Much of the content of the Huayan jing, including such portions as its Book of the Ten Stages, has roots in Yogâcāra discourse, but the textʼs basic stance advocating innate enlightenment leads to a greater affinity with East Asian tathāgatagarbha and buddha-nature-oriented works such as the Awakening of Mahāyāna Faith, Nirvana Sutra, Lotus Sutra, etc. Thus the Huayan jing comes to be valued in Tiantaiʼs doctrinal system, and its paradigms are often reflected in the Chan literature of the Song period.

There are three major full-length translations of the sutra:

1. The first full translation was completed by Buddhabhadra 佛陀跋陀羅 around 420 (60 fasc.; T 278.9.395a–788b), also known also as the 晉經 Jin Sutra, Jin Translation 晉譯 and Old Sutra 舊經. [Chinese Buddhist Canonical Attributions Database]
2. The second translation (80 fascicles T 279.10.1b-444c) was completed by Śikṣānanda 實叉難陀 around 699. Known also as the Tang sūtra 唐經, the new sūtra 新經, and the eighty-fascicle Avataṃsaka 八十華嚴. [Chinese Buddhist Canonical Attributions Database]
3. The third was completed by Prajñā 般若 around 800 (40 fasc.; Gaṇḍavyūha; T 293.10.661a-848b) around 798. [Chinese Buddhist Canonical Attributions Database]