華嚴宗第三祖。原名法藏，祖先康居國人，至祖父始遷居長安。早年師事智儼，聽講《華嚴經》，深入其玄旨。智儼示寂後，依薄塵剃度，帝敕令京城十大德為師授具足戒，自此參加翻譯，從事講說，著述不斷。曾為武后講華嚴十玄門之深義，因善舉譬喻，武后豁然領解。一生宣講《華嚴經》三十餘遍，並仿天台之例，將佛教各種思想體系分類為五教十宗。師繼承杜順、智儼思想，創立華嚴宗，雖貴為五帝門師，又受到王公大臣恭敬禮拜，卻不改其嚴謹、淡泊的修行生活。

Originally known as Fazang, Xianshou is the Third Patriarch of the Huayan Avatamsaka School. While his ancestors were from Sogdiana, his grandfather moved to Chang’an where he was born. He studied under Zhiyan when he was young and acquired a deep understanding of the Avatamsaka Sutra. After his master’s death, Xianshou was tonsured under Bochen and was later fully ordained by imperial decree. He undertook translations, gave lectures, and wrote various works. He taught the Avatamsaka Sutra over thirty times through-out his life. Once he explained the Huayan Ten Profound Gates to Empress Wu, who gained deep understanding through his skillful use of metaphors. Following the Tiantai School, he categorized the different concepts of Buddhism into Five Teachings and Ten Schools. He founded the Huayan School based on the philosophy of Dushun and Zhiyan. Although he was the teacher of five emperors and earned the respect of the nobility, he maintained a strict and simple life.

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