(53) Sariputra asked the heavenly maiden: “ In what place wilt thou be reborn after thou goest from hence ? ” The heavenly maiden replied: “I follow the way of birth as taught by Buddha.”

(1) 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.”

(18) Buddha then said: “If a Bodhisattva wishes to obtain such a pure land of Buddha, he should know the path on which the Tathagata Akshobya walks.”

(7) Then Vimalakirti, without raising himself from his seat, manifested in the presence of the assembly an incarnate Bodhisattva, whose form, splendour, and dignity were magnificent, far surpassing any in the assembly. He then spoke to the Bodhisattva and said: “ Go thou there in the quarters on high, beyond the Buddha-countries exceeding even in number the sands of forty-two Ganga rivers, to the country named Sarvagandhasugandha, where a Buddha named Gandhakuta now dwells, seated at table to take refreshments together with the Bodhisattvas, and on thy arrival tell him these words of mine saying: ‘Vimalakirti touching thy feet with his bowed head greets thee with all reverence and wishes to inquire whether thou art assailed with few ailings, few illnesses, and whether thy spirits are in good condition as ever. He prays that thou bestow upon him a portion of thy food if thou canst spare it, that he might perform a religious work in the Saha world, enabling all those who find pleasure in the inferior law only, to open their eyes to the great religion, thus helping to spread the fame of Tathagata throughout [the world].’ ”