Indian society has been gravely discriminatory against women. The Manusmrti, decreed by the ancient Brahman religion, regards the female as symbol of passion and carnal love, emphasizing the uncleanliness and filth of women. Buddhism, similarly rooted in India, has been thus influenced. From the original Nikaya to the Mahayana scripture, there seems no lack of deprecatory contents regarding the fair sex. However, in the same scripture, highly favorable records about women getting enlightened in their lifetime, or becoming buddhas after being prophesized by Buddha, also appear occasionally. A good example is the 12-year-old girl Vimaladattā in Chapter 100 “A Discourse on Ready Eloquence of the Maharatnakutasutra,” which is the subject of the present study. This study shall examine the contents of the queries of Vimaladattā as directed at the eight sravakas and eight major bodhisattvas. On the way into the city of Sravasti to beg for food, did these eight major sravaka disciples make vows while in meditative concentration? It is to be examined whether such vows manifest their respective strength as compared with the wishes of the eight major bodhisattvas, whether there exists any priority among such vows, and whether there are any criteria for setting such priority. A comparison is made with the queries of Vimalakirti as directed at the ten sravakas and 32 bodhisattva, so as to appreciate the similarity and difference between the two sets of queries.
