a psychic transmission of goodwill. "I pray you make it home safe." "I am sending my goodwill with you that, if it can help at all, you might be safe." Many also do not like to say "worship," but where does "reverence and wonder" end and "worship" begin?
My random musings. Very sophomoric. You (Malcolm) needn't feel pressured to respond. Has anyone else read or tried to read the Flower Garland?
