This document provides an overview and summary of the Vimalakirti Sutra, a Mahayana Buddhist text composed around 100 CE. It contains 14 chapters depicting dialogues between Buddha, disciples, and layman Vimalakirti. The sutra explores philosophical concepts of non-duality and emptiness. It illustrates Vimalakirti pretending to be sick to teach dharma and the reluctance of disciples and bodhisattvas to visit him due to his great wisdom. Key chapters describe Vimalakirti's discussion with Manjusri about inconceivable liberation and viewing sentient beings. The sutra highlights spiritual potential of women and the importance of teaching dharma to lay

1. Vimalakirti Sutra
Ankaching Marma
Sub: Mahayana Sutra
Lect: Dr. B. Sudarat
Year: 3rd Year

2. 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

3. 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

4. • 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.

5. • 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

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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. • 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

10. 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.

11. 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, Ana
nda untill 500 great disciples.
• Every disciples were reluctant to see as they
recollected their past incidents.

12. • 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.”

13. 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.

14. • 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. • 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”

18. 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…

19. • 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

20. Thank you !