This quote from the Vimalakirti Sutra suggests that physical illness often has roots in mental states and emotional attachments. It encourages introspection into one's desires and perceptions as a pathway to understanding and potentially alleviating suffering, both mental and physical.
Quote by Vimalakirti Sutra: “Sickness arises from the mind, from attachment to form and feeling.”
Sickness arises from the mind, from attachment to form and feeling.
Insight
Historical Context
The Vimalakirti Sutra, composed in India likely in the 1st or 2nd century CE, emphasizes the non-dual nature of reality and the connection between mind and body. It challenged conventional monasticism by featuring a lay practitioner, Vimalakirti, as a powerful teacher.
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Buddhist Mahayana sutra attributed to the layman Vimalakirti, believed to have been composed in India around the first or second century CE. The text is celebrated for its wit, philosophical sophistication, and its radical argument that enlightenment is available to laypeople, not just monks. It was highly influential in Chinese and Japanese Buddhism and features one of the most famous silences in philosophical literature.
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