Weimojing 維摩經

Weimojing 維摩經 or Weimojie jing 維摩詰經, full title Weimojie suo shuo jing 維摩詰所說經, is the Chinese translation of the Vimalakīrti-sūtra (also called Vimalakīrti-nirdeśa-sūtra). An alternative Chinese title is Bu ke siyi jietuo jing 不可思議解脫經. This scripture celebrates lay enlightenment and was highly influential in the Buddhist Chan (Zen) School 禪宗 and the literati culture of China.

The sutra recounts the story of Vimalakīrti (Ch. Weimojie 維摩詰), a layman of the city of Vaiśālī (Ch. Pixieli 毗耶離 or Feisheli 吠舍離), who was wealthy and profoundly versed in Mahāyāna Buddhist doctrine. Through his discussions and debates on the Dharma (fa 法) with figures such as Mañjuśrī (Ch. Wenshushili 文殊師利), the sutra elucidates and promotes the Mahāyāna teaching of "wisdom, insight" (prajñā, Ch. bore 般若) and the "emptiness" ( śūnyatā, Ch. xingkong 性空) of intrinsic nature.

Its central intent is to "strike at one-sided [views] and reject the Small [Vehicle]" (tan pian chi xiao 彈偏斥小) while "praising the Great [Vehicle] and extolling the perfect [teaching]" (tan da bao yuan 嘆大褒圓). It critiques the partial practices and limited realisations of ordinary Buddhist disciples and censures distortions of the absolute realm of the Buddha-path (fodao 佛道). The sutra maintains that "a bodhisattva practices the non-path in order to fully realise the Buddha-path" (pusa xingyu feidao, shi wei tongda fodao 菩薩行于非道，是為通達佛道). Thus, although a bodhisattva (pusa 菩薩) may appear to engage in worldly livelihood, he constantly contemplates impermanence (wuchang 無常) and, in truth, clings to nothing. Though he may appear to have wives and attendants, he always remains far removed from the mire of the five desires (wuyu 五欲). This is identified as the true "bodhisattva practice" (pusa xing 菩薩行) that genuinely "realises the Buddha-path".

Furthermore, the sutra elevates the concepts of "no speech and no explanation" (wu yan wu shuo 無言無說), "no words and no language" (wu you wenzi yuyan 無有文字語言), and the complete elimination of all dualistic distinctions, such as right and wrong or good and evil, as the ultimate expression of the Dharma-gate of nonduality (bu er famen 不二法門).

The sutra employs dialogues rich in symbolic and allegorical meaning to convey the ultimate purport of the Mahāyāna doctrine of emptiness. Among scriptures of a similar type, it is regarded as a work of exceptional artistic and expressive power. In later periods, the Vimalakirti Sutra came to be revered as a major canonical text of lay Buddhism, and Vimalakirti himself was seen as the embodiment of the Mahāyāna ideal of the lay practitioner.

Of the original Sanskrit text has been lost, and only fragmentary portions survive. The sutra was translated in 406 CE by Kumārajīva (Ch. Jiumoluoshi 鳩摩羅什, 344-413) in the Later Qin empire 後秦 (384-417). However, according to the book catalogue Kaiyuan shijiao lu 開元釋教錄, the scripture had already circulated in China at an earlier date. From the Later Han period 東漢 or Later Han 後漢 (25-220 CE) through the early Tang 唐 (618-907), apart from Kumārajīva's translation, there were seven additional Chinese translations, namely Yanfodiao's 嚴佛調 (c. 117-c. 197) Gu Weimojie jing 古維摩詰經 (lost), Zhiqian's 支謙 (fl. 222–252) Weimojie jing 維摩詰經, Zhu Shulan's 竺叔蘭 (c. 300 CE) Yi Pimoluojie jing 異毗摩羅詰經 (lost), Dharmarakṣa's (Zhu Fahu 竺法護, 231-308) Weimojie suo shuo famen jing 維摩詰所說法門經, Gitamitra's (Zhiduomi 祇多蜜) Weimojie jing 維摩詰經 (lost), Xuanzang's 玄奘 (602-664) 說無垢稱經, and the unified version He Weimojie jing 合維摩詰經 by Zhimindu 支敏度 (c. 300 CE), who collated and integrated the translations of Zhiqian, Zhu Shulan, and Zhu Fahu.

The most important commentaries are Sengzhao's 僧肇 (384-414) Weimojie suo shuo jing zhu 維摩詰所說經注, Huiyuan's 慧遠 (334-416) Weimojing yiji 維摩經義記, Zhiyi's 智顗（538-597) Weimojie xuanshu 維摩經玄疏 and Weimojie wenshu 維摩經文疏, Jizang's 吉藏 (549-623) Weimojing xuanlun 維摩經玄論 and Weimojie yishu 維摩經義疏, Zhanran's 湛然 (711-782) Weimojie lüeshu 維摩經略疏 and Kuiji's 窺基 (632-682) Shuo wugou cheng jing zan 說無垢稱經贊. In Japan, Prince Shotoku 聖徳太子 (574-622) is credited with the commentary Weimojing yishu (Yuima-kyō gisho) 維摩經義疏.