VIMALAKIRTI SUTRA
Translated by Imperial Edict
Tripitaka Master Kumarajiva of Yao Qin
— o O o —
Chapter Nine
ENTERING THE GATE OF NONDUALITY
At that time Vimalakirti said to the assembled bodhisattvas:
“Noble ones, how does a bodhisattva enter the Dharma-gate of Nonduality? Let each of you speak as you wish.”
In the assembly, a bodhisattva named Dharma-Sovereign said:
“Noble ones, arising and ceasing are two. Dharmas originally do not arise; therefore now they do not cease. To attain the patience of non-arising in this way is to enter the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Virtue-Master said:
“Self and what belongs to self are two. Because there is self, there is what is mine. If there is no self, there is no ‘mine.’ This is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Non-Illusion said:
“Receiving and not receiving are two. If one does not receive dharmas, nothing is attainable. Since nothing is attainable, there is no grasping, no rejecting, no making, no acting. This is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Virtue-Crown said:
“Defilement and purity are two. If one sees the true nature of defilement, then there is no mark of purity and one accords with the mark of extinction. This is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Good-Protection said:
“Movement and thought are two. If there is no movement, there is no thought. If there is no thought, there is no discrimination. To penetrate this is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Good-Eye said:
“One mark and marklessness are two. If one knows that one mark is itself marklessness, and does not grasp marklessness, one enters equality. This is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Wondrous-Arm said:
“Bodhisattva-mind and Sravaka-mind are two. If one contemplates mind’s nature as empty, like illusion, then there is no bodhisattva-mind and no sravaka-mind. This is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Pusya said:
“Good and evil are two. If one does not give rise to either good or evil, enters the realm of signlessness, and penetrates it, this is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Lion said:
“Sin and merit are two. If one penetrates the nature of sin, sin and merit are not different. With vajra wisdom, one decisively realizes this mark as without bondage and without liberation. This is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Lion’s Intent said:
“Outflow and outflow-free are two. If one attains equality of all dharmas, one does not give rise to notions of outflow or outflow-free, does not cling to marks, and does not abide in marklessness. This is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Pure Liberation said:
“Conditioned and unconditioned are two. If one departs from all counting and measuring, the mind is like empty space. With pure wisdom, unobstructed in all ways, this is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Narayana said:
“Worldly and supramundane are two. The nature of the world is empty; that itself is the supramundane. Within this there is no entering, no exiting, no overflow, and no dispersal. This is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Good-Intent said:
“Samsara and nirvana are two. If one sees the nature of samsara, then there is no samsara, no bondage, no liberation, no arising, no ceasing. To understand thus is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Present-Vision said:
“Exhaustion and non-exhaustion are two. If dharmas are ultimately viewed, both exhaustion and non-exhaustion are marks of the inexhaustible. The inexhaustible mark is emptiness. If empty, there are no marks of exhaustion or non-exhaustion. To enter in this way is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Universal-Hand said:
“Self and no-self are two. If self itself cannot be grasped, how much less no-self? One who sees the true nature of self no longer gives rise to duality. This is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Lightning-Heaven said:
“Knowledge and ignorance are two. The true nature of ignorance is itself knowledge. Knowledge too cannot be grasped and is beyond all counting. To be equal and nondual in this is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Joyful-Vision said:
“Form and emptiness are two. Form is emptiness. It is not that form must vanish to become emptiness; form’s nature is itself empty. So too with feeling, perception, formation, and consciousness.
“Consciousness and emptiness are two. Consciousness is emptiness. It is not that consciousness must vanish to become emptiness; consciousness’ nature is itself empty. To penetrate this is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Bright-Mark said:
“The four great elements and the element of emptiness are two. The nature of the four elements is the nature of emptiness. As the former limit and latter limit are empty, so the middle is also empty. To know all element-natures in this way is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Wondrous-Intent said:
“Eye and form are two. If one knows the eye’s nature with respect to form as free of greed, anger, and delusion, this is called quiescent extinction.
“So too ear and sound, nose and scent, tongue and taste, body and touch, mind and dharmas are two. If one knows mind’s nature with respect to dharmas as free of greed, anger, and delusion, this is called quiescent extinction. To abide there is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Inexhaustible-Intent said:
“Giving and dedication to omniscience are two. The nature of giving is the nature of dedication to omniscience.
“Likewise morality, patience, vigor, meditation, wisdom, and dedication to omniscience are two. The nature of wisdom is the nature of dedication to omniscience. Entering the one mark therein is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Deep-Wisdom said:
“Emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness as separate are two. Emptiness is signlessness; signlessness is wishlessness. If emptiness, signlessness, and wishlessness are realized, then there is no mind, no intention, no consciousness. Entering one gate of liberation is entering all three gates. This is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Silent-Root said:
“Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha are two. Buddha is Dharma; Dharma is Sangha. The Three Jewels are all unconditioned marks, equal to space. So are all dharmas. To practice accordingly is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Unobstructed-Mind said:
“Body and body-extinction are two. Body itself is body-extinction. Why? One who sees body’s true mark does not see body and does not see extinction of body. Body and body-extinction are neither two nor differentiated. Not being startled or afraid in this is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Supreme-Good said:
“Good karma of body, speech, and mind as separate is two. These three karmas are all non-acting in mark. The non-acting mark of body is the non-acting mark of speech; the non-acting mark of speech is the non-acting mark of mind. The non-acting mark of these three karmas is the non-acting mark of all dharmas. To accord with this non-acting wisdom is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Field-of-Merit said:
“Merit-action, sin-action, and unmoving-action as separate is two. The true nature of these three actions is emptiness. If empty, there is no merit-action, no sin-action, no unmoving-action. Not giving rise to these three is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Flower-Adornment said:
“Duality arises from self-reference, and that is two. One who sees the true mark of self does not give rise to two dharmas. If one does not abide in two dharmas, there is no consciousness that apprehends. Having nothing to apprehend is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Virtue-Treasury said:
“The mark of having attainment is two. If there is no attainment, there is no grasping and no rejecting. No grasping, no rejecting is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Moon-Upon-Top said:
“Darkness and light are two. If there is no darkness and no light, then there is no duality. Why? In extinction-of-perception-and-feeling samadhi there is no darkness and no light. So too with the marks of all dharmas. To enter this equally is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Jewel-Seal-Hand said:
“Delight in nirvana and dislike of the world are two. If one neither delights in nirvana nor despises the world, then there is no duality. Why? If there is bondage, there is liberation. If originally there is no bondage, who seeks liberation? Without bondage and liberation, there is no delight or aversion. This is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Jewel-Crown-King said:
“Right path and wrong path are two. One abiding in right path does not discriminate this as wrong and this as right. Leaving both is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Bodhisattva Delighting-in-Truth said:
“Real and unreal are two. One who truly sees does not even see ‘real,’ much less ‘unreal.’ Why? This is not what fleshly eyes can see; only wisdom-eye can see. Yet that wisdom-eye neither sees nor does not see. This is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
After all these bodhisattvas had each spoken, they asked Manjusri, “What is a bodhisattva’s entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality?”
Manjusri replied:
“As I understand it, with regard to all dharmas there is no speech, no explanation, no indication, no cognition; one departs from all questioning and answering. This is entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
Then Manjusri asked Vimalakirti, “We have each spoken. Now please speak, noble one: what is a bodhisattva’s entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality?”
At that moment, Vimalakirti remained silent and said nothing.
Manjusri praised him, saying:
“Excellent, excellent! To reach the point where there is not even word or letter, that is true entry into the Dharma-gate of Nonduality.”
When this chapter on entering the Dharma-gate of Nonduality was spoken, five thousand bodhisattvas in the assembly all entered the Dharma-gate of Nonduality and attained the patience of non-arising dharmas.