爾時毘耶離城 有大長者 名維摩詰 已曾供養無量諸佛 深植善本 得無生忍 辯才無礙 遊戲神通 逮諸總持 獲無所畏 降魔勞怨 入深法門 善於智度 通達方便 大願成就 明了衆生心之所趣 又能分別諸根利鈍 久於佛道 心已純熟 決定大乘 諸有所作 能善思量 住佛威儀 心大如海 諸佛咨嗟 弟子釋梵世主所敬
ěr shí pí yē lí chéng yǒu dà zhǎng zhě míng wéi mó jié yǐ céng gōng yǎng wú liàng zhū fó shēn zhí shàn běn dé wú shēng rěn biàn cái wú ài yóu xì shén tōng dǎi zhū zǒng chí huò wú suǒ wèi xiáng mó láo yuàn rù shēn fǎ mén shàn yú zhì dù tōng dá fāng biàn dà yuàn chéng jiù míng liǎo zhòng shēng xīn zhī suǒ qù yòu néng fēn bié zhū gēn lì dùn jiǔ yú fó dào xīn yǐ chún shú jué dìng dà chéng zhū yǒu suǒ zuò néng shàn sī liàng zhù fó wēi yí xīn dà rú hǎi zhū fó zī jiē dì zǐ shì fàn shì zhǔ suǒ jìng
Key Message
Vimalakīrti feigned illness and taught the Dharma to all who came to visit. True wisdom is revealed as compassionate skillful means dwelling with sentient beings in the midst of reality.
▸The 'Chapter on Skillful Means' (方便品) introduces the householder Vimalakīrti in earnest and is the chapter of the entire sutra most devoted to praising the character and attainments of its central figure, Vimalakīrti.
The 'Chapter on Skillful Means' (方便品) introduces the householder Vimalakīrti in earnest and is the chapter of the entire sutra most devoted to praising the character and attainments of its central figure, Vimalakīrti. He has made offerings to countless Buddhas, attained the tolerance of the unborn (無生忍), possesses eloquence without obstruction, wields supernormal powers freely, and is a lay bodhisattva whose mind is as vast as the ocean. The heart of this chapter is the scene in which Vimalakīrti feigns illness as a skillful means (方便). He is not actually sick but assumes the appearance of illness as an expedient to participate in the suffering reality of beings afflicted by disease and to teach them. When kings, nobles, householders, and brahmins come to inquire after his health, Vimalakīrti seizes each opportunity to proclaim the Dharma and arouse bodhicitta. 'Skillful means' (方便, upāya) is not a mere technique but the wise practice of a Mahāyāna bodhisattva — transmitting truth in a manner adapted to the faculties of the recipient.