Vimalakirti Sutra

Ankaching MarmaSub: Mahayana SutraLect: Dr. B. SudaratYear: 3rd Year

Contents

• Introduction – Author, Date, Theme, • Story overview• Chapter I – Buddha/Pure Land• Chapter II - Skillful Means• Chapter III – Reluctance of the Disciples• Chapter IV – Reluctance of the Bodhisattvas• Chapter V – Manjuri’s Visit to Vimalakirti• Chapter VI - Inconceivable Liberation• Chapter VII – Viewing Sentient Beings

Introduction

• About the text:• The text contains fourteen

chapters.• The text is composed in dialogue

forms with many characters.• Layman teaching dharma• Spiritual potential of womanhood.• Non-duality

• Date:• The sutra was probably composed during 100 CE.

• 188 CE by Kuṣāṇa monk Lokakṣema from Gnadhara to China but lost

• Six times in translations to Chinese

• And later around 406 CE , translated by Kumarajiva to Chinese Yao Quin Dynasty.

• Theme:• The philosophical aspect of this sutra: Non-duality and

emptiness.

• Non-duality philosophy teaches no judgment of things, characteristic etc.

- Good and bad is duality, no generation of good and bad is non-duality.

- Self and non-self- Wisdom and ignorance…- Even itself duality and non-duality

• “Duality is constituted by perceptual manifestation. Nonduality is objectlessness. Therefore, nongrasping and nonrejection is the entrance into nonduality.”

Story Overview

• Vaisali- Buddha and Vimalakirti• Pretended to be sick• Buddha’s requests to disciples and Bodhisattva• Reluctant because unparallel knowledge of

Vimalakirti.• Manjusri discussion on non-duality chance

from pretension.

Chapter 1 – Buddha/Pure Land

• The venue of scenario begins with monks and Boddhisattvas in the garden of Amrapali near Vaisali.

• Licchavi Ratnakara uttered verses in praise of the Buddha.

• The Buddha preached on the purity of the Buddha land requested by Ratnakara.

• Bodhisattva’s pure land; Profound mind, Six perfections, Four Brahmaviharas, Four means of attractions, Skillful means, Thirty-seven factors of enlightenment, etc.

• Buddha and Brahma Sikhin clearing doubts of ven. Sariputta.

• The Buddha said “Sariputra, this buddha-field is always thus pure, but the Tathagata makes it appear to be spoiled by many faults, in order to bring about the maturity of the inferior living beings.”

• Example of nectar in Trayastimsa heaven(taste according their degree of merits) viewing the Buddha-land.

• “We cannot see it as a pure land because our minds are impure. When our minds are impure, even paradise may seem like hell.” – Robert Thurman, commentary

Chapter II - Skillful Means

• Vimalakirti was a lay Bodhisattva, lived for the sake of others.

• He pretended to be sick as means of skillful means to teach dharma to others.

• The body of the Nirmanakaya(for ordinary) is subject to suffering.

• Therefore, Vimalakirti urged to gain the body of the Buddha and Dharma.

Chapter III – Reluctance of the Disciples

• Reading the thought of Vimalakirti, “ I am lying sick in bed. How can the world-honored one, He of Great Sympathy, not take pity on me.”

• The Buddha told to visit Vimakiriti to different disciples; Sariputta, Mahamaudalyayana, Mahakasyapa, Subhuti, Purna, Mahakatyayana, Aniruddha, Upali, Rahula, Ananda untill 500 great disciples.

• Every disciples were reluctant to see as they recollected their past incidents.

• Vimalakirti attacked with words to experts of specific field i.e• “ O Katyayana, do not explain the Dharma of the true

characteristic using mental process of the generation and extinction.”

-“ Katyayana, the dharmas are ultimately neither generated nor extinguished: this is the meaning of impermanence.”

-“The five skandhas are empty throughout, with no arising: this is the meaning of suffering.”

- “The dharmas ultimately does not exist: this is the meaning of emptiness.”

- “There is no self in self, yet no duality: this is meaning of non-self.”

Chapter IV – Reluctance of the Bodhisattvas

• Afterward, the Buddha approached to all the Bodhisattvas and they all refused.

• To Maitreya: taking his example of future Buddha, the suchness /buddha-nature in all sentient beings for anuttara samyaksambodhi.

• To Jagatimdhara: and mara women- “Sisters, a single lamp may light

hundreds of thousands of lamps without itself being diminished. Likewise, sisters, a single bodhisattva may establish many hundreds of thousands of living beings in enlightenment without his mindfulness being diminished.”

• Woman spiritual potentialities in higlight

• To Suddatta: the greatest gift of dharma than the material wealth.

Chapter V – Manjuri’s Visit to Vimalakirti

• Manjusri a accepted the Buddha’s request to visit Vimalakirti.

• Vimalakirti answered the questions of Manjusri as way of preaching.

- What is the cause from which this illness arise? Has it been affecting you long? How will it be extinguished?

- Stupidity, and extinguished of all sentient beings.

Chapter VI - Inconceivable Liberation

• By reading the thought of Sariputta, Vimalakirti preached “ inconceivable liberation”

• “ O Sariputta, in the seeking the dharma one should not be attached to the Buddha in seeking, nor be attached to the dharma in seeking….”

• Explaining about the dharma and its way of practice.

• The inconceivable emancipation of bodhisattvas; Sumera mountain into mustard seed without any changes, four great oceans into one pore,

• “ A bodhisattva who resides in inconceivable emancipation can take the sentient beings of a buddha land in the right palm and fly to all ten directions…..”

• Thus description is in such mystical and magical.• Therefore it is “ inconceivable”

Chapter VII – Viewing Sentient Beings

• This chapter interestingly defining some buddhist terms in a philosophical manner.

• Vimalakirti answered to the question of Manjusri .

• “ How should the bodhisattva view sentient beings?”

- like moon in the water, image in the mirror, sixth skandhas etc…

• How should practice sympathy to sentient beings?

- Practice sympathy of peace and joy, because of causing to attain the joy of Buddhahood.

• What is compassion?- “ the merits achieved by the bodhisattva.• What is the fundamental basis of body- Desire

Thank you !