Dunhuang Document

"...Only if you can harbor a mind that slanders all Buddhas, destroys the Law original: "法" (Dharma); the teachings of the Buddha., does not enter the community of monks original: "眾數" (Sangha); the monastic order., and ultimately does not seek final Nirvana original: "滅度" (Parinirvana); the state of liberation from the cycle of rebirth.—only then may you take this food.'

"At that time, World-Honored One, I was stunned upon hearing these words. I did not understand what he was saying and knew not how to respond. I set down my bowl, intending to leave his house.

"Vimalakirti then said: 'Wait, SubhutiOne of the Buddha's ten chief disciples, renowned for his understanding of Emptiness.! Take your bowl and do not be afraid. What do you think? If a phantom created by the TathagataA title for the Buddha, meaning "One who has thus come" or "One who has thus gone." were questioned in this way, would that phantom be afraid?'

"I replied, 'No.'

"Vimalakirti said: 'All things in existence are like phantasmal appearances. You should not feel any fear. Why? Because all spoken words are inseparable from this illusory nature. The wise do not cling to letters or words, and thus they have nothing to fear. Why? Because the nature of words is liberation; where there are no words, there is liberation. The mark of liberation is the true nature of all things.'

"When Vimalakirti spoke this Law, two hundred heavenly beings attained the Dharma-eyeThe "pure eye of the Law" (法眼淨), which allows one to see the truth of things without delusion.. Therefore, I am not fit to go and inquire about his illness."

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The Buddha then said to Purnaoriginal: "富樓那弥多羅尼子" (Pūrṇa Maitrāyanīputra); the Buddha’s foremost disciple in preaching the Dharma.: "You go visit Vimalakirti and inquire about his illness."

Purna said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, I am not fit to go and inquire about his illness. Why? I remember once in the past, when I was under a tree in the Great Forest, preaching the Law to some newly ordained monks. Vimalakirti came to me and said:

"'Noble Purna, you should first enter Samadhioriginal: "三昧"; a state of deep meditative concentration. to observe the minds of these men, and only then preach the Law. Do not put filthy food into a jeweled vessel! You must understand what these monks are thinking; do not mistake lapis lazuli for common crystal.

"'You do not know the true roots of sentient beings; do not attempt to provoke them with the Small Vehicleoriginal: "小乘" (Hinayana); refers here to the basic level of Buddhist teachings focused on personal liberation, which Vimalakirti views as insufficient for those with greater potential.. If there is no wound, do not wound them! If they wish to walk the Great Way, do not show them a narrow path. Do not try to fit the vast ocean into the footprint of an ox. Do not equate the light of the sun with the glow of a firefly.

"'Purna, these monks long ago set their hearts on the Great Vehicleoriginal: "大乘" (Mahayana); the "Great Vehicle" path aimed at the enlightenment of all beings., but they have forgotten their original intention. How can you use the Small Vehicle to guide them? As I see it, the wisdom of the Small Vehicle is shallow and slight, like a blind person who cannot distinguish the sharpness or dullness of a person's natural faculties.'

"Then, Vimalakirti entered Samadhi and caused those monks to remember their past lives. They saw that they had once planted the roots of virtue under five hundred Buddhas and had dedicated themselves to attaining Unsurpassed Perfect Enlightenment. Instantly, their original hearts were restored. The monks then bowed their heads at Vimalakirti’s feet. Vimalakirti then preached the Law for them, so that they would never again retreat from the path to enlightenment.

"I realized then that Voice-Hearersoriginal: "聲聞" (Sravakas); disciples who seek personal liberation by hearing the Buddha's teachings. who do not observe the underlying potential of others should not preach the Law. For this reason, I am not fit to go and inquire about his illness."

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The Buddha then said to KatyayanaOne of the ten chief disciples, known for his ability to expand upon and explain the Buddha's brief teachings.: "You go visit Vimalakirti and inquire about his illness."

Katyayana said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, I am not fit to go and inquire about his illness. Why? I remember in the past, after the Buddha had briefly explained the essentials of the Law to the monks, I was elaborating on the meaning: the meaning of impermanence, suffering, emptiness, non-self, and cessation.

"Vimalakirti came to me and said: 'Noble Katyayana, do not use a mind of "birth and death" The dualistic mind that views things as starting and ending. to explain the Law of Ultimate Reality. Katyayana, the fact that all things ultimately neither arise nor perish—that is the meaning of impermanence. Realizing that the five aggregates The five components (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness) that make up a person. are empty and give rise to nothing—that is the meaning of suffering. That all things ultimately do not exist—that is the meaning of emptiness. That "self" and "non-self" are not two different things—that is the meaning of non-self. That things have never been "on" and therefore cannot be "extinguished" original: "滅" (Nirodha/Cessation).—that is the meaning of cessation.'

"When he spoke this Law, the minds of those monks attained liberation. Therefore, I am not fit to go and inquire about his illness."

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The Buddha then said to AniruddhaA cousin of the Buddha and one of his chief disciples, known as the "foremost in divine vision.": "You go visit Vimalakirti and inquire about his illness."

Aniruddha said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, I am not fit to go and inquire about his illness. Why? I remember in the past, when I was practicing walking meditation in a certain place, a Brahma King named Strictly Purified came to me. He was accompanied by ten thousand other Brahma beings, and they radiated a pure light. They bowed to me and asked: 'Noble Aniruddha, how far can your Deva-eyeThe "divine eye" (天眼), one of the six supernatural powers, allowing one to see across vast distances and through obstacles. see?'

"I replied: 'Friends, I see this world of the Shakyamuni Buddha—this billion-fold world-system—as clearly as one looks at an Amalaka fruitA small, transparent myrobalan fruit; a common metaphor for something seen with absolute clarity in the palm of one's hand. in the palm of one's hand.'

"Vimalakirti then came and said to me: 'Noble Aniruddha, as for what your Deva-eye sees, is it a "conditioned mark" A mental construct or physical appearance. or an "unconditioned mark"? If it is a conditioned mark, then your power is no different from the five supernatural powers of the non-Buddhist heretics. But if it is unconditioned, then it is beyond the realm of action and there should be no "seeing" at all.'

"World-Honored One, I remained silent. The Brahma beings, hearing his words, found them to be something they had never heard before. They bowed to him and asked: 'Who in this world possesses the true Deva-eye?'

"Vimalakirti said: 'Only the Buddha, the World-Honored One, possesses the true Deva-eye. He remains eternally in Samadhi and sees all Buddha-lands without perceiving them through the mark of duality.' Thereupon, Strictly Purified..."