SUT633 - Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra (Not Active)

SUT633 - Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra (3 Units) 
Prerequisites
Textbook: Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra by Robert Thurman
9 week course beginning the week of

The Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra (Sanskrit: विमलकीर्ति निर्देश सूत्र), or Vimalakīrti Sūtra, is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra. The sutra teaches, among other subjects, the meaning of nonduality. An important aspect of this scripture is that it contains a report of a teaching addressed to both arhats andbodhisattvas by the layman Vimalakīrti ("Undefiled Reputation"), who expounds the doctrine of śūnyatā, or emptiness, to them. This culminates with the wordless teaching of silence. It is also influential in Mahāyāna for its inclusiveness and respect of non-clergy as well as stating the equal role of Buddhist women, who are considered to have as much spiritual potentials as ordained male monks.