(4) Sariputra said, “There is neither going nor coming.” [Vimalakirti said] : “

(1) Then the Blessed One asked Vimalakirti: ‘ ‘ Thou wishest to see the Tathagata; in what manner dost thou regard the Tathagata?” Vimalakirti said: “Just as I regard the reality of my body even so do I regard the Tathagata. I regard the Tathagata in this manner: he came not in the past, will not go in the future, and stays not in the present; I regard him neither as form nor as thatness of form, nor as the nature of form; neither as sensation nor as conception nor as confirmation; neither as consciousness nor as thatness of consciousness nor as the nature of consciousness; he is not caused by the four elements; he is even as the void; he is not an aggregate of the six Ayatanas as he is far above eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind; he is beyond the three worlds of existence; he is separated from the three dirts he is in accordance with the three ways of liberation; he is endowed with intelligence yet he is as if not intelligent; he is neither of oneness nor of duality; he is neither of selfhood nor of otherness; he is neither formless nor attached to form; he is neither on this shore nor on that nor in midstream; yet he teaches all beings; he is never annihilated even though realising complete annihilation, he is neither this nor that; he is depending neither on this nor on that; he is known neither by intelligence nor by consciousness; he is neither darkness nor light; he is neither name nor form; he is neither strong nor weak he is neither pure nor impure; he is not in a definite place yet he is not separated from place; he is neither created nor uncreated; he neither manifests himself, nor is he explainable; he neither gives nor grudges; he neither observes nor violates the precepts; he is neither patient nor not impatient; he is neither diligent nor slothful; he is neither collected nor confused; he is neither intelligent nor ignorant; he is neither true nor false; he neither comes nor goes; he neither goes out nor returns; he is beyond all modes of speech; he is neither a stock of merit nor not a stock of merit; he is neither deserving of homage nor undeserving of homage; he neither possesses; nor abandons; he is neither endowed with form nor formlessness; he is identical with truth and equal to the nature of the law; he can neither be measured nor be weighed, being far above all degrees and measures; he is neither great nor small; he is neither to be seen nor to be heard; neither to be felt nor to be known; he is liberated from all bondage; he is equal both to the intelligent and to We ignorant; he does not discriminate in anything; in all things he has no attainment, no loss, no corruption, no suffering; in him there is no acting, no doing, no birth, no death; no fear, no sorrow; no joy, no dislike; he knows no past, no future, no present;

(5) When there is neither going nor coming, why dost thou ask me saying ‘whence hast thou come to be born here?’ what dost thou think when a conjurer produces either a man or a woman, is there any going or coming ? ’ ’ Sariputra said: ‘ ‘ There is neither going nor coming; hast thou not heard that Buddha taught that the form of all things was like a phantom?”