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The Vimalakirti Sutra

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Vimalakirti is not only one of the most popular sutras in Buddhism, but it is also one of the easiest to read, most enlightening and at the same time full of humor. Vimalakirti was a Boddhisattva who decides to pretend he is sick so that others will come to him, learn, and achieve enlightenment. Among those who come along is Sariputra, a disciple of the Buddha, who is treated rather irreverently in the sutra. He just doesn't get anything, and his blindness is used in the sutra as a method for teaching. Thus, when he sees a goddess he asks her why she doesn't get rid of her female form (for a male one, since he thinks that would be better). She answers him by changing herself into a male form and Sariputra into a female form, then she mocks him with his own question. The poor guy is bewildered. She then changes him back and explains how neither male nor female is anything, and thereby helps Sariputra along his way to enlightenment by showing the blindness of his sexism.

The highpoint of the sutra is when all the various boddhisattvas are asked how to understand the non-dual dharma. They spout their wisdom one by one, saying how it is neither this nor that, neither this nor that, etc., until finally it comes to Vimalakirti's turn. At that moment, he says nothing and remains silent. "Ah," says Manjusri, "only when words are overcome can we understand the non-dual dharma."

Well, what can I say. I highly recommend this wonderful sutra. Whether you are a Buddhist or just interested in religious texts, this makes for a great read. If I made it seem just hilarious, it's actually also really deep stuff and it will make you think.

Vimalakirti is the name of an ordinary householder who managed to achieve the bodhisattva level of enlightenment without ever renouncing his family life. In this sutra, many thousands of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to hear the teachings offered by this maverick sage. His achievements fly in the face of the customary buddhist injunctions to leave the world and take up the monastic life in order to reach enlightenment. This ancient text has always been one of Buddhism's most popular sutras. And it is easy to see why. Not only does Vimalakirti champion the lifestyle lived by the majority of Buddhists--the laity--he delivers his teachings in a way that is often quite humorous, sometimes bordering on a blatent disrespect for the status quo of the buddhist monastic institution. This is a great book to use in classes on Buddhism, as well as those on folk/popular religious traditions. Watson's translation makes for very enjoyable reading!

Although I have a slight preference for the magnificent translation of this very funny and insightful sutra by Columbia University's Robert Thurman, this translation by Burton Watson was the first version that I read. And re-read--many times. Once you enter into the story, it is remarkably funny. One disciple after another declines Lord Buddha's request to go see the "ailing bodhisattva", Vimalakirti. "Why?" they say, why won't they go see Vimalakirti? Each has a different reason, but in short, they won't go because the last time they ran into this fellow, he gave them a very hard time indeed about whatever they were doing, said things that they are still puzzling over, and enlightened many thousands of listeners in the process. Those readers who are familiar with the puzzles of Zen koans will be at home with many of the dichotomies, but this narrative goes much further than just short anecdotes for meditation. The entire way of the Bodhisattva is spelled out in the pages of this book in unforgettable detail. It is one of the earliest and greatest works of Mahayana Buddhism with many of the key ideas that would be developed later schools like the Madhyamika.

I highly recommend both translations to all serious dharma students.

Vimalakirti was a deeply enlightened layman who lived during the time of the Buddha. As previous reviewers have emphasized, this particular sutra is greatly important to all of Mahayana Buddhism. This sutra opens with a pretty amazing scene in which Vimalakirti grows ill, and the Buddha sends his utmost students to convey Buddha's greetings to him. Many arhats and bodhisattvas gathered together in Vimalakirti's home, where they all tried to express the Dharma of "not two", which as a previous reviewer noted, was to show the point which is not made by dualistic thinking. One bodhisattva said, "The sky and ground are not two." Another said , "Good and bad are not two." Still another, "Coming and going are not two." They all had many explanations of "not two" ; it was an extremely remarkable exchange.

Finally Manjushri said, "If you speak or don't speak, it's still not two." Everybody thought, "What a wonderful teaching." Then Manjushri turned to Vimalakirti and said, "What is your view of the Dharma of not two?" And Vimalakirti just sat there, not opening his mouth at all. Thus, Vimalakirti provided the best answer of them all. It's the most complete and deepest answer; for if you open your mouth, it's already NOT not-two; you would already be making two things. Just like Buddha nature, words and speech simply cannot touch it.

Burton Watson has translated many important works for us all, including the saying of Zen master Lin Chi in book format. This particular translation is concise and in-line with the majority of other translations I have looked over of this monumental sutra; therefore based on this viewpoint, I feel this is a really good place to get your information for this sutra. You'll get a lot out of it, and I think you'll truly enjoy it. Take care!

This is a very important Mahayana Buddhist text, particularly if you're interested in Zen/Chan. In it Vimalakirti, the perfect example of the Buddhist layman, displays his profound wisdom and wonderworking powers. In order to benefit others Vimalakirti displays symptoms of an illness at which point Lord Buddha requests that one if his disciples go visit him and see how he is faring. It is quite entertaining and enlightening how each one of Buddha's disciples and bodhisattvas present in the assembly refuses to go visit the layman because of some past encounter with him which intimidated some and dumbfounded others. Finally, Manjushri, the Crown Prince of the Dharma, agrees to visit the ill Vimalakirti. It is at this point that the main body of the sutra begins with Vimalakirti teaching about emptiness and most important of all non-duality. If you are a student of the Mahayana and have not read this I highly recommend that you do. It is profound and sublime as only Buddhist scripture can be.

It is a great read and you can learn so much about the practice of true buddhism too.

They did lots great reseach of this book.

While it would be hard to find something to say that hasn't already been said this will be an attempt none-the-less to praise this work still further. This sutra explains, beautifully, why one should take the path of the bodhisattva. Everyone will benefit from reading this.

This sutra is the pinnacle of Mahayana propagandist persuasion. Vimalakirti is depicted as the supreme example of bodhisattva, possessing super-buddhist abilities and supernatural powers. In fact in some instances the text even dares to suggest that Vimalakirti exceeds Sakyamuni Buddha in his depth of wisdom and paranormal abilities. All of these fancy displays are intended to convince the reader that by striving to attain the state of bodhisattva, and adhering to the sutra's tailored doctrine of the Great Vehicle, one can gain an understanding of the Dharma previously unknown and forever unsurpassed. Like many sutras of the Mahayana, the Vimalakirti is set at a time when Sakyamuni is present to preach the sutra itself to a great assembly, suggesting that the views of the Mahayana were actually expounded by the Buddha and not invented centuries later to accommodate the aspirations of the lay community. Vimalakirti, who is praised and honored by the thousand-millionfold Buddhas and heavenly beings, sets the pace for the layman who strives for annutara-samyak-sambodhi, or supreme perfect enlightenment, showing us that to be a perfect Buddhist one need not renounce family life and join the order of monks and nuns. In fact, the monastic community, representing Mahayana's rival sect, the Hinayana, are denounced as "rotten seeds", too far along in their erroneous views and thus forever unable to "sprout" and gain the true understanding of the Dharma. In a bold attempt to simultaneously convert non-believers and arouse hatred from the authors' rivals, the text uses Shariputra, a major disciple who to the Hinayana school embodies the foremost in understanding the Buddha's teachings, as its whipping boy. He is constantly shamed and dumbfounded by Vimalakirti's powers and wisdom. Appealing to centuries of Chan (Zen) students, a prominent theme of the text is emptiness and non-duality, concepts I will never pretend to understand. Overall, the text is intended to convince readers of its legitimacy with regard to the Buddha's teachings, and to convert readers to the Mahayana ideal of the bodhisattva path. Above all, it is a discourse on the merits of following this path, the perfect example of which is the man Vimalakirti himself; a commoner and layman, who, although no different than you or me, is nonetheless able to gain an understanding of the Dharma that far exceeds that of even the most adept students of the Hinayana school. This text is most interesting to me because it's a) really old, and b) a great example of ancient religious propagandist efforts to convert non-believers. When considering the relationship between today's Christians and the Bible, which was written around the same time as Vimalakirti, I can't help but wonder how modern-day Buddhists react to this text. The best thing about it, like the Lotus Sutra, is the way it shamelessly (and often hilariously) refers to itself and promotes itself, stating that "one who holds this sutra in hand has thereby acquired the storehouse of the jewels of the Law". That's a promise.

No reflection on Mr. Watson's translation--the book is very readable and is of historical interest. But it's mostly an apologetic for Mahayana vs. Theravada Buddhism. Though it does indicate that a layman can spiritually reach higher than monks. While compassion is very appealing this book is unconvincing that Mahayanists have higher enlightenment than Theravadists. True, this book does have the "koan" in which the protagonist is speechless to demonstrate a lack of duality. But, it was disappointing as a whole. Per David Snellgrove: "The fault in this plot is that it makes us expect too much from Vimalakirti's argumentative power. Modern novelists make the same mistake...the actual quality of his discourse is not good enough. We are left wondering why all the Saints stood in such awe of him. The author of this sutra tries to make up for this defect by a series of flighty miraculous episodes, which serve only to enhance the general effect of triviality." p. 272 in Edward Conze, I. B. Horner, David Snellgrove, & Arthur Waley, Buddhist Texts through the Ages (Boston: Shambhala, 1954).