Vimalakirti Sutra (Ch. Weimo jing; Sanskrit Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa-sūtra. This scripture is considered one of the most profound, as well as literarily excellent of the Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist sutras. The sutra expounds the profound principle of Mahāyāna as opposed to Theravada teachings, focusing on the explication of the meaning of nonduality. A significant aspect of the scripture is the fact that it is a teaching addressed to high-ranking Buddhist disciples through the mouth of the layman bodhisattva Vimalakīrti, who expounds the doctrine of emptiness in depth, eventually resorting to silence. There are three translations extant:
- the Weimojie suoshuo jing (trans. by Kumārajīva ; T 475.14.537a-557b).
- the Shuo wugoucheng jing (6 fasc. trans. Xuanzang . T 476.14.557-587)
- the Foshuo Weimojie jing (2 fasc. trans. Lokakṣema . T 474.14.519-536).
In addition to these, earlier translations had been done by Zhiqian (223-228), Dharmarakṣa (308), Upaśūnya (545), and Jānagupta (591). Of the three extent renditions, Kumārajīva's has traditionally been the most popular.
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