Vimalakirti Nirdesa Sutra
Chapter 6: The Inconceivable Liberation
At that time Sariputra not seeing any seat in the chamber, upon which they may sit, thought to himself thus : “ Where can these assemblies of Bodhisattvas and disciples be seated?” Vimalakirti, the wealthy householder, knowing his thoughtspoke to Sariputra and said : “ Why hast thou come here, is it to hear the Law or to search for seats? ” Sariputra replied : “ I have come here to hear the Law and not to search for seats.”
Vimalakirti spoke : “ O Sariputra, he who seeks the Law never spares either life or body; how much less should he think about seats. He who seeks the Law has no desire either for form or sensation or perception or conformation or consciousness ; also he has no desire either for the twelve organs and objects of sense (Ayatanas') or eighteen elements (Dhatus) ; no desire even either for the world of Kama or the world of Rupa or the world of Arupa. O Sariputra, he who seeks the Law has neither attachment to the Buddha nor to the Law nor to the Order. He who seeks the law never seeks the contemplation of suffering, never seeks the attainment of the cessation of suffering, and never seeks the walking on the path of cessation. And why ? The Law is far above mere talk. If I should say that I see suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the path of cessation, it is mere talk and this is not seeking the Law.
“ O Sariputra, the Law is called complete annihilation; if either birth or death be realised it is either birth or death that is sought for and that is not the Law. The Law is that which knows no attachments; if there be attachments in the Law, Nirvana itself is an attachment; this is not seeking the Law. There is no tracing in the Law; if the Law be traced, that is tracing and not seeking the Law. There is neither taking nor giving in the Law; if there be either taking or giving in the Law, this is either taking or giving and not seeking the Law. There is no refuge in the Law; if there be any refuge in the Law, this is attachment to the refuge and not seeking the Law. The Law is formless ; if there be recognition of form, this is seeking the form and not seeking the Law. The Law knows no abodes ; if it knows an abode, this is abiding and not seeking the Law. The Law is impossible to be seen, heard, or known; if there be something to be seen, heard, or known, this is seeing or hearing or knowing, and not seeking the Law. The Law is uncreated; if it be created this is seeking the created and not seeking the Law. Therefore, O Sariputra, he who seeks the Law should not seek any thing in the Law.
When he had spoken these words, five hundred deities attained the pure eye of the Law in all things.
Then Vimalakirti, the wealthy householder, asked Manjusri : “ Thou hast been to countless asamkhyeya countries, even tens of thousands of millions ; in what country is the lion-throne endowed with the most excellent qualities ? ” Manjusri replied : “ O Sir, after passing through countries equal in number to the sands of the river Ganga, there is in the eastern quarter a world named Sumerudhvaja, and there a Buddha called Sumerupradiparaja now dwells. His body is eighty thousand Yojanas in height, and his lion-throne is also eighty thousand Yojanas in height, the most excellent in adornment.”
Then Vimalakirti, the wealthy householder, manifested his supernatural power. And at that moment thirty-two thousand lionthrones, high, broad, excellent, and pure were sent to him by the Buddha Sumerupradiparaja and were brought there into the chamber of Vimalakirti. Neither all the Bodhisattvas nor the disciples nor Sakra nor Brahman nor the four guardian gods had seen the like before.
That chamber now became so spacious that it contained all the thirty-two thousand lion-thrones without difficulty. In the city of Vaisali or even in the Jambudvlpa and in the four worlds there was nothing diminished, all being seen as it had been.
Then Vimalakirti spoke to Manjusri and said : “ Take one of those lion-thrones together with all Bodhisattvas and excellent men, and sit on it, posing thyself as if thou wert the image of that [Tathagata].” Then the bodies of those Bodhisattvas who possessed the supernatural power suddenly increased in size to the height of forty-two thousand Yojanas and seated themselves on those lion-thrones, but novices among the Bodhisattvas and the disciples could not ascend those thrones.
Then Vimalakirti said : “ O Sariputra, salute the Tathagata Sumerupradiparaja that thou mayest ascend the throne.”
Then all the novices among the Bodhisattvas and the disciples saluted the Tathagata Sumerupradiparaja and seated themselves on the lion-thrones.
Sariputra spoke : “ O sir, I have never seen before so small a chamber able to contain [so many] thrones, so high and so broad. And in the city of Vaisali or even in the villages and towns of the Jambudvipa and the four worlds and in the palaces of deities, kings of serpents and goblins, there is nothing diminished.”
Vimalakirti spoke: “O Sariputra, there is an emancipation of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas called the Inconceivable. If a Bodhisattva realises this emancipation, he can enclose within a mustard seed even Mount Sumeru so high and so broad, and thereby nothing is either increased or diminished. Mt Sumeru the king of the mountains remaining as it was, even the four guardian gods and the gods of the Trayastrimsa [who live therein] recognise not and know not that they are enclosed therein. But only the being who is to be taught sees the fact that the Sumeru is contained in a mustard seed. This is called the doctrine of the Inconceivable Emancipation.
“ Again, he can enclose the waters of the four great oceans within a single pore of the skin and there is no disturbance among the beings of the water whether fishes or turtles or great turtles or crocodiles, the nature of the great oceans remaining as it was ; even those beings such as goblins and Asuras [who live therein] recognise not and know not that they are enclosed and never disturb the being in whom they are enclosed.
“ Again, Sariputra, a Bodhisattva who has realised the Inconceivable Emancipation cuts out the three great chiliocosms [from the universe] even as does the turner of porcelain, and holding them in the palm of his right hand, he casts them, forth outside the worlds exceeding in number the sands of the river Ganga; but the beings contained therein recognise not and know not the place where they are cast; when he again restores them to their former place there is no consciousness either of going or of coming in those beings, the nature of the worlds remaining as it was.
“ Again, Sariputra, if there be any who ought to be taught and who wish to live long in this world, a Bodhisattva, prolonging seven days even to a kalpa, can make them believe those seven days to be a kalpa; or if there be any who is to be taught and who wish not to live long in this world, a Bodhisattva, reducing a kalpa to be but seven days, can make them believe a kalpa to be seven days.
“ Again, Sariputra, a Bodhisattva who has realised the Inconceivable Emancipation, can show to all beings all the adornments of the lands of Buddha concentrated in one country;
or he can take all beings of the land of Buddha in the palm of his right hand, and not moving from his original abode, can fly through all the ten quarters showing to all beings all things.
“ Again, Sariputra, a Bodhisattva can manifest in a single pore of his skin all the instruments, with which all beings in all the ten quarters honour all the Buddhas;
or he can manifest in a single pore of his skin all the lands in all the ten quarters, even the sun, moon, and stars.
“Again, Sariputra, a Bodhisattva inhales from his mouth all the winds in all the ten quarters without injury to his body, whereby none of the trees outside him are destroyed.
“ Again, when the worlds in all the ten quarters come to their end and begin to burn, he takes into his body all the fires; but the conflagration remains unchanged, nor does it do any harm to him.
“ Again, in the nadir, passing through the countries equal in number to the sands of the river Ganga, he may take a Buddha-land [among them], and deposit it anywhere, at any height, passing through the countries equal in number to the sands of the river Ganga, as if he was lifting a leaf of the date with a needle, no disturbance being caused thereby in the land.
“ Again, Sariputra, a Bodhisattva who has realised the Inconceivable Emancipation makes himself visible by his supernatural power, as a Buddha body, or a Pratyeka-Buddha body, or a Sravaka body, or Sakra body, or a Brahman body, or a Sahampati body, or a sacred Cakravartin body; again he can produce all the sounds, from the highest to the lowest through all the middle grades, which can be produced in all the worlds of the ten quarters, and he turning them even into the voice of a Buddha, can produce the sounds of impermanency, pain, emptiness, and selflessness in which all the teachings proclaimed by all the Buddhas in the ten quarters can universally be heard.
O Sariputra, I have preached in outline the power of the Inconceivable Emancipation of a Bodhisattva; if it is preached in detail, we can never come to an end even when the present kalpa expires.”
At that time Mahakasyapa having learned what the Inconceivable Emancipation is, praised it saying that he had never heard the like before, and spoke to Sariputra and said : “ Just as a blind man can not see all the coloured figures which may be presented before him, so all the Sravakas may listen to discourses on Inconceivable Emancipation yet they are incapable of comprehending them. But what wise men hearing this would not cherish the thought of-supreme enlightenment? How is it that we have cut down the root [of Bodhi] so that we are rotten seeds in the Mahayana ? All the Sravakas listening to the discourses on the Inconceivable Emancipation, should Wail so loudly that the three great chiliocosms would be shaken, while all the Bodhisattvas would rejoicingly and reverentially accept this doctrine. If a Bodhisattva understands and believes in the doctrine of the Inconceivable Emancipation, no Evil Ones are unable to do anything with him.”
When Mahakasyapa had spoken these words thirty-two thousand deities all cherished the thought of supreme enlightenment.
Then Vimalakirti spoke to Mahakasyapa and said: “ O sir, many of the Evil Ones living in the countless asamkhyeya worlds in the ten quarters, are such Bodhisattvas as have realised the Inconceivable Emancipation; they manifest themselves as the Evil Ones in order to preach and convert all beings through the necessary means.
“ Again, Mahakasyapa, those countless Bodhisattvas in the ten quarters may be demanded by some one of their hands, legs, ears, nose, eyes, brains, heads, blood, flesh, skin, bones, villages, towns, wives, children, male and female slaves, elephants horses, vehicles, gold, silver, beryl, precious shells, agate, coral, amber, pearl, mother of pearl, clothes, beverages, and food; but these ones who make such demands upon the Bodhisattvas are, in many cases, such Bodhisattvas as have realised the Inconceivable Emancipation and manifest themselves as such in order to make their minds firm through their Upayas. And why? Such Bodhisattvas as have realised the Inconceivable Emancipation are possessors of mighty powers, and of set purpose, oppress beings bringing with such calamities. Those who are powerless and inferior can never threaten Bodhisattvas in such a manner; just as an ass can never resist the kick of an elephant. This is called the way of wisdom and the necessary “ means of a Bodhisattva who has realised the Inconceivable Emancipation.”