O ideal do bodhisattva no Sūtra dos Ensinamentos de Vimalakīrti

Abstract

This research undertakes a reading of the Vimalakīrtinirdeśasūtra, an important text in the Buddhist Mahāyāna tradition, seeking to understand the fundamentals of the bodhisattva ideal according to that sūtra. The bodhisattva ideal is a way of conceiving the buddhist spiritual practice which proposes objectives, methods and motivation for the practice. In the "Teachings of Vimalakīrti Sūtra" the bodhisattva ideal is founded upon two elements: prajñā (wisdom) and upāya (skillful means). In founding the bodhisattva ideal on the dynamic interaction between these two factors of the spiritual life, the Vimalakīrtinirdeśasūtra brings together very import aspects of the Mahāyāna non-dualist philosophy. Furthermore, the bodhisattva ideal supports a Mahāyāna understanding of the dynamics and diversity of the Buddhist tradition.