by Shirfu
There are two sutras to which I would like to draw your attention. The first is the Srimaladevi Sutra and the second is the Vimalakirti Sutra. The full title of the first is Srimaladevi Simhanada Sutra or the Lion’s roar of Srimaladevi Sutra. The second is fully titled Vimalakirti nirdesha Sutra or the Instructions of Vimalakirti. Let me set this up.
In the Mahayana, your lifestyle should be determined by your ability to be compassionate. If you can do this by being a monk or nun, that is great. If you can do this as a laywoman or layman, great. These two sutras are about a Queen and a layman. There are very profound teachings in both but first I want to point out these two as examples of life lived as a Mahayana yogi or yogini.
People who are raised in a republic or democratic republic often do not understand the structure of power in a monarchy. We tend to think the king is an absolute ruler with total power. Although that is theoretically correct but in fact the king had many forces that he had to contend with. A more accurate way to think of this structure is to look at the game of chess. Chess was invented in India, so it reflects Indian thinking at its root. The castles were the elephants, knights, pawns, the bishop were the brahman ministers and of course the King and Queen. In chess, the king can only move one square at a time, but he can move in any direction. It is the Queen that is the most powerful piece on the board. She can move in all directions any number of squares. In the real world because the Queen is able to work behind the scene, she can accomplish things the king can’t as every move he makes is watched. Also, she had her family connections and her factions in the palace. The queen was very powerful, but she also had to be skillful in her dealings with others, so the wiser the better.
Thus, Queen Srimaladevi symbolises the Mahayana life by a lay woman who was powerful, wise and skillful. She also engages in other more specific activities. First, she is praised by here parents who say she is kind, intelligent. learned and wise and if she could see the Buddha, she would be quick to understand. So again, to see a buddha is to understand the Dharma just as I was explaining with regard to the One Practice Samadhi. Her parents sent her a letter telling her about the Buddha and that she should try to see him. She is respectful to her parents and follows their suggestion.
She then praises the Buddha and leads her retinue in doing the same. All of them bowed. There are many sutras that explain that those of high accomplishment previously had praised many buddhas. She also makes a number of vows. Making vows to gain awakening and to enact compassion plays an important role in Buddhism. The Sukhavativyuha Sutra, the Akshobhya Sutra, the Samantabhadra Sutra, and others have teachings about making vows. Then by the power of the Buddha, the Queen gives a teaching and connects it with the “Perfections” as explained in the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras. This is followed by many more topics. At the end she was mindful of the Buddha –a type of meditation. We will explore the philosophical and practice teachings in this sutra another time here I simply wish to bring to your attention the activity of the Queen as a model.
Now, let’s look at the Vimalakirti Sutra. The sutra opens explaining how great the disciples in attendance were and then provides a long list of Bodhisattvas names. The Buddha explains the field of activity of a bodhisattva. The sutra then introduces Vimalakirti who is a layman bodhisattva. He is using his illness as a skillful way to teach. The buddha wishes to send a disciple to pay his respect and inquire as to the health of Vimalakirti.
Vimalakirti is like you or me. He lives a life between the indulging common people and one of a restricted monk. Or as we say, he lives in the world not of the world. He was married with children and servants. On the outside his life was like any other person. He ate and drank regular food, engaged in sports and gaming, visited teachers, he knew science and mixed with the common people. He was comfortable to be with people of any age, who engaged in all types of businesses, he visited different neighborhoods, and participated in governmental affairs. He visited brothels, bars, and cabarets. He respected people from every walk of life from low to high. He was welcomed among the gods as an equal. He studied and taught the Dharma.
The Buddha asked one disciple after another to go pay his respects to Vimalakirti. Each in order, turned down the Buddha’s request relaying a story on how one time the disciple had engaged in a conversation with Vimalakirit and the layman made him look ridiculous. First the Buddha asked a number of famous monks to go many of them were Arhats. Even Ananda the Buddha’s attendant declined. After they all declined, he asked a number of bodhisattvas and others to please go and pay his respects. They too were reluctant to agree. Finally, the buddha asked Manjusri the bodhisattva of wisdom and he agreed to go. The body of the sutra then follows.
So, what can we learn from these two examples? First, your station in life, high or low, is not significant. You can be both a great yogi or yogini and a bodhisattva. You can be female or male. The important thing is what you do with the situation you find yourself in. Next, and this is particularly important, you do not have to be a monk or a nun. Both of these bodhisattvas are lay people. You could be a monk or a nun, but it is not necessary; monastic life is just another option. Actually, if you read the literature on Bodhisattva morality like the “The Definitive Vinaya” and “Abiding in the Good and Noble Deportment” both found in the Treasury of Mahayana Sutras, you will see that being a monk or nun may prove to be a hindrance to the bodhisattva’s career.
There is no activity you are bared from or should not associate with. You could be a prostitute bodhisattva, a warrior bodhisattva, a janitor bodhisattva, a Prime Minister bodhisattva or anything in between. You can minster to street people, or CEOs. Everything is open but there are two important points. First you have to be actually able not to get caught up on whatever. That is if you don’t let samsaric thinking become your path and just fool yourself with the idea you are a bodhisattva. Second, you can engage in these activities only out of compassion and not for your own ego’s sake. Being a monk or nun is safe for those seeking awakening. You should select the safe path if your wisdom and compassion are insufficient to safeguard you. When you are not engaging in compassionate activity, then retire to your room and enjoy the bliss of solitude for meditation and study.