Buddha then. said to Maitreya Bodhisattva : “ Go thou to Vimalakirti and inquire after his health.” Maitreya replied to Buddha and said : “ O Blessed one, I am not worthy to go and inquire after his health. And why ? I remember one day I was preaching on the life at the Never-Returning Stage to the god-king and his kinsmen of the Tushita heaven. Then Vimalakirti came to me and said : “ O Maitreya, the Blessed One assured thee that thou shouldst' obtain supreme enlightenment after only one birth; now. tell me what birth does that assurance refer to. Does it belong to the past, or to the future, or the present ? If it be of the past, it is already past. If it be of future, it is not yet come. If it be of present, it never abides. It is taught by Buddha : O Bhikshus, at this very moment ye are being born and growing old and dying. If the assurance be of no-birth, no-birth is of the true order, and in the true order there is neither the assurance of enlightenment nor even the supreme enlightenment itself. O Maitreya, how canst thou obtain thy assurance in one birth ? Didst thou obtain the assurance at the birth of Suchness or at its extinction ? It thou didst obtain the assurance at the birth of Suchness, Suchness has no birth. If thou didst obtain the assurance at its extinction, Suchness has no extinction. All beings are of Suchness. All things too are of Suchness. All the sages and worthy men are of Suchness, Even Maitreya thyself is of Suchness. If thou art capable of obtaining the assurance, all beings too should be capable of obtaining the assurance. “ And why ? Suchness is one and not divisible nor is it differentiated. If thou O Maitreya, canst attain to the supreme enlightenment, all beings too can attain to it. And why ? All beings have the nature of enlightenment. If thou, O Maitreya, canst attain to Nirvana, all beings too can attain to it. And why ? All the Buddhas know that all beings have ultimately the nature of tranquility, that is Nirvana, and are never to be annihilated again. Therefore, O Maitreya, thou shouldst not tempt those gods with thy doctrine. In reality, there is none cherishing the thought of supreme enlightenment, nor is there none who retreats. O Maitreya, thou shouldst strive to make those gods abandon the false idea that there is Bodhi distinct by itself. And why ? Bodhi can not be obtained by the body or the mind. Tranquility is Bodhi as in it all things are tranquilised. Not-seeing is Bodhi as it is beyond all relations. Not-working is Bodhi as it is beyond thought. To cut is Bodhi as it exterminates all heresies. To separate is Bodhi as it is free from all false ideas. To prevent is Bodhi as it prevents all desires from rising. Not-entering is Bodhi as it is free from covetousness. Accordance is Bodhi as it is in accord with the truth. To abide is Bodhi as it abides in the nature of things. To reach is Bodhi as it reaches the ultimate. Non-duality is Bodhi as it is separated from consciousness and its object. Equality is Bodhi as it is equal to the sky. An uncreate is Bodhi as there is neither birth nor death. Knowledge is Bodhi as it understands the mental dispositions of all beings. Not-coming-in-contact is Bodhi as it is not to be known by any senses. Non-union is Bodhi as it is detached from the influence of passion. Non-abiding is Bodhi as it is without figure or form. Unreality of name is Bodhi as names are empty. Being like a phantom is Bodhi as it is far above grasping and abandonment. Not being disturbed is Bodhi as it is eternal calm. Serenity is Bodhi as it is pure in nature. Non-grasping is Bodhi as it is far above all attachments. The absence of difference is Bodhi as all things are same. The incomparability is Bodhi as it is beyond analogy. Subtility is Bodhi as all things are unknowable. “ O Blessed One, when Vimalakirti preached this doctrine, two hundred gods attained to the acquiescence in the eternal law. Therefore I am not worthy to go and inquire after his health.”

Buddha then said to a young man called Prabhavyuha : “ Go thou to Vimalakirti to inquire after his health.” Prab-havyuha replied to Buddha and said : “ I am not worthy to go to inquire after his health. And why? I remember one day I was about to go out of the great city of Vaisali when Vimalakirti was about to enter into it. I asked him with bowed head. •' Sir, tell me whence hast thou come ? ’ He replied : ‘ I have come from the Bodhimandala, place of enligten-ment.’ I inquired : ‘ Where is the Bodhimandala ? ’ He replied : ‘ Sincere mind is the Bodhimandala as it is without falsehood. Activity is the Bodhimandala as it accomplishes all works. The deep mind is the Bodhimandala as it increases merits. The enlightened mind is the Bodhimandala as it is without errors. Charity is the Bodhimandala as it expects no rewards. Morality is the Bodhimandala as it fulfills all vows. Patience is the Bodhimandala as it knows no impediment in all beings. Diligence is the Bodhimandala as it is never slothful. Meditation is the Bodhimandala as it controls the mind. Wisdom is the Bodhimandala as it directly sees all things. Mercy is the Bodhimandala as it treats all beings with equality. Compassion is the Bodhimandala as it endures, exhaustion and pain. Joy is the Bodhimandala as it finds pleasure in the law. Impartiality is the Bodhimandala as it destroys both love and hatred. Supernatural power is the Bodhimandala as it is endowed with the six supernatural faculties. Emancipation is the Bodhimandala as it is able to turn away and and leave out. The Necessary Means is the Bodhimandala as it teaches all beings. The Fourfold Acceptance is the Bodhimandala as it embraces all beings. Much-hearing is the Bodhimandala as it practises 'what is heard. Self-control is the Bodhimandala as it rightly observes all things. The Thirty Seven Requisites for attaining supreme enlightenment are the Bodhimandala as they adorn the created things. The fourfold noble truth is the Bodhimandala as it never defrauds the world. The twelvefold chain of causation is the Bodhimandala as it repeats endlessly beginning with ignorance till we come to old age and death. Passions are the Bodhimandala as it knows them to be realities. All beings are the Bodhimandala as it knows them to be selfless. All things are the Bodhimandala as it knows them to be empty. Vanquishing the Evil Ones is the Bodhimandala as it is immovable. The three states of existence are the Bodhimandala as they have no fixed abodes for beings. Roaring like a- lion is the Bodhimandala as it knows no fears. The [ten] powers, the [fourfold] fearlessness, and the [eighteen] special faculties— they are the Bodhimandala as they are without faults. The threefold knowledge is the Bodhimandala as it is without obstacles. Knowing all things with one thought is the Bodhimandala as it attains to omniscience. Thus O noble youth, thou shouldst know that all actions of a Bodhisattva who teaches all beings in accordance with all the Paramitas even to the raising and putting down of his feet should be known as coming from Bodhimandala and abiding in the law’ of Buddha. “ When he had preached this doctrine, five hundred gods all cherished the thought of supreme enlightenment. Therefore I am not worthy to go and inquire after his health.”

Buddha then said to Vasumdhara Bodhisattva : “ Go thou to Vimalakirti to inquire after his health.” Vasumdhara replied to Buddha and said : “ O Blessed One, I am not worthy to go and inquire after his health. And W'hy ? I remember one day I. was staying in a quiet chamber, then Mara Papiyas, the evil one, assuming the form of Indra, and accompanied by his kinsfolk, and by twelve thousand heavenly maidens who sang, playing musical instruments, came to me, worshipped me, touching my feet with their faces, and stood on one side with folded hands in reverent attitude. I thought to myself that he was Indra himself, and spoke to him thus : ‘ O Kausika, welcome to thee I Though thou art richly endowed with happiness, yet thou shouldst not give thyself up to pleasures, and seeing how transient the five sensual enjoyments are, thou shouldst seek the root of merit and observe the eternal laws even at the cost of thy body, thy life and thy property.’ Then he replied to me: ‘Well, O true one, accept these twelve thousand heavenly maidens to attend on thee.’ I then said : ‘ O Kausika, thou shouldst not bestow such an unlawful X X gift upon a Sramana, who has entered the order of Sakyamuni. They are of no use to me.’ I had scarcely finished these words when Vimalakirti came to me and said : ‘ This is not Indra but Mara the evil one who has come to tempt thee.’ And he turned to the evil one and said : “ Well, thou shouldst give me these heavenly maidens. I am worthy to accept this thy gift.’ Then the evil one, being astonished and fearing, thought to himself : ‘ Vimalakirti intends to afflict me ! ’ And he eagerly strove to disappear and depart but all his strivings were in vain. In spite of his utmost supernatural power he could not depart. Then he heard a voice in the air declaring : ‘ If thou wouldst give him these maidens, thou couldst depart. ‘ At last Mara, the evil one, seized with fear, gave his consent reluctantly. At that time Vimalakirti spoke to the maidens : ‘ Mara the evil one gave you all to me. Now all of you should cherish the thought of supreme enlightenment.' Then he preached to them according to their capacities, and persuaded them to cherish the thought of supreme enlightenment. Again he spoke: ‘ Ye have now begun to cherish the thought of supreme enlightenment. Now ye should enjoy the pleasures of the law, and give up the pleasures arising from the five senses.’ The heavenly maidens inquired : ‘ What are the pleasures of the law ? ’ He replied : ‘ There are the pleasures of ever believing in Buddha. There are the pleasures of desiring to hear the law. There are the pleasures of revering the order. There are the pleasures of being far above the five senses. There are the pleasures of regarding the five Skandhas as enemies. There are the pleasures of regarding the four elements as if they were venomous snakes. There are the pleasures of regarding the twelve Ayatanas as if they were a deserted village. There are the pleasures of regarding and guarding the thought of supreme enlightenment. There are the pleasures of bestowing happiness on all beings. There are the pleasures of revering the teacher. There are the pleasures of practising universal charity. There are the pleasures of being faithful to discipline. There are the pleasures of being patient and meek. There are the pleasures of being diligent in accumulating merits. There are the pleasures of being not distracted in meditation. There are the pleasures of wisdom clear and without blemish. There are the pleasures of spreading the thought of enlightenment. There are the pleasures of repressing all Evil Ones. There are the pleasures of destroying passions. There are the pleasures of purifying the Buddha-land. There are the pleasures of practising good works for the sake of perfection of forms. There are the pleasures of adorning the Bodhimandala. There are the pleasures of fearlessness even in hearing the profound law. There are the pleasures of the threefold emancipation. There are the pleasures of being not wishing to reach the goal before maturity. There are the pleasures of being friendly to one’s fellow-believers. There are the pleasures of cherishing an unimpeded mind among the teachers of heresy. There are the pleasures of guiding misled friends back to the path. There are the pleasures of approaching good friends. There are the pleasures of being joyous in purity. There are the pleasures of practising the laws of the numberless requisites which lead to enlightenment. These are called the pleasures of the law for a Bodhisattva.’ “ At that time Papiyas the evil one said to the maidens: Now let us go back to the heavenly palaces.’ The maidens said to him : ‘ Thou didst give us to this man who possesses the pleasures of the law. We find great joy in his company and Would no more take interest in the pleasures of the five senses.’

Then Mara the evil one said to Vimalakirti: ‘ Sir, thou oughtest to give back to me these maidens, because it is the principle of Bodhisattvahood that all things should be given to those who ask for them.’ Vimalakirti said : ‘ Well, I have already given them up; thou mayest take them away. May all beings fulfil their desires according to the law.’

Then the maidens asked Vimalakirti, ‘ Tell us how we should conduct ourselves in the palace of the evil one.’ Vimalakirti said : ‘ Well sisters, ye should know that there is the doctrine named the inextinguishable light. By the inextinguishable light is meant this—just as from one light we can produce a hundred or even a thousand other lights, brightening up darkness, yet the original light is not thereby exhausted ; thus O sisters, a Bodhisattva can teach a hundred or even a thousand beings to cherish the thought of supreme enlightenment; yet his own thought of enlightenment is not at all extinguished, but [all beings] grow in their merits according to the doctrine. This is [what is meant by] the inextinguishable light. Though ye be in the palace of the evil one, yet possessing this inextinguishable light ye can make the innumerable gods and maidens cherish the thought of supreme enlightenment. Thus can ye recompense the grace of Buddha and also greatly benefit all beings.’ “At that time those heavenly maidens worshipped Vimalakirti by touching his feet with their faces and suddenly disappeared, accompanying the evil one to his palace. O Blessed One, such is his supernatural power and wondrous eloquence. Therefore I am not worthy to go and inquire after his health.”

Buddha then said to Sudatta a son of a Wealthy merchant: “ Go thou to Vimalakirti to inquire after his health.” Sudatta replied to Buddha and said: “ I am not worthy to go and inquire after his health, and why ? I remember once at my father’s house, I performed a great charity festival for full seven days, offering food to all Sramanas, Brahmans and heretics as well as to the poor, the humble, the suffering, and beggars. When the period of seven days expired, Vimalakirti came into the assembly and said to me: ‘ O son of the wealthy merchant, the great charity festival should not be conducted in such a manner as thou hadst. Thou shouldst conduct a charity festival of spiritual gifts. What have we to do with the bestowal of material wealth ? ’ I inquired : ‘ Sir, What is the spiritual charity festival ? [He replied :] ‘ The spiritual charity festival is not in succession but all simultaneously. It is to look after the welfare of all beings at one and the same time. This is called the spiritual charity festival.’ ‘ What does it mean ? ’ ‘ For the sake of enlightenment thou shouldst cherish the thought of mercy. For the sake of salvation thou shouldst cherish the thought of great compassion. For the maintenance of the true law thou shouldst cherish the thought of joy. For the attainment of knowledge thou shouldst dwell in the thought of impartiality. Removing all covetousness, virtue of charity should be practised. To teach the trespassers of morality, rules of discipline should be observed. Possessing the doctrine of selflessness cherish the Kshanti Paramita. Being far above the forms of body and mind cherish the Virya Paramita. Obtaining the form of Bodhi cherish the Dhyana Paramita. Obtaining omniscience cherish the Prajna Paramita. Teaching beings [the thought of] emptiness should be cherished. Not abandoning the created things cherish [the thought of] formlessness. Manifesting human birth cherish [the thought of] non-action. For the maintenance of the true law, necessary means should be cherished. To save all beings cherish the four deeds of acceptance. To revere all beings cherish the means of removing arrogance. On the foundation of the body, life and wealth, the threefold law of permanency should be established. In the sixfold remembrance memory should be exercised. Cherish the sincere mind in the possession of the sixfold peace. Abide with the right living practising the true law. Be near to the intelligent and the holy with a pure and joyous mind. Cherish the thought of self-control without hating the wicked. Cherish the profound mind practising the way of mendicants. Cherish the thought of readiness to hear practising according to the doctrine. Establish the quiet hermitage there abiding in peace. Be seated in meditation following the wisdom of Buddha. Set up thy place of holy work liberating all beings from bondage. Accumulate merits being endowed with splendour and purifying the Buddha-land. Follow judgment knowing the thoughts of all beings and preaching the law according to each one’s need. Follow the discriminating intelligence knowing how all things being far beyond either giving or taking enter the domain of the one form. Bring forth all goodness exterminating all passion, every obstacle and all wickedness. Bring forth all causes which help the law of enlightenment possessing all intelligence and all goodness. O noble youth, thus is the ceremony of gifts of spiritual things. If a Bodhisattva performs the ceremony of gifts of spiritual things he is called a. great giver and he is also the cause of the merits of all the worlds.’ “ O Blessed One, when Vimalakirti had spoken thus, two hundred Brahmans all cherished the thought of supreme enlightenment. My mind then obtained purity, and praised him saying that I had never heard the like before, and bowed to him touching his feet, and took from my neck a necklace worth a hundred thousand [gold pieces J and presented it to him; but he would not accept it. Then I said : ‘ Sir, I pray only that thou wouldst accept my gift and do with it as thou pleasest. Vimalakirti then accepting the necklace, divided it into two parts, and offered one part to the meanest beggar in the assembly and the other to the Tathagata Durdharsha. All the assembly saw the Tathagata Durdharsha of the land of light, and also saw the necklace on that Buddha transformed into a jewelled terrace supported by four columns, and adorned on all sides and even transparent and visible. Then Vimalakirti manifesting this miraculous power said : ‘ When a giver with equanimity gives even to the meanest beggar, he is like the Tathagata himself, in his stock of merits there is no trace of discrimination, his great compassion is like [that of the Tathagata], and he expects no reward, then this is called the perfecting the spiritual gift.’ Then all in the city even to the meanest beggar seeing his miraculous power and hearing his speech awakened the thought of supreme enlightenment. Therefore I am not worthy to go and inquire after his health.” Thus all the Bodhisattvas each relating his story, praised the words of Vimalakirti, and declared themselves unworthy to go and inquire after his health.