International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)

ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2018): 7.426

A Critical Analyse of Vimalakirti's Teachings

Nguyen ThiThuy
Ph.D Research Scholar in Acharya Nagarjuna University, Center for Mahayana Buddhist Studies, Nagarjuna Nagar, Guntur-522510.
Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract: Often called the VimalakirtiNirdesa Sutra, possibly written almost two thousand years ago, yet it maintains its freshness and
irony as well as its wisdom. Modern readers particularly appreciate its lesson on women's equality and the education of laypeople.

1. Introduction The Storyline

The Buddha is conscious that Vimalakirti, a vibrant local
Vimalakirti's Teaching explains Mahayana Buddhism's basic Bodhisattva, is ill and urges his most prominent disciples to
teachings in fourteen relatively short chapters. Vimalakirti's visit him when he is teaching Dharma to hundreds of
Mahayana Sutras / Teaching Jewel discusses very thousands of people and non-people on the outskirts of
sophisticated Arhats and Bodhisattvas, a supposedly ill, north-eastern Indian Vaisali. They all refuse to go because
advanced lay bodhisattva. Particularly prominent in East he has punished every one of them because they don't
Asian Buddhism, teaching clarifies the sense of non-duality. understand the Dharma. Finally, in his sickroom, Manjusri,
It emphasizes the importance of the Bodhisattva concept of the mythical Bodhisattva of Wisdom, goes on to discuss
"saving all beings," as well as many other critical themes in doctrine issues with Vimalakirti, magically expanding to
Mahayana Buddhism. Teaching does this in a thoughtful and accommodate the vast assembly (all 35,000 of them). So
spiritually creative if complicated, manner that includes Manjusri tells Vimalakirti why he's sick. He is told he is
irony, satire, dramatic drama, magic, poetry, and luxurious suffering because of love because every living being is
explanation, as well as a simple doctrinal debate. The style (spiritually) ill. Vimalakirti then asks the Bodhisattvas in
of presentation makes The Teaching of Vimalakirti one of attendance to say to the assembly what they define as non-
the most exciting, inspiring, and readable, if weird, duality. In the end, Manjusri says that while they have all
Mahayana Sutras, in reality, a Sutra that is so exceptional spoken well, their explanations are dualistic, because non-
that readers are urged to relax their rational, discursive, duality cannot be expressed in words at all (though his
habitual way of thinking to absorb the teaching fully. Most answer remains tainted, too). Vimalakirti is then questioned
importantly, the Sutra emphasizes the non-dual education for his clarification of non-duality, and he remains
that all dichotomies such as nirvana and samsara, sickness completely silent. This is Vimalakirti's great thunderous
and health, sacred and secular, and men and women are silence and the high point of the Sutra. In the last four
ultimately empty, and thus make no sense.3 When this chapters, the scene has moved back to Vaisali, where the
teaching is fully realized, one fully understands (as Dogen Buddha is teaching. The park is wider to accommodate
and Suzuki Roshi continually point out) that everything is Manjusri and Vimalakirti and their large group magically
already complete-so' try your best and show up. transported back to Buddha. Amid other Buddha teachings,
both Indra, the Gods ' King, and Maitreya, the future
Buddha, promise to protect and spread the Sutra and all
2. Origin and Brief History rejoice in the Vimalakirti lesson.
The Sutra was most likely written for the first time in India Seven Themes
between the 1st century B.C. and the 1st century B.C. (with In the teachings of Vimalakirti, there are many subjects
about 100 CE most frequently mentioned), making it one of related to Mahayana Buddhism directly or indirectly. Here
the early Mahayana Sutras to be written down. It was are seven listed.
probably (but not certainly) handed down orally from the
time of the Buddha. In 180 CE, the Sutra was first translated The Dehistorization of Buddhism.
into Chinese. At least six additional Chinese translations The Buddha and his disciples lived in space and time-bound
remain in existence, attesting to the prominence of the Sutra historical context as recorded in the Canon of Pali. They
in East Asian Buddhism, where it has become a well-known marched through cities and towns, mostly unknown to
genre of literature, not just a religious text. The translation of passers-by. On the other hand, events in Mahayana Sutras
KumarajJva, divided into 14 parts, remains the most famous take place in both historical and mythical realities, as in this
of these translations. Subsequently, the Sutra was translated Sutra. While Vimalakirti is portrayed as an older man living
into Japanese (about the turn of the 6th century), Tibetan an authentic existence, Manjusri and the other Bodhisattvas
(from the original Sanskrit) and many Central Asian are still young mythological figures, not limited to time and
languages. Recent translations into English (at least six) and space. In comparison to modern and historical monks and
other modern languages are now available. Except for ordinary people, Bodhisatva is not true and lives in
fragments, the original text of Sanskrit did not survive. Since archetypal reality. The Buddha and the Dharma are also set
there has never been a school built around the Sutra and in an archetypal context. The Buddha is now a divine entity
never been used as an object of devotion, some other Sutras (his pure dharmakaya form) who appears on earth in bodily
like the Heart sutra and the Lotus Sutra have never enjoyed form (his nirmanakaya form) to instruct, while the Dharma
their popularity. It has never experienced the reputation of has become a purely spiritual reality whose essence is
India and Tibet in East Asia.
Volume 8 Issue 12, December 2019
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Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: ART20203581 DOI: 10.21275/ART20203581 1239
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2018): 7.426
undefinable and must be felt or implemented, rather than Pure Lands), the fantasmagorical depiction of the Mahayana
scientifically understood. Sutra is evident. In Buddhist cosmology, infinite space is
occupied with world systems, a thousand of which make up
In consequence, Buddhism has been universalized, idealized a small universe. One thousand of them are in the center of
and historied. By doing so, the teachings became 'a living, the world and a thousand form a vast universe following the
eternal, divine truth' accessible to all beings across space and Buddha Land, which is led by one specific Buddha who is in
time. In contrast to historical truths, the archetypal forces charge of the spiritual development of all beings in this
and forms of myth are experienced through felt realm. Bodhisattvas from Buddha Lands through the
understandings and indefinable meanings-and in this way development of their minds in the form of spiritual practice.
they touch us much more deeply than the worldly historical There are pure Buddha lands with relatively simple and
truth can. Still, as human beings, we need both of them, unclean spiritual development, which is an example of our
because we live in both realities. As a result, the Saha universe of misery. Among the Buddha Lands
VimalakirtiNirdesa weaves back and forth between these mentioned in the Sutra are Sarvagandhasugandha, chaired by
two realms-as when the Buddha suddenly performs a Buddha Sugandhakuta,13 and Abhirati, the Buddha Land of
miracle during a dharma talk in a historical setting in a Buddha Aksobhya, from which Vimalakirti himself
garden in a nearby town! originates. To purify all of us in the world system, he was
willingly reincarnated as an older man in our Saha universe
Magic in Mahayana Sutras. of misery.
According to the Buddhist tradition, Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas, as spiritually advanced beings, possess a vast What does the (presumably) reality of the fictional Buddha
array of magical powers. The showing of these forces Lands have to do with our spiritual development in
throughout the teachings gives the Sutra a distinctive, Mahayana sutras? The short answer is that if the Buddha
illusory quality. For example, before the Sutra starts, Land (like the dharmakaya form of the Buddha) is meant to
Vimalakirti, the ever-young Bodhisattva, uses his magical represent a pure mind, and we have the ability, through
powers to turn himself into an elderly layperson. In Chapter spiritual practice, to create a world in which we live (think
1, the Buddha sets 500 parasols carried by 500 visiting poetic imagery here), then we also have the ability to
young people into a single colossal canopy covering the develop a pure mind by following the Bodhisattva ideal.
entire billion-dollar universe of the planet. In chapters 5 and
6, Vimalakirti expands its 10-foot room to accommodate Vimalakirti's Use of Skillful Means.
Manjusri and his large assembly, as well as thirty-two Because a single solution to "saving all things" is
hundred thousand visitors and their high thrones from the unsuccessful, people and their forms of suffering are very
distant Buddha Land, all without crowding. In Chapter 7, the different 14 To be effective; then, a Bodhisattva must
goddess living in the house showers the whole assembly of approach people skillfully in different ways. Mahayana
the celestial flowers-and later the sex with Sariputra. And in Buddhism places great emphasis on skillful means
Chapter 10, Vimalakirti creates a magically formed (Upayakausalya). Vimalakirti, like any other Bodhisattva,
Bodhisattva and sends it back to the distant Buddha Land to displays this quality in Buddhist literature. Although a still
bring back a vessel containing fragrant ambrosia that feeds young Bodhisattva, he looks like an older, sick (but costly)
the entire assembly. In short, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are layman who wears a lay person's white clothes and lives in
capable of transforming themselves into different likenesses, the city of Vaisali like other ordinary people. All this he
of moving themselves through space and time, and of does to spread the Dharma. He meets everybody in his
turning anything into anything else. world, in schools, businesses and even brothels, to put non-
dual life into practice (see below). He looks like a
What is the meaning of the magic of Mahayana Sutras? responsible family man with a job and a home-an ordinary,
What kind of work does it have? One part of the answer is if influential layman, in other words. Because he is "sick,"
the essence of the inconceivable spiritual truth(' people come to visit him to teach him the Dharma. The
Inconceivable Emancipation') which lies as an aim in Sutra, therefore, points out that the dichotomy between
Mahayana Buddhism. If it is inexpressible in terms, how can monastics and the Laity is false (and this seems to be why
Bodhisattvas teach the Dharma like Vimalakirti? The reason Vimalakirti is portrayed as a layman) as is the dichotomy of
is that it is shown by practice, in this case, by magic. The men and women as a goddess living in Vimalakirti's house
second part of the answer is the view of Mahayana that life which Shariputra humorously teaches in the chapter of the
itself is a magic show-that what we think we see is an goddess.
apparition like that formed by magicians. It's not that, in
some way, what we think we see isn't there. The question is The Admonishment of Buddha's Disciples.
how we perceive our experience. This is why the magical The practise of skilful means does not always take the form
acts of the Sutra are to be understood as demonstrations, if of "tough love," as demonstrated by Vimalakirti's warning of
fanciful presentations, of the Dharma, of what existence is many disciples of the Buddha, in chapters 3 and 4, about the
like. Again, in short, the beauty of Mahayana Sutras is failure of their understanding of the Dharma. As the Sutra's
meant to be poetic and romantic for the same reasons that teachings are for highly advanced Bodhisattvas and Arhats
the historical truth of the Pali Canon has been universalized, (those who are ready to leave the' Work') it may seem that
idealized and historied in the Mahayana tradition. the misconceptions we make are less far off on the way.] A
significant concern for Vimalakirti is the attempt to make
Buddha Lands people release their different attachments by use of skilled
In the presence of many Buddha Countries (Buddha Fields, means-and that is all he does throughout the Sutra. When
Volume 8 Issue 12, December 2019
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Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: ART20203581 DOI: 10.21275/ART20203581 1240
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2018): 7.426
people differ in their relationships, the interaction with each three examples: (Sriganta) "There will be no possession, I
one of the Bodhisattvas is somewhat different. Nevertheless, and mine will be two, and the absence of presumption will
most of the four attachments illustrated in the Pali Canon not exist;" (Vidyudeva) "knowledge and ignorance are
seem to include one or more of them. These are: attachment dualist; the nature of innocence and experience is the same,
to views (Shariputra has attached himself to the opinions of for ignorance is undefined, incalculable, and beyond the
"proper" meditation when meditating at the foot of the tree; realm of thought.
Purna has attached himself to a look on how to "properly"
teach the Dharma, "ignoring whether his students can learn The lesson here (which is at the heart of the Sutra) is that the
and understand the Dharma from a given perspective), mind produces pairs of opposites-and one enters into the
attachment to ethics and outside practices for their own sake Dharma Gate of Non-duality when one understands this and
alone. The fourth attachment illustrated in the Pali Canon is sees that it is not the truth at all, but only means a purpose.
an attachment to sensual pleasure (in the second chapter, In a thorough understanding of this, Vimalakirti shows his
Vimalakirti urges the Vaisalis to abandon their devotion to knowledge through his "thunderous silence" and, to the
their physical bodies, which are both the source of sensual benefit of all beings, his interactions with the people around
pleasure as well as suffering). When examining Vimalakirti's him. In essence, this means that a truly awakened person
warning of each Bodhisattva, attempt to identify which of lives a life without preference-though somewhat
the above attachments are involved. During the study, bear paradoxically, a truly awakened person can enjoy his
in mind that Vimalakirti does not seek to humiliate the preferences as long as they are let go.
disciples of Buddha, but to help them proceed along the path
of their spiritual development. Practising with the Vimalakirti Sutra
While we can not live Vimalakirti's life, we can practice in
Vimalakirti's Thunderous Silence. many different ways with Vimalakirti Sutra. There are four
The Sutra reaches its peak through the wordless guidance of here. First, it is possible to approach the silence of
silence by Vimalakirti. In nine Chapter, Manjusri asks the Vimalakirtias a koan. "What is silence?" "Show me
Bodhisattvas what is non-dual teaching (or, more formally, Vimalakirti's silence (in a non-dual way)" In both the Secrets
"How do Bodhisattvas enter the Nonduality Dharma of the Blue Cliff and the Buch of Serenity,
Door?"). Each gives an answer that seems more insightful Vimalakirti'snonduality appears as a koan. We can also work
than the last one. Manjusri, the previous to reply, says that towards freeing us from the things that prevent us from
they have all spoken well. Still, their solutions, expressed in spiritual emancipation, which was an essential task in the
concepts, are essentially dualistic-as is his answer because it teaching of Buddha. The bonds of terror, hate and paranoia
is shown in ideas. Of course we should distinguish the (the classic three poisons) have complex and numerous types
reasons why his silence is "thunderous," as it is shown in here. The third method is to consider "stickiness" in our own
Shariputra's confrontation with the princess, between various lives (both on and off the mat). For instance, did Zen
types of silence, for amused silence and anger, the silence of Buddhism (for example, becoming a priest or becoming
stupor, etc. Instead, his silence is the silence of conscious of its doctrines) not become an end in itself but
enlightenment, which is the absence of a concept of silence the nonduality of Vimalakirti?? Lastly, in keeping with our
and, for that matter, of any other idea. When appropriate, he Dogen's Soto zen practice, we will experience the three
uses speech and silence, acting spontaneously according to poisons and the "stickiness" appearing and moving through
circumstances. The silence of Vimalakirti is "thunderous" our minds in an open consciousness (shikantaza). You can
because it opens the gate of non-duality. practice being a Bodhisattva, but you can do so in a way that
is not-Bodhisatta. You can do it again, but you can do it in a
Vimalakirti's Gate of Nonduality. non-bodhisattva way. You can do that, return to where you
As humans, we are beings of duality, because we use dualist are at present (which is the whole time).
ideas like good/evil, compassion/meanness and great/small
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Volume 8 Issue 12, December 2019
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Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: ART20203581 DOI: 10.21275/ART20203581 1241
 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR)
ISSN: 2319-7064
ResearchGate Impact Factor (2018): 0.28 | SJIF (2018): 7.426
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Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY
Paper ID: ART20203581 DOI: 10.21275/ART20203581 1242