Author: Sangharakshita
Publisher: New Age Books
Year: 2007
Language: English
Pages: 160
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8178222698
Description
Vimalakirti is a Bodhisattva who appears as a layman in order to help 'all living beings’. A worker of wonders, he reveals distant universes, feeds thousands of beings with a single bowl of nectar, and wins a philosophical debate with a thunderous silence. Because he is enlightened, the means he uses are highly skilful yet utterly inconceivable.
How can we understand and communicate the Buddha’s teaching, learn to practice the spiritual life in association with others, and finally gain our freedom? These are the practical issues, directly relevant to modern life, and illustrated through myth and symbol, which this book explores. Sangharakshita’s commentary illuminates the original text, and can also be read as a teaching in its own right, so vividly does it evoke the spiritual power of Vimalakirti, and the significance of his teachings.
Take a step into the extraordinary realm of the Vimalakirtinirdesa. Discover the magic, drama, and paradox of this classic Mahayana scripture, and move towards the freedom of heart and mind, which is the inconceivable emancipation.
Contents
Editor’s Preface
The Magic of a Mahayana Sutra
Building the Buddha-Land
On Being ‘All Thing to all Men
The Transcendental Critique of Religion
History Versus Myth in Humanity
Quest for Meaning
The Way of Non-Duality
The Mystery of Human Communication
The Four Great Reliance: Criteria for
The Spiritual Life
Notes and References
Bibliography
Index