The dramatic characters in the Vimalakīrti nirdeśa sūtra can be classified into three types: protagonist, supporting parts and buffoons according to the ancient Indian work on dramatic theory, the Nāṭyaśāstra. Lay Buddhist Vimalakīrti, the main character in the Vimalakīrti nirdeśa sūtra, is no doubt the protagonist, while the Buddha and Mañjuśrī are of secondary importance, and so are supporting parts. Characters such as Śāriputra are surely buffoons since they only make impromptu comic gestures and remarks. All through the sūtra, Vimalakīrti is especially described as a towering figure using such dramatic artistic methods as indirect description, spoken parts, scene changes, and spiritual power, greatly praising the ideas of the “incredible Mahāyāna state of liberation” and “the one and only way” advocated by the Vimalakīrti.
