Prologue Introduction

Welcome to the Multimedia Study Environment of The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti (VKN), translated from the Tibetan by Robert A. F. Thurman.

This site is intended to allow the student not only to read the VKN, but also to contextualize the ideas of the text, the text itself, and the ideas and history of Buddhism. This version of the VKN provides

• glossaries and annotations,
• a timeline of Early Buddhist History and Buddhism in Tibet,
• excerpts from interviews with and lectures by Professor Thurman,
• slideshows of art images to illustrate aspects of the text,
• textual resources which include a bibliography for further reading,
• selections from relevant Buddhist texts, and
• articles on the historical and modern reception of the VKN.

The present state of the Vimalakirti MMT site is a "work in progress"; therefore, the appropriate diacritics for non-English words in the text is absent. This is a beta version of the MSE; those wishing to quote or refer to any of the texts herein should consult the hardcopy versions of these texts.

See "Help Documentation" for more explanation of the interface and features of the site’s design. You may click "Enter Site" button at any time to enter the Study Environment.