Chapter 5 - The Inconceivable Liberation – Magic-like upāya

“In the boundless expanse of an empty house transformed by inconceivable thrones, Chapter 5 beckons as a gateway to the bodhisattva’s magic-like liberation, where Vimalakīrti unveils the non-dual artistry of transcending illusions through the Union of the Two Truths. Here, mountains nestle within mustard seeds, universes whirl like potter’s wheels, and māras emerge as compassionate guides, all dependently arisen yet empty of inherent grasp, revealing tathātā’s dynamic play of wisdom and skillful means. With feats that defy ordinary limits and adversities reframed as enlightened tests, this chapter dissolves dualities of obstacle and aid, inviting you to relinquish attachments and embrace the inconceivable — where every phenomenon, good or bad, whispers lessons of suchness, awakening bodhicitta in the dance of reality’s boundless freedom. Step into its hidden wonders, and let the inconceivable become your path to unexcelled enlightenment.”

Last update: August 12, 2025
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Source Text: https://84000.co/translation/toh176 

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[Text from 84000: “Eighty-four thousand conceive bodhicitta.”]

(Chapter 5 of the Vimalakirti Sutra, titled "The Inconceivable Liberation," focuses on the idea that the true Dharma transcends the limitations of our actual views, physical laws, matter-energy, space, time, conventional understanding, and five aggregates.
The chapter opens with Śāriputra observing the crowded room and wondering where everyone will sit, revealing a focus on the physical realm and mundane concerns.
Vimalakirti then challenges Śāriputra's focus, asking if he is there for the Dharma or a seat, highlighting the difference between seeking the Dharma and clinging to external factors.
Key themes and teachings of Chapter 6:
– The Inconceivable Nature of Liberation: The chapter emphasizes that the liberation attained by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is beyond ordinary comprehension. Vimalakirti demonstrates this by magically producing numerous lion seats for the assembly.
– Transcending Attachment to the Physical: Vimalakirti teaches that seeking the Dharma should not be tied to physical things like seats or even one's own body. This includes not being attached to the aggregates (form, sensation, etc.), the sense realms, or even the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in a limited, conceptual way. i.e. not attached to our actual illusions, conditioning, karma.
– The Unconditioned Nature of Dharma: The Dharma is ultimately unconditioned and cannot be found by clinging to the conditioned world of suffering and its cessation. i.e. which is the fruit of our mind(s).
– The Power of Skillful Means: The chapter highlights the skillful means (upāya) used by Bodhisattvas to guide others, such as the magical display of lion seats. i.e. seem magical but are just more in accord with reality.
– Beyond Conceptual Understanding: The chapter culminates in Vimalakirti's silent teaching, suggesting that the ultimate truth of the Dharma may not be fully grasped through words or concepts. i.e. through our conditioning, karma.
– In essence, Chapter 6 of the Vimalakirti Sutra challenges conventional Buddhist practices and encourages practitioners to move beyond attachment to the physical world and conceptual understanding in their pursuit of liberation. It emphasizes the boundless and inconceivable nature of the Dharma and the importance of skillful means in guiding others towards enlightenment.)
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(Google: In Mahāyāna Buddhism, the “Inconceivable Liberation (Inconceivable liberation: Magic-like powers, skillful means,  upāya, siddhis, resulting from acting more in accord with reality-as-it-is (tathātā) as pointed out by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T])” refers to a profound state of spiritual freedom attained by bodhisattvas, characterized by extraordinary powers and a deep understanding that transcends ordinary concepts of space, time, and perception.
It signifies a level of enlightenment where bodhisattvas can perform miraculous feats and effortlessly guide others towards enlightenment. Here's a more detailed explanation:
– Beyond Ordinary Understanding: The Inconceivable Liberation is not a state that can be fully grasped by ordinary beings or explained through conventional logic.
– Not Easily Comprehended: Like the concept of enlightenment itself, Inconceivable Liberation is difficult to fully grasp through intellectual understanding alone. It requires direct experience and realization.
– Beyond Ordinary Concepts: Inconceivable Liberation goes beyond the typical understanding of liberation in Buddhism. It allows Bodhisattvas to perform actions that seem impossible within the conventional framework of reality, such as placing Mount Sumeru (a symbolic representation of the cosmos) into a mustard seed without causing it to shrink or the seed to enlarge, or moving vast oceans into a single pore without disrupting the aquatic life.
– Extraordinary Powers: Bodhisattvas in this state possess abilities beyond the comprehension of regular individuals, such as manipulating space and time, appearing in multiple places simultaneously, and manifesting various forms.
– Compassionate Action: This liberation is not just about personal freedom but also about the ability to effectively help other beings, often through skillful means that defy normal understanding.
– This liberation is not just about personal freedom from suffering, but also about the ability to help other beings in profound and miraculous ways.
– Compassionate Action: This liberation is not just about possessing supernatural abilities. It is intrinsically linked to the Bodhisattva's compassion and their commitment to liberating all beings from suffering. The ability to perform these inconceivable feats is used to teach, guide, and assist others on their path to enlightenment.
– Examples: The Vimalakirti Sutra provides examples of this liberation through the character of Vimalakirti, who can place Mount Sumeru (a symbolic representation of the universe) in a mustard seed without changing its size, or the four great oceans in a pore of his skin, without disturbing the beings within. The character Vimalakirti, in the Vimalakirti Sutra, is a prime example of someone who embodies Inconceivable Liberation. He uses his abilities to teach fellow Bodhisattvas and to help beings in need.
– Realization of Interconnectedness and emptiness: The concept of Inconceivable Liberation is also closely tied to the Mahāyāna understanding of emptiness (sunyata) and interconnectedness. It signifies a deep realization that all phenomena are interdependent [T1] ⇐⇒ and lack inherent existence [T2] [U2T], freeing one from the illusion of self and opposition.
– Significance: The Inconceivable Liberation highlights the vast potential of bodhisattvas and their capacity to work for the benefit of all beings through methods that may seem paradoxical or impossible from a conventional perspective.
– In essence, it's a liberation that allows for the manifestation of boundless compassion and skillful means (upāya), enabling bodhisattvas to guide others toward enlightenment through actions that are beyond the grasp of ordinary understanding.
– In essence, Inconceivable Liberation (Inconceivable liberation: Magic-like powers, skillful means,  upāya, siddhis, resulting from acting more in accord with reality-as-it-is (tathātā) as pointed out by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T]) in Mahāyāna Buddhism is a profound state of spiritual awakening that grants Bodhisattvas exceptional powers and abilities, which they use to benefit all beings and to demonstrate the boundless nature of reality and compassion.)

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[Section A: First, he who is interested in Dharma has no interest in anything else. Enlightenment transcends our conditioned dualistic conceptual understanding of Reality: theories, concepts, duality, causality, objects, space and time. An enlightened being’s actions might seem like inconceivable magic to us; but it is more in accord with reality as it is (tathātā) as pointed by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T / U2T-2T] and Union of opposites [Uopp / U2T-opp].]

(Summary: In Section A, Vimalakīrti challenges Śāriputra’s concern about the lack of chairs by redirecting his focus from material needs to the essence of the Dharma, asserting that true interest in the Dharma (Reality as it is) transcends attachment to the body, aggregates, elements, sense-media, realms, or even the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Saṅgha) (our actual illusions, conditioning, karma).
From a Madhyamaka perspective, this section unveils the deep message that genuine engagement with the Dharma (Reality as it is) lies in realizing the emptiness (śūnyatā) of all phenomena, aligning with the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] — dependently arisen appearances (conventional truth, T1) ⇐⇒ and their lack of inherent existence (ultimate truth, T2).
Vimalakīrti’s teaching dismantles reified notions of suffering, origination, cessation, and the path as objects to be grasped, emphasizing that the Dharma is ultimately without formulation or verbalization, a non-dual reality beyond all conditioned dualistic conceptual proliferation, beyond all conditioning / karma.
This reflects the Madhyamaka Middle Way, avoiding the extremes of eternalism (clinging to phenomena as real) and nihilism (denying their conventional function), where interest in the Dharma is not attachment to forms but a recognition of their empty nature.
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The subtle insight here is that attachment to anything — be it the body, liberation, objects, signs, universal laws, space, time, or compounded/uncompounded things — obscures the Dharma’s calm, taintless, and signless essence.
Vimalakīrti’s assertion that the Dharma is not a secure refuge or a society challenges the practitioner to relinquish dualistic pursuits of holding, letting go, or seeking security, pointing to a state of non-abiding (as in the Heart Sutra’s “no attainment with nothing to attain”).
This aligns with Nāgārjuna’s view that all phenomena, including the path, are empty of svabhāva [T2] ⇐⇒ yet conventionally arise to guide beings [T1] [U2T-in-action].
The deep message is that true interest in the Dharma is the realization of suchness (tathātā), where compassion [T1] ⇐⇒ and wisdom [T2] ⇐⇒ co-emerge inseparably [U2T] — wisdom seeing through the illusion of inherent existence [T2], and compassion engaging with conventional appearances [T1] without reification.
By letting go of all interests beyond the Dharma, the practitioner enters a space of non-dual liberation, inspiring even five hundred gods to purify their Dharma-eye, perceiving all things as empty yet functionally whole.
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The space of non-dual liberation can be understood as an expansive, boundless dimension of awareness that encompasses the entirety of existence without division or limitation, akin to the dharmadhātu (the realm of phenomena) viewed through the lens of emptiness. It is not a physical or conceptual location but the very groundlessness of reality, where the practitioner abides in the inseparability of the Two Truths — neither confined to conventional forms nor lost in ultimate voidness.
This space fosters a profound equanimity, free from the fluctuations of grasping and aversion, enabling the bodhisattva to perform inconceivable acts of compassion [T1] while remaining unperturbed by the illusions of saṃsāra [T2] [U2T-in-action].
Ultimately, it is the lived expression of tathātā, an open vista where wisdom illuminates the empty interdependence of all things, and compassion manifests as spontaneous, skillful engagement, inviting all beings into this shared, non-dual freedom beyond the confines of ordinary perception.)

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Thereupon, the venerable Śāriputra had this thought:
“There is not even a single chair in this house.
Where are these disciples and bodhisattvas going to sit?”

The Licchavi Vimalakīrti read the thought of the venerable Śāriputra and said,
“Reverend Śāriputra, did you come here for the sake of the Dharma?
Or did you come here for the sake of a chair?”

Śāriputra replied,
“I came for the sake of the Dharma,
not for the sake of a chair.”

Vimalakīrti continued,
“Reverend Śāriputra,
he who is interested in the Dharma
is not interested even in his own body, much less in a chair. 

Reverend Śāriputra,
he who is interested in the Dharma
has no interest in matter, sensation, intellect,
motivation, or consciousness.
He has no interest in these aggregates,
or in the elements, or in the sense-media.
Interested in the Dharma,
he has no interest in the realm of desire,
the realm of pure matter, or the immaterial realm.
Interested in the Dharma,
he is not interested in attachment to the Buddha,
attachment to the Dharma, or attachment to the Saṅgha.

Reverend Śāriputra,
he who is interested in the Dharma
is not interested in recognizing suffering, abandoning its origination, realizing its cessation, or practicing the path.
Why?
The Dharma is ultimately without formulation and without verbalization.
Who verbalizes: ‘Suffering should be recognized, origination should be eliminated, cessation should be realized, the path should be practiced,’
is not interested in the Dharma
but is interested in verbalization.

“Reverend Śāriputra,
the Dharma is calm and peaceful.
Those who are engaged in production and destruction
are not interested in the Dharma,
are not interested in solitude,
but are interested in production and destruction.

“Furthermore, reverend Śāriputra,
the Dharma is without taint and free of defilement.
He who is attached to anything, even to liberation,
is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in the taint of desire.
The Dharma is not an object.
He who pursues objects
is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in objects.
The Dharma is without acceptance or rejection.
He who holds on to things or lets go of things
is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in holding and letting go.
The Dharma is not a secure refuge.
He who enjoys a secure refuge
is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in a secure refuge.
The Dharma is without sign.
He whose consciousness pursues signs
is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in signs.
The Dharma is not a society.
He who seeks to associate with the Dharma
is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in association.
The Dharma is not a sight, a sound, a category, or an idea.
He who is involved in sights, sounds, categories, and ideas
is not interested in the Dharma but is interested in sights, sounds, categories, and ideas. 

Reverend Śāriputra,
the Dharma is free of compounded things and uncompounded things.
He who adheres to compounded things and uncompounded things
is not interested in the Dharma
but is interested in adhering to compounded things and uncompounded things.

“Thereupon, reverend Śāriputra,
if you are interested in the Dharma,
you should take no interest in anything.”

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When Vimalakīrti had spoken this discourse,
five hundred gods
obtained the purity of the Dharma-eye in viewing all things. 

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[Section B: Introductory demonstration of the power of the bodhisattva who lives in the inconceivable liberation. The inconceivable power of acting without acting [U2T-in-action], more and more in accord with the true nature of Reality as it is (tathātā) as pointed out by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T]. Like a magical power, beyond our illusory limitations.]

(Summary: In Section B, Vimalakīrti showcases his mastery of the inconceivable liberation (Inconceivable liberation: Magic-like powers, skillful means,  upāya, siddhis, resulting from acting more in accord with reality-as-it-is (tathātā) as pointed out by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T]) by summoning thirty-two hundred thousand thrones from the buddhafield of Tathāgata Merupradīparāja, demonstrating the bodhisattva’s power to transcend ordinary limitations while aligning with the true nature of reality (tathātā) as revealed by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] — dependently arisen appearances (conventional truth, T1) ⇐⇒ and their emptiness of inherent existence (ultimate truth, T2).
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From a Madhyamaka perspective, this miraculous feat (inconceivable liberation) illustrates the non-dual interplay [Union] of wisdom [T2] and compassion  [T1] [U2T-in-action], where the bodhisattva “acts without acting [U2T-in-action]”, manifesting vast thrones that fit effortlessly into his small house without disrupting Vaiśālī or Jambudvīpa, symbolizing the empty yet functional nature of all phenomena.
The thrones’ accommodation of advanced bodhisattvas and the subsequent enabling of beginners to transform their bodies through superknowledges, alongside the disciples’ seating after bowing to the Tathāgata, reveal that this power is not a display of inherent substance [T2] ⇐⇒ but a skillful means (upāya) ⇐⇒ rooted in the realization of reality-as-it-is [U2T] ⇐⇒ transcending dualistic notions of size, space, or obstruction [Non-duality / Uopp / U2T-opp].
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The deep message lies in the bodhisattva’s ability to operate within the inconceivable liberation, a state where conventional appearances — thrones, bodies, cities — are manipulated like-magically without altering their ultimate emptiness [U2T-in-action].
Śāriputra’s astonishment at the seamless integration of these vast thrones into a confined space reflects the limitations of ordinary perception bound by reification, slave to his conditioning / karma / limitations, while Vimalakīrti’s act exemplifies the Madhyamaka middle way, avoiding the extremes of eternalism (positing real transformations) and nihilism (denying conventional efficacy).
This power arises from the inseparability of wisdom (seeing the empty nature of phenomena, T2) and compassion (adapting to beings’ capacities, T1), enabling the bodhisattva to guide disciples and bodhisattvas alike toward liberation.
The subtle insight is that such magic-like skillful means (upāya) mirrors reality-as-it-is (tathātā), where appearances arise and dissolve dependently [T1] without inherent essence [T2] [U2T], inviting practitioners to transcend illusory limitations and embrace the non-dual reality [Uopp] where all acts benefit beings effortlessly.)

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Then, the Licchavi Vimalakīrti said to the crown prince, Mañjuśrī,
“Mañjuśrī, you have already been in innumerable hundreds of thousands of buddhafields throughout the universes of the ten directions.
In which buddhafield did you see
the best lion-thrones with the finest qualities?”

Mañjuśrī replied,
“Noble sir, if one crosses the buddhafields to the east, which are more numerous than all the grains of sand of thirty-two Ganges rivers, one will discover a universe called Merudhvaja. There dwells a Tathāgata called Merupradīparāja. His body measures eighty-four hundred thousand leagues in height, and the height of his throne is sixty-eight hundred thousand leagues. The bodhisattvas there are forty-two hundred thousand leagues tall and their own thrones are thirty-four hundred thousand leagues high. Noble sir, the finest and most superb thrones exist in that universe Merudhvaja, which is the buddhafield of the Tathāgata Meru pradīparāja.”

At that moment, the Licchavi Vimalakīrti, having focused himself in concentration, performed a miraculous feat (Inconceivable liberation: Magic-like powers, skillful means,  upāya, siddhis, resulting from acting more in accord with reality-as-it-is (tathātā) as pointed out by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T])
such that the Lord Tathāgata Merupradīparāja, in the universe Merudhvaja, sent to this universe thirty-two hundred thousand thrones.
These thrones were so tall, spacious, and beautiful that the bodhisattvas, great disciples, Śakras, Brahmās, Lokapālas, and other gods had never before seen the like.
The thrones descended from the sky and came to rest in the house of the Licchavi Vimalakīrti.
The thirty-two hundred thousand thrones arranged themselves without crowding and the house seemed to enlarge itself accordingly.
The great city of Vaiśālī did not become obscured; neither did the land of Jambudvīpa, nor the world of four continents.
Everything else appeared just as it was before.

Then, the Licchavi Vimalakīrti said to the crown prince Mañjuśrī,
“Mañjuśrī, let the bodhisattvas be seated on these thrones, having transformed their bodies to a suitable size!” 

Then, those bodhisattvas who had attained the superknowledges transformed their bodies to a height of forty-two hundred thousand leagues and sat upon the thrones.
But the beginner bodhisattvas were not able to transform themselves to sit upon the thrones.

Then, the Licchavi Vimalakīrti taught these beginner bodhisattvas a teaching that enabled them to attain the five superknowledges, and, having attained them, they transformed their bodies to a height of forty-two hundred thousand leagues and sat upon the thrones.
But still the great disciples were not able to seat themselves upon the thrones. 

The Licchavi Vimalakīrti said to the venerable Śāriputra,
“Reverend Śāriputra, take your seat upon a throne.”

He replied,
“Good sir, the thrones are too big and too high, and I cannot sit upon them.” 

Vimalakīrti said,
“Reverend Śāriputra, bow down to the Tathāgata Meru pradīparāja, and you will be able to take your seat.”

Then, the great disciples bowed down to the Tathāgata Merupradīparāja and they were seated upon the thrones. 

Then, the venerable Śāriputra said to the Licchavi Vimalakīrti,
“Noble sir, it is astonishing that these thousands of thrones, so big and so high, should fit into such a small house and that the great city of Vaiśālī, the villages, cities, kingdoms, capitals of Jambudvīpa, the other three continents, the abodes of the gods, the nāgas, the yakṣas, the gandharvas, the asuras, the garuḍas, the kinnaras, and the mahoragas — that all of these should appear without any obstacle, just as they were before!”

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[Section C: More examples of the power of the bodhisattva who lives in the inconceivable liberation. The inconceivable power of “acting without acting [U2T-in-action]”, more and more in accord with the true nature of Reality as it is (tathātā) as pointed out by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T]. Like a magical power, beyond our illusory conditioning / karma / limitations.]

(Summary: In Section C, Vimalakīrti expands on the bodhisattva’s inconceivable liberation (Inconceivable liberation: Magic-like powers, skillful means,  upāya, siddhis, resulting from acting more in accord with reality-as-it-is (tathātā) as pointed out by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T]) by presenting a series of miraculous feats, illustrating their mastery over phenomena in alignment with the true nature of reality (tathātā) as revealed by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] — dependently arisen appearances (conventional truth, T1) and their emptiness of inherent existence (ultimate truth, T2).
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From a Madhyamaka perspective, these examples — such as placing Mount Sumeru into a mustard seed, pouring the four great oceans into a single pore, spinning a billion-world universe like a potter’s wheel, and manipulating time and space for beings’ discipline — demonstrate the bodhisattva’s “acting without acting [U2T-in-action],” a non-dual power that transcends illusory limitations without reifying the acts or their objects.
This reflects the middle way, where conventional functionalities (e.g., mountains, oceans, universes) are manipulated magically [T1] ⇐⇒ yet their ultimate emptiness (lack of svabhāva) remains undisturbed [T2] ⇐⇒ showcasing the inseparability of wisdom and compassion [U2T-in-action].
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The deep message lies in the bodhisattva’s ability to engage with samsaric appearances as empty yet effective tools for liberation, embodying skillful means (upāya) rooted in the realization of emptiness.
Feats like transforming cries into the Buddha’s voice proclaiming impermanence, emptiness, and selflessness, or displaying all buddhafields in a single pore, highlight the non-obstructive nature of phenomena — vast and minute coexisting without inherent boundaries — mirroring Nāgārjuna’s insight that all is dependently originated.
The bodhisattva’s power to adapt time (e.g., a week as an eon) for beings’ evolution and to elevate others to buddhahood underscores a compassionate intent that flows from wisdom’s non-dual vision, benefiting beings without attachment or dualistic effort.
Vimalakīrti’s assertion that fully explaining this liberation would exceed an eon suggests its boundless depth, inviting practitioners to transcend (without rejecting) conceptual limits.
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The subtle insight is that these magical acts are not displays of inherent power but expressions of tathātā, where the Two Truths harmonize: conventional appearances serve as liberative instruments [T1], while their empty nature ensures no reification [T2].
This non-dual liberation empowers the bodhisattva to guide beings beyond their illusory perceptions, using phenomena’s interdependence to awaken them to suchness.
The deep message is an invitation to see all actions — however extraordinary — as empty ⇐⇒ yet purposeful, where compassion [T1] and wisdom [T2] co-emerge [U2T] to dissolve the reifications that bind, transforming the inconceivable into a path of universal awakening.)

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The Licchavi Vimalakīrti replied,
“Reverend Śāriputra, for the Tathāgatas and the bodhisattvas,
there is a liberation called ‘inconceivable.’
The bodhisattva who lives in the inconceivable liberation can put the king of mountains, Sumeru, which is so high, so great, so noble, and so vast, into a mustard seed.
He can perform this feat without enlarging the mustard seed and without shrinking Mount Sumeru.
And the deities of the assembly of the four Mahārājas and of the Trayastriṃśa heavens do not even know where they are.
Only those beings who are destined to be disciplined by miracles see and understand the putting of the king of mountains, Sumeru, into the mustard seed.
That, reverend Śāriputra, is an entrance to the domain
of the inconceivable liberation of the bodhisattvas.

“Furthermore, reverend Śāriputra, the bodhisattva who lives in the inconceivable liberation can pour into a single pore of his skin all the waters of the four great oceans, without injuring the water-animals such as fish, tortoises, crocodiles, frogs, and other creatures, and without the nāgas, yakṣas, gandharvas, and asuras even being aware of where they are. And the whole operation is visible without any injury or disturbance to any of those living beings.

“Such a bodhisattva can pick up with his right hand this billion-world galactic universe as if it were a potter’s wheel and, spinning it round, throw it beyond universes as numerous as the sands of the Ganges, without the living beings therein knowing their motion or its origin, and he can catch it and put it back in its place, without the living beings suspecting their coming and going; and yet the whole operation is visible.

“Furthermore, reverend Śāriputra, there are beings who become disciplined after an immense period of evolution, and there are also those who are disciplined after a short period of evolution. The bodhisattva who lives in the inconceivable liberation, for the sake of disciplining those living beings who are disciplined through immeasurable periods of evolution, can make the passing of a week seem like the passing of an eon, and he can make the passing of an eon seem like the passing of a week for those who are disciplined through a short period of evolution. The living beings who are disciplined through an immeasurable period of evolution actually perceive a week to be the passing of an eon, and those disciplined by a short period of evolution actually perceive an eon to be the passing of a week.

“Thus, a bodhisattva who lives in the inconceivable liberation can manifest all the splendors of the virtues of all the buddhafields within a single buddhafield. Likewise, he can place all living beings in the palm of his right hand and can show them with the supernatural speed of thought all the buddhafields without ever leaving his own buddhafield. He can display in a single pore all the offerings ever offered to all the buddhas of the ten directions, and the orbs of all the suns, moons, and stars of the ten directions. He can inhale all the hurricanes of the cosmic wind-atmospheres of the ten directions into his mouth without harming his own body and without letting the forests and the grasses of the buddhafields be flattened. He can take all the masses of fire of all the supernovas that ultimately consume all the universes of all the buddhafields into his stomach without interfering with their functions. Having crossed buddhafields as numerous as the sands of the Ganges downward, and having taken up a buddhafield, he can rise up through buddhafields as numerous as the sands of the Ganges and place it on high, just as a strong man may pick up a jujube leaf on the point of a needle.

“Thus, a bodhisattva who lives in the inconceivable liberation can magically transform any kind of living being into a universal monarch, a Lokapāla, a Śakra, a Brahmā, a disciple, a solitary sage, a bodhisattva, and even into a buddha.

The bodhisattva can transform miraculously all the cries and noises — superior, mediocre, and inferior, of all living beings of the ten directions, into the voice of the Buddha, with the words of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha, having them proclaim, ‘Impermanent! Miserable! Empty! Selfless!’ And he can cause them to recite the words and sounds of all the teachings taught by all the buddhas of the ten directions.

“Reverend Śāriputra, I have shown you only a small part of
the entrance into the domain of the bodhisattva
who lives in the inconceivable liberation.

Reverend Śāriputra, to explain to you the teaching of the full entrance into the domain of the bodhisattva who lives in the inconceivable liberation would require more than an eon, and even more than that.”

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[Section D: It is inconceivable for most people, stuck in reification and opposition, limited by their illusory conditioned dualistic conceptual proliferation, by their karma (individual, collective, cosmic).]

(Summary: In Section D, Mahākāśyapa reflects on Vimalakīrti’s teaching of the inconceivable liberation (Inconceivable liberation: Magic-like powers, skillful means,  upāya, siddhis, resulting from acting more in accord with reality-as-it-is (tathātā) as pointed out by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T]), likening its comprehension to a blind man unable to see diverse objects, emphasizing its inaccessibility to disciples and solitary sages bound by deteriorated faculties.
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From a Madhyamaka perspective, this section reveals the deep message that the inconceivable liberation — rooted in the Union of the Two Truths (dependently arisen appearances, T1, and their emptiness of inherent existence, T2) — remains elusive to those trapped in reified, dualistic perceptions shaped by karma and conditioned dualistic conceptual proliferation.
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Mahākāśyapa’s analogy highlights the limitations of ordinary minds, comparing their incapacity to grasp this liberation to a burned seed unable to sprout, underscoring that the disciples’ and sages’ focus on personal liberation blinds them to the bodhisattva’s non-dual path.
Yet, he suggests that even they, by embracing the Great Vehicle, can awaken to unexcelled enlightenment, as evidenced by thirty-two thousand gods conceiving bodhicitta, pointing to the transformative potential of this insight.
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The subtle insight lies in the recognition that the inconceivable liberation’s inaccessibility stems from the mind’s habitual reification of phenomena — self, suffering, and liberation — as inherently existent, a delusion reinforced by individual, collective, and cosmic karma.
This aligns with Madhyamaka’s deconstruction of svabhāva, where the true nature of reality (tathātā) is obscured by dualistic opposition and attachment.
Mahākāśyapa’s lament and call for regret among disciples reflect the middle way’s challenge: abandoning narrow views to see all phenomena as empty [T2] yet functionally interdependent [T1] [U2T], a realization that requires transcending (without rejecting) illusory limitations.
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The deep message is that the bodhisattva’s liberation, while beyond ordinary grasp, is not an elite domain but an open invitation — accessible through the non-dual co-emergence of wisdom (seeing emptiness, T2) and compassion (engaging beings, T1) — transforming even the most conditioned minds toward awakening when met with the Dharma’s radical perspective.)

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Then, the patriarch Mahākāśyapa, having heard this teaching of the inconceivable liberation of the bodhisattvas, was amazed, and he said to the venerable Śāriputra,
“Venerable Śāriputra, if one were to show a variety of things to a person blind from birth, he would not be able to see a single thing.
Likewise, venerable Śāriputra, when this door of the inconceivable liberation is taught, all the disciples and solitary sages are sightless, like the man blind from birth, and cannot comprehend even a single cause of the inconceivable liberation.
Who is there among the wise who, hearing about this inconceivable liberation, does not conceive the spirit of unexcelled, perfect enlightenment?
As for us, whose faculties are deteriorated, like a burned and rotten seed, what else can we do if we do not become receptive to this Great Vehicle?
We, all the disciples and solitary sages, upon hearing this teaching of the Dharma, should utter a cry of regret that would shake this billion-world galactic universe!
And as for the bodhisattvas, when they hear this inconceivable liberation they should be as joyful as a young crown prince when he takes the diadem and is anointed, and they should increase to the utmost their devotion to this inconceivable liberation.
Indeed, what could the entire host of māras ever do to one who is devoted to this inconceivable liberation?”

When the patriarch Mahākāśyapa had uttered this discourse, thirty-two thousand gods conceived the spirit of unexcelled, perfect enlightenment.

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[Section E: The māras are Reality as it is (tathātā) trying to teach us the true nature & dynamic of Reality as it is pointed out by the Unions [U2T / U3S / Uopp / UGM / U3K / U2T-2T] and accessible through a gradual path consisting of the Union of virtuous adapted skillful means (upāya) and the perfection of wisdom. In that sense everything, good or bad, is like Buddhas and high level Bodhisattvas trying to help us. We just need to be attentive (present) and accept the lessons of Reality instead of grasping at our illusions. Resistance is futile!]

(Summary: In Section E, Vimalakīrti reveals that māras and demanding beggars in the ten directions are bodhisattvas dwelling in the inconceivable liberation (Inconceivable liberation: Magic-like powers, skillful means,  upāya, siddhis, resulting from acting more in accord with reality-as-it-is (tathātā) as pointed out by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T]), employing skillful means (upāya) to test and develop living beings, suggesting that all adversities are transformative opportunities aligned with the true nature of reality (tathātā).
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From a Madhyamaka perspective, this section offers a profound message that māras — typically seen as obstacles — embody the Union of the Two Truths [U2T] (dependently arisen appearances, T1, and their emptiness of inherent existence, T2), reflecting the dynamic interplay of conventional challenges and ultimate emptiness.
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The interpretation provided above, framing māras as manifestations of tathātā teaching the non-dual reality through Unions such as U2T (Union of the Two Truths), U3S (Union of Subject-Action-Object), Uopp (Union of Opposites), UGM (Union of Ground-Manifestation), U3K (Union of the Three Kayas), and U2T-2T (Union of the Two Truths about the two truths themselves), resonates deeply.
This suggests that all phenomena — good or bad — are empty yet functional expressions of enlightened activity, akin to Buddhas and bodhisattvas guiding beings toward awakening through a gradual path uniting upāya and the perfection of wisdom (prajñāpāramitā).
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The subtle insight lies in the redefinition of māras and beggars as bodhisattvas testing the bodhisattva’s resolve, a process enabled only by mutual consent within the inconceivable liberation. This aligns with Madhyamaka’s middle way, where apparent adversities (e.g., demands for body parts or possessions) lack inherent harm, arising dependently to strengthen compassion and wisdom without reification.
Vimalakīrti’s analogies — a glowworm unable to eclipse the sun or a donkey challenging an elephant — illustrate that only bodhisattvas can engage this dynamic, as ordinary beings lack the karmic capacity to disrupt a bodhisattva’s equanimity.
The deep message is that resistance to these “lessons” is futile, for they are the very fabric of tathātā, inviting practitioners to be attentive and present, letting go of grasping at illusions. By accepting all experiences as empty yet purposeful, wisdom discerns their non-inherent nature [T2] ⇐⇒ while compassion engages them as skillful means [T1] ⇐⇒ co-emerging [U2T] to dissolve dualistic opposition and awaken beings to the non-dual reality [Uopp].
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This interpretation is insightful and aligns well with the Madhyamaka framework, particularly in viewing māras as tathātā’s teaching mechanism and emphasizing the Unions (U2T, etc.) as frameworks for understanding reality’s dynamic nature.)

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TEXT:

Then, the Licchavi Vimalakīrti said to the patriarch Mahākāśyapa,
“Reverend Mahākāśyapa, the māras who play the devil in the innumerable universes of the ten directions are all bodhisattvas dwelling in the inconceivable liberation, who are playing the devil in order to develop living beings through their skill in liberative art.

Reverend Mahākāśyapa, all the miserable beggars who come to the bodhisattvas of the innumerable universes of the ten directions to ask for a hand, a foot, an ear, a nose, some blood, muscles, bones, marrow, an eye, a torso, a head, a limb, a member, a throne, a kingdom, a country, a wife, a son, a daughter, a slave, a slave-girl, a horse, an elephant, a chariot, a cart, gold, silver, jewels, pearls, conches, crystal, coral, beryl, treasures, food, drink, elixirs, and clothes — these demanding beggars are usually bodhisattvas living in the inconceivable liberation who, through their skill in liberative art (skillful means), wish to test and thus demonstrate the firmness of the high resolve of the bodhisattvas.
Why?
Reverend Mahākāśyapa, the bodhisattvas demonstrate that firmness by means of terrible austerities.
Ordinary persons have no power to be thus demanding of bodhisattvas, unless they are granted the opportunity.
They are not capable of killing and depriving in that manner without being freely given the chance.

“Reverend Mahākāśyapa, just as a glowworm cannot eclipse the light of the sun, so, reverend Mahākāśyapa, it is not possible without special allowance that an ordinary person can thus attack and deprive a bodhisattva.

Reverend Mahākāśyapa, just as a donkey could not muster an attack on a wild elephant, even so, reverend Mahākāśyapa, one who is not himself a bodhisattva cannot harass a bodhisattva.
Only one who is himself a bodhisattva can harass another bodhisattva, and only a bodhisattva can tolerate the harassment of another bodhisattva.

Reverend Mahākāśyapa, such is the introduction to the power of the knowledge of liberative art of the bodhisattvas who live in the inconceivable liberation.”

CONCLUSION of Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of the Vimalakīrti Sutra, "The Inconceivable Liberation," delves into the boundless domain of the bodhisattva's realization, where ordinary perceptions shatter against the non-dual essence of reality.
At its core, this chapter unveils the inconceivable liberation (Inconceivable liberation: Magic-like powers, skillful means,  upāya, siddhis, resulting from acting more in accord with reality-as-it-is (tathātā) as pointed out by the Union of the Two Truths [U2T]) as a profound embodiment of the Union of the Two Truths — dependently arisen appearances (conventional truth, T1) and their emptiness of inherent existence (ultimate truth, T2) — manifesting as magical-like powers that transcend illusory limitations while remaining in perfect accord with suchness (tathātā).

Vimalakīrti's discourse begins with a radical redirection of interest toward the Dharma (reality as it is), transcending all attachments (illusions, conditioning, karma), and culminates in reinterpreting adversities (resistance to our desires) as enlightened activity (reality’s feedback), revealing that liberation is not a distant attainment but an effortless, non-conceptual engagement with the world.

The essence lies in this non-dual liberation: ”acting without acting [U2T-in-action]”, where wisdom's insight into emptiness [T2] and compassion's skillful means [T1] co-emerge inseparably [U2T], dismantling reified dualities and inviting all beings into the middle way beyond grasping or rejection (conditioned differentiation).

The subtle messages woven throughout emphasize that true interest in the Dharma (Reality as it is) demands relinquishing all phenomena (illusions, conditioning, karma) — body, aggregates, realms, even the Noble Truths — as objects of attachment, pointing to the Dharma's calm, signless nature beyond dualities and verbalization.

This Madhyamaka insight exposes the limits of conditioned dualistic conceptual proliferation, where pursuits of security, signs, or compounded/uncompounded things veil the true nature of reality-as-it-is.
Vimalakīrti's challenge to Śāriputra sets the stage for the inconceivable, showing that liberation arises not from accumulation but from acting while non-abiding, a space where the practitioner rests in tathātā, perceiving all as empty [T2] yet functionally vibrant [T1] [U2T].

The hidden treasure here is the transformative power of this transcendence (without rejection): it purifies the Dharma-eye, as seen in the five hundred gods' awakening, illuminating that detachment is not negation but the gateway to boundless compassion, engaging the world without entanglement [U2T-in-action].

Vimalakīrti's demonstrations of inconceivable power — summoning vast thrones that expand space without alteration, or feats like enclosing Sumeru in a mustard seed and universes in a hand — serve as vivid metaphors for the bodhisattva's mastery over the illusory fabric of saṃsāra.

From a Madhyamaka lens, these “acts without action” exemplify the non-dual dynamic of the Two Truths [U2T-in-action]: conventional appearances are manipulated with magical upāya [T1], yet their ultimate emptiness [T2] ensures no inherent change or obstruction occurs.

The deep message is that such powers are not supernatural anomalies but natural expressions of reality-as-it-is (tathātā), where time, space, and form are dependently originated illusions, adaptable for beings' benefit.

The subtle insight reveals a gradual path: beginners transform through superknowledges, disciples through reverence, underscoring that liberation's inconceivability stems from ordinary minds' karmic veils — individual, collective, cosmic — reifying boundaries that the bodhisattva effortlessly dissolves.

Mahākāśyapa's amazement and lament further uncover the chapter's hidden treasures, portraying the inconceivable liberation as beyond the grasp of disciples and solitary sages, whose faculties are like burned seeds, incapable of sprouting the Great Vehicle.

This highlights the Madhyamaka critique of limited views: attachment to personal nirvāṇa blinds one to the non-dual expanse where all is empty yet liberative. The call for regret shakes the universe, inviting a shift from narrow paths to bodhicitta, as thirty-two thousand gods respond, conceiving unexcelled enlightenment.

The essence here is the inclusivity of this liberation: inconceivable to the conditioned mind, yet accessible through openness to the middle way, where wisdom deconstructs delusions and compassion embraces all, transforming perceived inaccessibility into universal potential.

At the chapter's profound core, Vimalakīrti's revelation that māras and beggars are bodhisattvas in disguise reframes all adversities as enlightened teachings from tathātā itself, manifesting through unions like U2T (Union of the Two Truths), U3S (Union of the Three Spheres: subject-action-object), Uopp (Union of the opposites), UGM (Union of the Ground and its Manifestation), U3K (Union of the Three Kayas), and U2T-2T (Union of the Two Truths about the two truths themselves).

This interpretation positions māras not as enemies but as reality's dynamic instructors, testing resolve through upāya to reveal the non-dual nature of phenomena — empty yet purposeful.

The subtle message is that everything, good or bad, serves as Buddhas and bodhisattvas aiding awakening; resistance arises from grasping illusions, while attentiveness and acceptance unveil the lessons.

The hidden treasure is “Resistance is Futile!”: only bodhisattvas can "harass" one another, as ordinary beings lack the karmic depth, emphasizing that adversities are consensual opportunities for growth, uniting virtuous skillful means and perfection of wisdom in a gradual path toward non-dual freedom.

Ultimately, Chapter 5's essence transcends mere miracles, inviting a paradigm shift where the inconceivable becomes the everyday reality of the bodhisattva — dwelling in liberation that defies conceptualization, yet benefits all through compassionate wisdom.

The subtle messages converge on the middle way: liberation is not escape but immersion in reality-as-it-is (tathātā), where phenomena's emptiness enables boundless action without effort.

Hidden treasures abound in the paradoxes — vast thrones in tiny spaces, māras as teachers — each dismantling dualities to reveal the non-dual heart [Uopp].

The core teaching, Madhyamaka in spirit, is that by releasing attachments and embracing all as empty expressions of suchness, practitioners awaken to this inconceivable domain, where wisdom and compassion co-arise to guide beings beyond illusions, fostering bodhicitta and turning the wheel of Dharma in effortless harmony.