The incident of Vimalakirti manifesting illness and Bodhisattva Manjushri’s visit in the Vimalakirti Sutra reveals the “essence” of the emptiness of dharmakaya, the “form” of no-form, and the “application” of the inconceivable liberation. All three aspects can be clearly seen in the Buddhist iconographic evidences related to the Vimalakirti Sutra in early medieval China. These iconographic evidences depicting the illness of Vimalakirti illustrate the discussion of emptiness with the image of Bodhisattva Manjushri and his attendants as well as the heavenly female beings scattering flowers. The force of inconceivable liberation was illustrated by the images of borrowing seats from the Buddha Lantern King and asking for food from the Land of Buddha Fragrance Accumulation. This image, like the Lotus Sutra, illustrates the concept of non-duality of source and trace. This image also explicates the causes and conditions for pure lands in a manner similar to that of the Mahāyāna mahāparinirvāṇa sūtra. The inconceivable liberation of Vimalakirti also leads to an understanding of the concept of dharmakaya found in the Huayan Sutra (Mahā-vaipulya-buddhâvataṃsaka-sūtra). With ideas from the Guanhe 關河 group, this image shows developments of thought toward the three major gates of expounding found in the Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, the Lotus Sutra, and the Mahā-vaipulya-buddhâvataṃsaka-sūtra. Through these iconographic evidences, we can see how Buddhist thought has been splendidly expressed and depicted in early medieval China.
