Difference between revisions of "Vimalakirti Sutra-"
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The [[Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra]] ([[Sanskrit]]: [[विमलकीर्ति निर्देश सूत्र]]), or [[Vimalakīrti Sūtra]], is a [[Mahāyāna]] [[Buddhist]] [[sūtra]]. The [[sutra]] teaches, among other [[subjects]], the meaning of [[nonduality]]. It contains a report of a [[teaching]] addressed to both [[arhats]] and [[bodhisattvas]] by the [[layman]] [[Vimalakīrti]] ("Undefiled Reputation"), who expounds the [[doctrine]] of [[śūnyatā]], or [[emptiness]], to them. This culminates with the wordless [[teaching]] of [[silence]]. | The [[Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra]] ([[Sanskrit]]: [[विमलकीर्ति निर्देश सूत्र]]), or [[Vimalakīrti Sūtra]], is a [[Mahāyāna]] [[Buddhist]] [[sūtra]]. The [[sutra]] teaches, among other [[subjects]], the meaning of [[nonduality]]. It contains a report of a [[teaching]] addressed to both [[arhats]] and [[bodhisattvas]] by the [[layman]] [[Vimalakīrti]] ("Undefiled Reputation"), who expounds the [[doctrine]] of [[śūnyatā]], or [[emptiness]], to them. This culminates with the wordless [[teaching]] of [[silence]]. | ||
[[File:Yellow Amoghapasa5916.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:Yellow Amoghapasa5916.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
− | The [[sutra]] has been influential in | + | The [[sutra]] has been influential in {{Wiki|East Asian}} [[Buddhism]] for its "brash [[humor]]" and [[flexibility]]. It has also been influential in [[Mahāyāna]] for its inclusiveness and [[respect]] of non-clergy, as well as stating the {{Wiki|equal}} role of [[Buddhist]] women, who are considered to have as much [[spiritual]] potential as [[ordained]] {{Wiki|male}} [[monks]]. |
[[File:Valokiteshvara zj56.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | [[File:Valokiteshvara zj56.jpg|thumb|250px|]] | ||
Origins | Origins | ||
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The opening scene {{Wiki|features}} [[Śākyamuni Buddha]] [[teaching]] the [[Dharma]] to a vast assembly of [[ordained]] [[saṃgha]], [[celestial]] [[bodhisattvas]], laity, and various [[devas]] and other {{Wiki|nonhuman}} [[beings]] in the [[Amra Gardens]] in the city of [[Vaiśālī]] in northeastern [[India]]. | The opening scene {{Wiki|features}} [[Śākyamuni Buddha]] [[teaching]] the [[Dharma]] to a vast assembly of [[ordained]] [[saṃgha]], [[celestial]] [[bodhisattvas]], laity, and various [[devas]] and other {{Wiki|nonhuman}} [[beings]] in the [[Amra Gardens]] in the city of [[Vaiśālī]] in northeastern [[India]]. | ||
− | In chapter two [[Vimalakīrti]], a wealthy [[Buddhist]] lay [[bodhisattva]] who is considered a paragon of [[Buddhist]] [[virtue]], is feigning {{Wiki|illness}}. When the ruler of the region and various officials and others visit him, he takes the opportunity to expound [[Dharma]] teachings. | + | In [[chapter]] two [[Vimalakīrti]], a wealthy [[Buddhist]] lay [[bodhisattva]] who is considered a paragon of [[Buddhist]] [[virtue]], is feigning {{Wiki|illness}}. When the [[ruler]] of the region and various officials and others visit him, he takes the opportunity to expound [[Dharma]] teachings. |
− | When [[Śākyamuni Buddha]] learns of the situation he asks each of his ten major [[monk]] [[disciples]] to visit [[Vimalakīrti]] during his {{Wiki|illness}}, but each in turn declines to do so, each citing a past incident during which he was reproved by [[Vimalakīrti]] for some deficiency in his [[understanding]] of the [[Dharma]]. The same is repeated with various great [[celestial]] [[bodhisattvas]], until [[Mañjuśrī]], the [[bodhisattva]] of [[wisdom]], finally agrees. | + | When [[Śākyamuni Buddha]] learns of the situation he asks each of his ten major [[monk]] [[disciples]] to visit [[Vimalakīrti]] during his {{Wiki|illness}}, but each in turn declines to do so, each citing a {{Wiki|past}} incident during which he was reproved by [[Vimalakīrti]] for some deficiency in his [[understanding]] of the [[Dharma]]. The same is repeated with various great [[celestial]] [[bodhisattvas]], until [[Mañjuśrī]], the [[bodhisattva]] of [[wisdom]], finally agrees. |
[[Vimalakīrti]] and [[Mañjuśrī]] subsequently discuss points of [[doctrine]] in [[Vimalakīrti's]] room, which miraculously accommodates the multitudes of [[people]] who have come to watch. Finally, in the [[Amra Gardens]], [[Vimalakīrti]] and [[Mañjuśrī]] join [[Śākyamuni Buddha]] for further expositions of the [[Dharma]] and the performance of demonstrations of their [[supernatural powers]]. | [[Vimalakīrti]] and [[Mañjuśrī]] subsequently discuss points of [[doctrine]] in [[Vimalakīrti's]] room, which miraculously accommodates the multitudes of [[people]] who have come to watch. Finally, in the [[Amra Gardens]], [[Vimalakīrti]] and [[Mañjuśrī]] join [[Śākyamuni Buddha]] for further expositions of the [[Dharma]] and the performance of demonstrations of their [[supernatural powers]]. | ||
− | The [[Vimalikirti | + | The [[Vimalikirti Sutra]] "concludes with [[Wikipedia:Convention (norm)|conventional]] praises of the [[sūtra]] itself and an "entrustment" scene in which [[Śākyamuni]] calls on the [[bodhisattva Maitreya]], who is destined to be the next [[Buddha]] to appear in this [[world]], to guard the [[sūtra]] and ensure that it is widely propagated." |
Use of [[silence]] | Use of [[silence]] | ||
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[[Vimalakirti]] remains [[silent]] while discussing the [[subject]] of [[emptiness]] with an assembly of [[bodhisattvas]]. The [[bodhisattvas]] give a variety of answers on the question what [[non-duality]] is. [[Manjusri]] is the last [[bodhisattva]] to answer, and says that "by giving an explanation they have already fallen into [[dualism]]". [[Vimalakirti]], in his turn, answers with [[silence]]. | [[Vimalakirti]] remains [[silent]] while discussing the [[subject]] of [[emptiness]] with an assembly of [[bodhisattvas]]. The [[bodhisattvas]] give a variety of answers on the question what [[non-duality]] is. [[Manjusri]] is the last [[bodhisattva]] to answer, and says that "by giving an explanation they have already fallen into [[dualism]]". [[Vimalakirti]], in his turn, answers with [[silence]]. | ||
− | With this emphasis on [[silence]] the [[Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra]] served as a forerunner of the approach of the [[Ch'an]]/[[Zen]] [[tradition]], with its avoidance of positive statements on '[[ultimate reality]]': | + | With this {{Wiki|emphasis}} on [[silence]] the [[Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra]] served as a forerunner of the approach of the [[Ch'an]]/[[Zen]] [[tradition]], with its avoidance of positive statements on '[[ultimate reality]]': |
The [[Zen]] [[tradition]] is avowedly the [[Buddhism]] of [[Vimalakirti's]] silence—a claim that is explicitly reinforced by the practice of [[silent]] [[meditation]]. | The [[Zen]] [[tradition]] is avowedly the [[Buddhism]] of [[Vimalakirti's]] silence—a claim that is explicitly reinforced by the practice of [[silent]] [[meditation]]. | ||
Line 42: | Line 42: | ||
Influence in {{Wiki|East Asia}} | Influence in {{Wiki|East Asia}} | ||
− | John McRae notes that in contrast to [[India]] and [[Tibet]] where the [[Vimalakīrti Sūtra]] left little discernable impact, the [[sūtra]] became one of the favorites in | + | John McRae notes that in contrast to [[India]] and [[Tibet]] where the [[Vimalakīrti Sūtra]] left little discernable impact, the [[sūtra]] became one of the favorites in {{Wiki|East Asian}} [[Buddhism]]. However, he also states that the [[sūtra]] was not used as an [[object of devotion]], and that no school was ever formed around it, so that it does not seem to have enjoyed the {{Wiki|degree}} of [[popularity]] of some other [[sūtras]]. |
− | Richard B. Mather describes the popularity of the [[Vimalakīrti Sūtra]] in [[China]] as having multiple [[causes]]. Among those noted are its "brash" humor, its [[criticism]] of [[śrāvakas]] and [[Abhidharma]], and the universality and [[flexibility]] of its outlook. Mather states that despite its disparagement of [[śrāvakas]], the [[sūtra]] is strongly supportive of the [[Saṃgha]], and the text intends to sanction the pursuit of the [[bodhisattva]] [[path]] by both [[monastics]] and laity without opposition to one another. | + | Richard B. Mather describes the [[popularity]] of the [[Vimalakīrti Sūtra]] in [[China]] as having multiple [[causes]]. Among those noted are its "brash" [[humor]], its [[criticism]] of [[śrāvakas]] and [[Abhidharma]], and the universality and [[flexibility]] of its outlook. Mather states that despite its disparagement of [[śrāvakas]], the [[sūtra]] is strongly supportive of the [[Saṃgha]], and the text intends to sanction the pursuit of the [[bodhisattva]] [[path]] by both [[monastics]] and laity without [[opposition]] to one another. |
− | + | [[Hu Shi]], an important figure in {{Wiki|Chinese language}} reform in the early 20th century, wrote that the [[Vimalakīrti Sūtra]] was among [[Kumārajīva's]] three most influential translations (the other two being the [[Diamond Sūtra]] and [[Lotus Sūtra]]). As a {{Wiki|literary}} work, he praised this version of the [[sūtra]] as "half {{Wiki|novel}} and half {{Wiki|drama}}, with the greatest impact on {{Wiki|literature}} and fine [[arts]]." [[Nan Huaijin]] also regards this translation of the [[Vimalakīrti Sūtra]] as unique in {{Wiki|Chinese}} {{Wiki|literature}}, and forming "virtually its own {{Wiki|literary}} [[realm]]." | |
− | According to Nan [[Huaijin's]] description of the [[Ch'an]]/[[Zen]] [[monastic]] system, the [[abbot]] of the [[monastery]] customarily lived in a small room patterned after that of [[Vimalakīrti's]] room. This room, as well as the [[abbot]] himself, were colloquially referred to as the [[fāngzhàng]] (Ch. [[方丈]]), or "ten-foot square," as Vimalakīrti's]] room is described in the [[Vimalakīrti Sūtra]]. | + | According to Nan [[Huaijin's]] description of the [[Ch'an]]/[[Zen]] [[monastic]] system, the [[abbot]] of the [[monastery]] customarily lived in a small room patterned after that of [[Vimalakīrti's]] room. This room, as well as the [[abbot]] himself, were colloquially referred to as the [[fāngzhàng]] (Ch. [[方丈]]), or "ten-foot square," as [[Vimalakīrti's]] room is described in the [[Vimalakīrti Sūtra]]. |
Texts and translations | Texts and translations | ||
[[Sanskrit]] editions | [[Sanskrit]] editions | ||
Line 54: | Line 54: | ||
In 1981, the [[Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies]] published a [[Sanskrit]] edition of the [[Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra]], entitled [[Āryavimalakīrtinirdeśo Nāma Mahāyānasūtram]] ([[आर्यविमलकीर्तिनिर्देशो नाम महायानसूत्रम्]]). | In 1981, the [[Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies]] published a [[Sanskrit]] edition of the [[Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra]], entitled [[Āryavimalakīrtinirdeśo Nāma Mahāyānasūtram]] ([[आर्यविमलकीर्तिनिर्देशो नाम महायानसूत्रम्]]). | ||
− | In 1999, Prof. Hisao Takahashi of [[Taisho]] {{Wiki|University}} discovered a [[Sanskrit]] original among the {{Wiki|Chinese}} Government's [[Potala]] collection in [[Tibet]]. | + | In 1999, Prof. [[Hisao Takahashi]] of [[Taisho]] {{Wiki|University}} discovered a [[Sanskrit]] original among the {{Wiki|Chinese}} Government's [[Potala]] collection in [[Tibet]]. |
{{Wiki|Chinese}} editions | {{Wiki|Chinese}} editions | ||
Line 63: | Line 63: | ||
There are three {{Wiki|ancient}} {{Wiki|Chinese}} translations extant: | There are three {{Wiki|ancient}} {{Wiki|Chinese}} translations extant: | ||
− | Fóshuō Wéimójié Jīng (佛說維摩詰經) – 2 fascicles, translated by [[Zhi Qian]] in 223-228 CE ([[Taishō Tripiṭaka]] 474) | + | [[Fóshuō Wéimójié Jīng]] ([[佛說維摩詰經]]) – 2 fascicles, translated by [[Zhi Qian]] in 223-228 CE ([[Taishō Tripiṭaka]] 474) |
− | Wéimójié Suǒshuō Jīng (維摩詰所說經) – 3 fascicles, translated by [[Kumārajīva]] in 406 CE ([[Taishō Tripiṭaka]] 475) | + | [[Wéimójié Suǒshuō Jīng]] ([[維摩詰所說經]]) – 3 fascicles, translated by [[Kumārajīva]] in 406 CE ([[Taishō Tripiṭaka]] 475) |
− | Shuō Wúgòuchēng Jīng (說無垢稱經) – 6 fascicles, translated by [[Xuanzang]] in 650 CE ([[Taishō Tripiṭaka]] 476) | + | [[Shuō Wúgòuchēng Jīng]] ([[說無垢稱經]]) – 6 fascicles, translated by [[Xuanzang]] in 650 CE ([[Taishō Tripiṭaka]] 476) |
In addition to these, earlier translations had been done by [[Lokakṣema]] (188 CE), [[Dharmarakṣa]] (308 CE), [[Upaśūnya]] (545 CE), and [[Jñānagupta]] (591 CE). Of the three extant renditions, [[Kumārajīva's]] has [[traditionally]] been the most popular. | In addition to these, earlier translations had been done by [[Lokakṣema]] (188 CE), [[Dharmarakṣa]] (308 CE), [[Upaśūnya]] (545 CE), and [[Jñānagupta]] (591 CE). Of the three extant renditions, [[Kumārajīva's]] has [[traditionally]] been the most popular. | ||
[[Japanese]] editions | [[Japanese]] editions | ||
− | Most versions used in [[Japan]] are based on the {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[Kumārajīva]] version. The Yuimagyō Gisho (維摩経義疏), or Commentary on the [[Vimalakīrti Sūtra]], is an early work of [[Japanese Buddhism]], and is an annotated edition of the text based on the commentary of the {{Wiki|Liang Dynasty}} {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[monk]] [[Zhizang]] (458-522 CE). | + | Most versions used in [[Japan]] are based on the {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[Kumārajīva]] version. The [[Yuimagyō Gisho]] ([[維摩経義疏]]), or Commentary on the [[Vimalakīrti Sūtra]], is an early work of [[Japanese Buddhism]], and is an annotated edition of the text based on the commentary of the {{Wiki|Liang Dynasty}} {{Wiki|Chinese}} [[monk]] [[Zhizang]] (458-522 CE). |
[[Tibetan]] editions | [[Tibetan]] editions | ||
− | There are two translations of the [[Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra]] from the original [[Sanskrit]] into the [[Tibetan language]]. Chos-nyid-tshul-khrims translated it into [[Tibetan]] in the ninth century. | + | There are two translations of the [[Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra]] from the original [[Sanskrit]] into the [[Tibetan language]]. [[Chos-nyid-tshul-khrims]] translated it into [[Tibetan]] in the ninth century. |
</poem> | </poem> | ||
{{W}} | {{W}} | ||
[[Category:Vimalakirti]] | [[Category:Vimalakirti]] |
Latest revision as of 05:04, 11 September 2014
The Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra (Sanskrit: विमलकीर्ति निर्देश सूत्र), or Vimalakīrti Sūtra, is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra. The sutra teaches, among other subjects, the meaning of nonduality. It contains a report of a teaching addressed to both arhats and bodhisattvas by the layman Vimalakīrti ("Undefiled Reputation"), who expounds the doctrine of śūnyatā, or emptiness, to them. This culminates with the wordless teaching of silence.
The sutra has been influential in East Asian Buddhism for its "brash humor" and flexibility. It has also been influential in Mahāyāna for its inclusiveness and respect of non-clergy, as well as stating the equal role of Buddhist women, who are considered to have as much spiritual potential as ordained male monks.
Origins
According to Burton Watson, the Vimalakīrti Sūtra probably originated in India in approximately 100 CE. Its central figure is Vimalakīrti, who is presented as the ideal Mahayana lay bodhisattva.
The first translation of the Vimalakīrti Sūtra into Chinese was made in 188 CE, but was lost over time. This translation was made by the Kuṣāṇa monk Lokakṣema, who came to China from the kingdom of Gandhāra. The sūtra was translated six more times at later dates, with the most popular edition being Kumārajīva's translation from 406 CE. Sometimes used in the title, the word nirdeśa means "instruction/advice".
Contents
The sūtra consists of fourteen chapters in Kumārajīva's Chinese translation.
Summary
The opening scene features Śākyamuni Buddha teaching the Dharma to a vast assembly of ordained saṃgha, celestial bodhisattvas, laity, and various devas and other nonhuman beings in the Amra Gardens in the city of Vaiśālī in northeastern India.
In chapter two Vimalakīrti, a wealthy Buddhist lay bodhisattva who is considered a paragon of Buddhist virtue, is feigning illness. When the ruler of the region and various officials and others visit him, he takes the opportunity to expound Dharma teachings.
When Śākyamuni Buddha learns of the situation he asks each of his ten major monk disciples to visit Vimalakīrti during his illness, but each in turn declines to do so, each citing a past incident during which he was reproved by Vimalakīrti for some deficiency in his understanding of the Dharma. The same is repeated with various great celestial bodhisattvas, until Mañjuśrī, the bodhisattva of wisdom, finally agrees.
Vimalakīrti and Mañjuśrī subsequently discuss points of doctrine in Vimalakīrti's room, which miraculously accommodates the multitudes of people who have come to watch. Finally, in the Amra Gardens, Vimalakīrti and Mañjuśrī join Śākyamuni Buddha for further expositions of the Dharma and the performance of demonstrations of their supernatural powers.
The Vimalikirti Sutra "concludes with conventional praises of the sūtra itself and an "entrustment" scene in which Śākyamuni calls on the bodhisattva Maitreya, who is destined to be the next Buddha to appear in this world, to guard the sūtra and ensure that it is widely propagated."
Use of silence
The Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa "offers us two dramatic and contrasting moments of silence. The first of these [is] the silence of Śāriputra", who is rendered silent during an exchange with a goddess:
Śāriputra abandons speech too quickly, after all. He has been asked a question in a particular context [...] to refuse to speak at such a point is neither an indication of wisdom, nor a means of imparting wisdom, but at best a refusal to make progress [...] Śāriputra's failed silence is but a contrastive prelude to Vimalakīrti's far more articulate silence.
Vimalakirti remains silent while discussing the subject of emptiness with an assembly of bodhisattvas. The bodhisattvas give a variety of answers on the question what non-duality is. Manjusri is the last bodhisattva to answer, and says that "by giving an explanation they have already fallen into dualism". Vimalakirti, in his turn, answers with silence.
With this emphasis on silence the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra served as a forerunner of the approach of the Ch'an/Zen tradition, with its avoidance of positive statements on 'ultimate reality':
The Zen tradition is avowedly the Buddhism of Vimalakirti's silence—a claim that is explicitly reinforced by the practice of silent meditation.
But it does not mean that language is to be discredited completely:
Language is not, according to any Mahāyāna school, to be abandoned at the outset; it is not, whatever its limitations, a useless or a wholly misleading cognitive vehicle. To adopt an aphasia or cognitive quietism from the start would be pointless, and, as the Goddess notes, contrary to the practice of the Buddha himself, who uttered an enormous number of words during his career. But of course the episode gets its point precisely from the fact that Buddhist literature is replete with a rhetoric of silence—with episodes of especially significant silence—and indeed, as we discover a mere two chapters later in this very sutra.
Influence in East Asia
John McRae notes that in contrast to India and Tibet where the Vimalakīrti Sūtra left little discernable impact, the sūtra became one of the favorites in East Asian Buddhism. However, he also states that the sūtra was not used as an object of devotion, and that no school was ever formed around it, so that it does not seem to have enjoyed the degree of popularity of some other sūtras.
Richard B. Mather describes the popularity of the Vimalakīrti Sūtra in China as having multiple causes. Among those noted are its "brash" humor, its criticism of śrāvakas and Abhidharma, and the universality and flexibility of its outlook. Mather states that despite its disparagement of śrāvakas, the sūtra is strongly supportive of the Saṃgha, and the text intends to sanction the pursuit of the bodhisattva path by both monastics and laity without opposition to one another.
Hu Shi, an important figure in Chinese language reform in the early 20th century, wrote that the Vimalakīrti Sūtra was among Kumārajīva's three most influential translations (the other two being the Diamond Sūtra and Lotus Sūtra). As a literary work, he praised this version of the sūtra as "half novel and half drama, with the greatest impact on literature and fine arts." Nan Huaijin also regards this translation of the Vimalakīrti Sūtra as unique in Chinese literature, and forming "virtually its own literary realm."
According to Nan Huaijin's description of the Ch'an/Zen monastic system, the abbot of the monastery customarily lived in a small room patterned after that of Vimalakīrti's room. This room, as well as the abbot himself, were colloquially referred to as the fāngzhàng (Ch. 方丈), or "ten-foot square," as Vimalakīrti's room is described in the Vimalakīrti Sūtra.
Texts and translations
Sanskrit editions
In 1981, the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies published a Sanskrit edition of the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra, entitled Āryavimalakīrtinirdeśo Nāma Mahāyānasūtram (आर्यविमलकीर्तिनिर्देशो नाम महायानसूत्रम्).
In 1999, Prof. Hisao Takahashi of Taisho University discovered a Sanskrit original among the Chinese Government's Potala collection in Tibet.
Chinese editions
The Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra was translated into Chinese several times, first in approximately 180 CE.
Two especially influential translations are the Kumārajīva version, which is the most widely used, and the Xuanzang version.
There are three ancient Chinese translations extant:
Fóshuō Wéimójié Jīng (佛說維摩詰經) – 2 fascicles, translated by Zhi Qian in 223-228 CE (Taishō Tripiṭaka 474)
Wéimójié Suǒshuō Jīng (維摩詰所說經) – 3 fascicles, translated by Kumārajīva in 406 CE (Taishō Tripiṭaka 475)
Shuō Wúgòuchēng Jīng (說無垢稱經) – 6 fascicles, translated by Xuanzang in 650 CE (Taishō Tripiṭaka 476)
In addition to these, earlier translations had been done by Lokakṣema (188 CE), Dharmarakṣa (308 CE), Upaśūnya (545 CE), and Jñānagupta (591 CE). Of the three extant renditions, Kumārajīva's has traditionally been the most popular.
Japanese editions
Most versions used in Japan are based on the Chinese Kumārajīva version. The Yuimagyō Gisho (維摩経義疏), or Commentary on the Vimalakīrti Sūtra, is an early work of Japanese Buddhism, and is an annotated edition of the text based on the commentary of the Liang Dynasty Chinese monk Zhizang (458-522 CE).
Tibetan editions
There are two translations of the Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra from the original Sanskrit into the Tibetan language. Chos-nyid-tshul-khrims translated it into Tibetan in the ninth century.