The “roots of goodness” (shangen 善根) are extremely important in the process of practicing Buddhism. Discussions about the roots of goodness can be found in sutras of both Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism.
The Huayan Sutra (Huayan jing 華嚴經) teaches the methods of practicing the bodhisattva path and attaining Buddhahood. In this sutra, as the speakers introduce gradually higher stages (of the bodhisattva path), the times that the “roots of goodness” are mentioned also increase. What is the association between the roots of goodness and the process of practicing Buddhism? So far, there haven’t been many studies on the roots of goodness, while the definitions of this term in contemporary dictionaries cannot fully express its significance in the Huayan Sutra.
This paper mainly refers to the 80-fascicle Huayan Sutra, translated by Śikṣānanda in the Tang Dynasty, as well as the Commentary and Subcommentary on the Huayan Sutra by the Huayan patriarch Chengguan. According to Huayan patriarchs, there are six stages of Bodhisattva development in the Huayan Sutra, namely the ten abodes, ten practices, ten dedications of merit, ten grounds, virtual enlightenment, and wonderful enlightenment. In different stages, the “roots of goodness” are mentioned in different ways. Thus, this paper first discusses how often and in what ways the term is mentioned in chapters on the stages of bodhisattva practice (ten abodes, ten practices, and ten dedications of merit, and ten grounds). Then, Chengguan’s view on the roots of goodness will be looked into. Through the discussions, the paper aims to analyze the significance of the roots of goodness for the bodhisattva path in the Huayan Sutra.
From the perspective of Bodhisattva development, the differences in the roots of goodness between the three worthy levels (i.e. ten abodes, ten practices, and ten dedications of merit) and the ten sage levels (i.e. ten grounds) are as follows: in the ten abodes, the “roots of goodness” particularly emphasizes its “initial resolve” that truly initiates the determination of never retreating. In the ten practices, practicing Buddhism is the emphasis while the chapter particularly pays attention to the “roots of goodness” in practicing the ten perfections. The “Ten Dedications Chapter” (shihuixiang pin 十迴向品) particularly emphasizes the qualities of the Bodhisattva to exercise both compassion and wisdom. The roots of goodness serve as a necessary condition in the transfer of merit (pariṇāmanā). The interaction between the roots of goodness and the transfer of merit is moving back and forth in a circle until the final status of attaining Buddhahood.
The “Ten Grounds Chapter” (shidipin 十地品) in the Huayan Sutra focuses on the “world-transcending roots of goodness” and the “enlightening roots of goodness” as the core of the discussion. In the tenth stage, the “Dharma Cloud Ground” (fayun di 法雲地), the light of wisdom will shine to its fullest potential. In the meantime, the scriptures also use the alchemist’s gold metallurgy, the preciousness and solemnity of real gold, and the process of making as a metaphor
