The Moving Feast: Reading into the Fragrant Chapter of the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa

Abstract

The ninth chapter (or the tenth in the Chinese versions) of the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa (Weimoji jing 維摩詰經), “The Feast Brought by the Emanated [Bodhisattva]” (Nirmitabhojanānayana) follows the climax of the whole narrative where Vimalakīrti and Manjuśrī exchange their understanding of non-duality. In contrast to that density of teaching, chapter nine appears to be rather loose in doctrinal orientation. No wonder why it has gained limited attention among scholars except for a few (Lamotte 1962; Gummer 2014). Much is yet to be explored around the complexity and the transformative power of the dramatic scenario. In this paper, I will limit myself to two motifs in this chapter: the name of the Buddha Gandhottamakūṭa (Accumulated Fragrance; Xiangjifo 香積佛, Xiangtaifo 香臺佛) as an allusion to Gandhakuṭī, and avaśeṣa, the “leftovers” (avaśeṣa; yu 餘) of Buddha’s meal.