Buddha then said to Upali, “ Go thou to Vimalakirti and inquire after his health.” Upali replied to Buddha and said : “ O Blessed One, I am not worthy to go and inquire after his health. And why ? I remember at one time there were two Bhikshus who had committed a breach of discipline. Full of shame they dared not confess it in the presence of Buddha but came to me and said : ‘ O Upali, we have committed a breach of discipline and are too ashamed to confess it in the presence of our Lord. We beseech thee for this only that thou will show us the way how to be made free from the sin which causes us doubt and contrition.’ I preached to them the law according to the doctrine of discipline. Then Vimalakirti came to me and said: ‘Well, O Upali, thou shouldst not increase the burden of those poor Bhikshus, rather shouldst thou directly exterminate their pain of contrition instead of disturbing their minds. And why ? The nature of sin is neither within nor in the midst; as it is taught by Buddha, all beings are unclean when their minds are unclean; all beings are pure when their minds are pure; the mind is neither within nor without nor in the midst, and so all things are as the mind is. ‘ O Upali, when one’s mind attains to emancipation by means of meditation, is there any uncleanliness in the mind ? ’ I replied, ‘ Nay, none .’ Vimalakirti said : ‘ Even so it is with the minds of all beings. O Upali, a false idea is uncleanliness, being free from false ideas is pureness; O Upali, all things are transient; nothing remains unchanged ; they are like a phantom or a flash of lightning; nothing waits for another; nothing continues in a stay; all things are illusions ; they are as dreams, a mirage, the moon reflected in the water, reflections in a mirror, caused only by false ideas. One who knows this is said to be obedient to discipline, and one who knows this is said to be learned.’ “ Then those two Bhikshus said : ‘ What profound wisdom he possesses, even Upali cannot be his equal, Upali who is the first among all the disciples in the observance of discipline, cannot discourse with him.’ I remarked, ‘ Except for Tathagata there are no Sravakas, Bodhisattvas, who can stand his irrepressible eloquence which can fulfill every desire, such is his wisdom.’ At that time the two Bhikshus had their fear and contrition terminated and whereby the thought of supreme enlightenment was awakened in them; they made this vow : ‘ May all beings attain such eloquence as that I ’ Therefore, I am not worthy to go and inquire after his health.”

Upon that occasion, the venerable Subhuti occupied a place in the midst of the assembly. Rising from his seat, with cloak arranged in such manner...