Vimalakīrti ( ' "stainless, undefiled" + ' "fame, glory, reputation") is a

bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...

and the central figure in the ', Wisdom Library : Significance of Vimalakirti.
84000.co : The Teaching of Vimalakīrti. Introduction.
which presents him as the ideal

Mahayana Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main ex ...

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

upāsaka ("lay practitioner") and a contemporary of

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...

(6th to 5th century BCE). There is no mention of him in

Buddhist texts Buddhist texts are religious texts that belong to, or are associated with, Buddhism and Schools of Buddhism, its traditions. There is no single textual collection for all of Buddhism. Instead, there are three main Buddhist Canons: the Pāli C ...

until after (1st century BCE to 2nd century CE) revived Mahayana Buddhism in

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The Mahayana Vimalakirti Sutra also spoke of the city of Vaisali as where the lay Licchavi

Vimalakirti was residing.

History

The Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra characterizes Vimalakīrti as a wealthy patron of Gautama Buddha residing in the ancient city of Vaishali which is now situated in the Indian state of

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

. There is an ongoing debate as to the historicity of Vimalakirti with modern scholars grouping him with other figures in Mahayana literature, such as and other bodhisattvas. Traditional scholars, however, take him to be a historical figure like

, rather than mythic or legendary, and as such Vimalakīrti is not commonly venerated on altars or in tantric rituals, but as a prehistoric

Zen Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

, i.e., Chan preacher. Both groups agree that the descriptions of his acts in the Vimalakirti Sutra were allegorical in nature. The Vimalakirti Sutra portrays Vimalakirti as the personification of skill in liberative techniques. Vimalakirti is respectful to everyone he interacts with including

the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...

however he is not intimidated by them either. He also claims himself to be among the "Great Sorcerers" and is capable of performing miraculous feats to teach fellow practitioners.

Other

In Chinese Chan Buddhist monasteries, a common word for abbot is ''Fāngzhàng'' (方丈) meaning "one square

zhàng The zhang ( zh, c= ) is a customary Chinese unit of length equal to 10 chi (Chinese feet). Its value varied over time and place with different values of the chi, although it was occasionally standardized. In 1915, the Republic of China set it equ ...

(equal to ten square feet)", a reference to the size of Vimalakīrti's stone room.

Gallery

Vimalakirti debating Manjusri, Tang Dynasty.jpg, Vimalakirti, 8th-century wall painting,

Dunhuang Dunhuang () is a county-level city in northwestern Gansu Province, Western China. According to the 2010 Chinese census, the city has a population of 186,027, though 2019 estimates put the city's population at about 191,800. Sachu (Dunhuang) was ...

. File:Vimalakirti_Debates_Manjusri_Dunhuang_Mogao_Caves_Detail.jpeg, The layman Vimalakīrti Debates

Manjusri Manjushri () is a ''bodhisattva'' who represents ''Prajñā (Buddhism), prajñā'' (transcendent wisdom) of the Buddhas in Mahāyāna Buddhism. The name "Mañjuśrī" is a combination of Sanskrit word "wikt:%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%9E%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9C%E0 ...

Mogao Caves The Mogao Caves, also known as the Thousand Buddha Grottoes or Caves of the Thousand Buddhas, form a system of 500 temples southeast of the center of Dunhuang, an oasis located at a religious and cultural crossroads on the Silk Road, in Gansu p ...

Vimalakirti (Kyoto National Museum).jpg, Depiction of Vimalakirti from the Southern Song period (1127-1279)

References

External links

Indian Buddhists 6th-century BC Indian people Bodhisattvas Buddhist spiritual teachers People from the Vajjika League Indian merchants {{Mahayana-stub

History

Other

Gallery

See also

References

External links