What is the bodhi and how can it be achieved?―a teaching form Vimalakīrtinirdesa Chapter 3. 48-53

1. What is the bodhi?
2. Context of the Vimalakīrtinirdeṣa §3.48-53
3. Maitreya‘s excuse
4. Maitreya‘s conclusion

1. What is the bodhi?

The bodhi is the ultimate goal all Buddhism trainees long. The Buddha claims “I once was a bodhisattva, but I become a buddha with achieving the saṃbodhi(bodhi-completion)”. On Vimalakīrtinirdeṣa §3.48-53, Vimalakīrti gives a teaching on what the bodhi is, and how can it achieved from the Mahāyāna Buddhism perspective. (Vimalakīrtinirdeṣa full text is downloadable here).

2. Context of the Vimalakīrtinirdeṣa §3.48-53

The story is about the Buddha and his apprentices talking about visiting Vimalakīrti lying down on the bed because people troubles hit him. On Chap.3, the apprentices are told by the Buddha to go visit Vimalakīrti and they refuse. On §48-53, the Maitreya Boddhisattva is told to go but refuses.

3. Maitreya‘s excuse

3.1 Maitreya was once under the Vimalakīrti’s attack §3.48-52

Maitreya also said “Blessed one, I’m reluctant to go visit him. It is because, I remember that the time when I was teaching the dharma with gods’ sons of heavenly Tusita about the bodhisattvas’ never-look-back mindsets. At that time, Vimalakīrti came there and told me. ‘Oh Maitreya, you are prophesied to become a buddha. … Your tathāta is every living creature’s tathāta, if you are prophesied to become a buddha, every creature is prophesied to become a buddha. But how can you achive a buddha? … the bodhi is indeed every creature achiving the bodhi. So Maitreya, your achiving the nirvana means every creature achiving the nirvana. Forget your plan of gods’ sons’ achieving the bodhi.’

So Maitreya, abandant your wrongful thought about the Bodhi.

The Bodhi is… ‘”

3.2 Explanation: Why Vimalakīrti attacked? (The answer is the Mahāyāna Buddhism.)

Maitreya is a famous character in Buddhism who is described as a promised one to become a buddha one day. On this Sutra, he said to the Buddha that he’d tried to bring his friends, the gods’ sons of heavenly Tusita, to the nirvana, but Vimalakīrti had argued back his idea.

As I described in here, everything is considered to be interdependently connected in the Mahāyāna Buddhism teaching. Even Maitreya, the chosen one, is not exceptional his tathāta(true nature) depends on the others’ tathāta.

In conclusion while every creature doesn’t achieve the nirvana, Maitreya (and his friends) can’t achieve the nirvana, and be a buddha.

3.3 So what is the bodhi? §3.53

Google Gemini keep translating “bodhi” into “The enlightment”, but I don’t know whether it is true.

Table 1. Vimalakīrti’s teaching about the bodhi.
The bodhi is…	Translation by Google Gemini
na hi bodhiḥ kāyenābhisaṃbudhyate, na cittena	Indeed, enlightenment is not attained through the body, nor through the mind.
vyupaśamo bodhiḥ sarvanimittānām	The enlightenment is the calming of all signs.
asamāropo bodhiḥ sarvārambaṇānām	asamāropo bodhiḥ sarvārambaṇānām translates to “non-imputation is awakening of all objects” or “non-imputation is the enlightenment of all foundations.”
apracāro bodhiḥ sarvamanaskārāṇām	Unmoving enlightenment of all mental activities.
paricchedo bodhiḥ sarvadṛṣṭigatānām	Discrimination [or determination] of enlightenment for all views.
vigamo bodhiḥ sarvaparikalpānām	cessation is enlightenment of all conceptualizations
visaṃyogo bodhiḥ sarveñjitamanyasyanditānām	Disjunction is enlightenment, the cessation of all motions and agitations.
anadhiṣṭhānaṃ bodhiḥ sarvapraṇidhānānām	Unlocated enlightenment of all aspirations.
asaṅgapraveśo bodhiḥ sarvodgrahavigatā	Unattached entrance is enlightenment, the cessation of all grasping.
sthitā bodhir dharmadhātusthāne	The enlightenment resides in the realm of reality.
anugatā bodhis tathatāyām	The awakened one is established in suchness.
pratiṣṭhitā bodhir bhūtakoṭyām	enlightenment is established in the absolute limit of reality
advayā bodhir manodharmavigatā	Non-dual awakening, free from mental constructs
samā bodhir ākāśasamatayā	uniform awakening/enlightenment/wisdom is equality with space
asaṃskṛtā bodhir utpādabhaṅgasthityanyathātvavigatā	Unconditioned awakening, devoid of production, destruction, duration, and alteration.
parijñā bodhiḥ sarvasatvacittacaritāśayānām	perfect knowledge of enlightenment of the intentions and mental activities of all sentient beings
advārā bodhir āyatanānām	awakening of the bases through no-doors
asaṃsṛṣṭā bodhiḥ sarvavāsanānusaṃdhikleśavigatā	unsullied enlightenment, free from all latent tendencies and defilements
na deśasthā na pradeśasthā bodhiḥ sthānāsthānavigatā	Enlightenment is neither local nor non-local; it has transcended being in a place or not in a place.
tathatāpratiṣṭhitā bodhiḥ sarvato ‘dṛśyā	Enlightenment, established in suchness, is nowhere to be seen.
nāmadheyamātraṃ bodhis tac ca nāma nirīhakam	A mere name is enlightenment, and that name is without desire.
nirātmikā bodhir āyūhaniryūhavigatā	selfless enlightenment, free from accumulation and withdrawal
anākulā bodhiḥ prakṛtipariśuddhā	Untroubled, naturally pure enlightenment.
prakāśā bodhiḥ svabhāvapariśuddhā	luminous awakening (or enlightenment) pure by nature
anudgrahā bodhir adhyālambanavigatā	unsupported enlightenment, separated from the ground of the object
nirnānātvā bodhiḥ sarvadharmasamatāvabodhatvāt	Enlightenment is non-diversity, because of the realization of the equality of all elements of existence.
anupamā bodhir upamopanyāsavigatāḥ	Unequaled enlightenment, beyond all comparisons and examples.
sūkṣmā bodhir duranubodhatvāt	Subtle knowledge/understanding due to being difficult to comprehend.
sarvatrānugatā bodhir ākāśasvabhāvatvāt / sā na śakyā kāyena vācā cittenābhisaṃboddhum /	The awakening pervades everywhere, its nature being like space. It cannot be realized through the body, speech, or mind.

4. Maitreya‘s conclusion

Translation by Google Gemini.

O Venerable One, when this instruction was being given, two hundred sons of gods in that assembly attained the forbearance with respect to the non-origination of things. But I was left without a counterpart (or was speechless). Therefore, O Venerable One, I am not capable of going to inquire about the illness of that good person.