This research delves into Li Tongxuan’s 李通玄 （636–730） comprehension and interpretation of the ideas of the figure Bhikṣu Haiyun 海雲 （Skt. Sāgaramegha, the second of the 52 Dharma friends visited by Sudhana） in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. Li’s analytical delineation of the personas illustrated in the Avataṃsaka Sūtra encapsulates the distinctive attributes of his reflections on the text. Li Tongxuan advocated the cultivation methods of Buddha’s Light Contemplation 仏光観 and the contemplation of the Twelve Nidānas. In extant literature, significant emphasis has been accorded to Bhikṣu Deyun 徳雲 （Skt. Meghaśrī, the first visited） and his approach to Buddha’s Light Contemplation. However, discussions about Haiyun and his doctrinal methods remain few; thus the present study endeavours to explore Deyun’s teachings in depth. In the present study, through an in-depth examination of Deyun, it is elucidated that in Li Tongxuan’s conceptual framework, Deyun’s interpretations of the Twelve Nidānas and the Buddha’s Light Contemplation represent dual facets of a singular doctrinal methodology. Moreover, within the hierarchy of spiritual cultivation, Deyun’s position is analogously equated to that of Queen Māyā 摩耶.
