འཕགས་པ་བསད་ནམས་ཐམས་ཅད་བསྡས་པའ་ཏང་ང་འཛན་ཅས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད intro.17

intro.17

In this way, The Absorption That Encapsulates All Merit presents a relatively simplified sampling of the rich philosophy and atmosphere of Great Vehicle Buddhism, while at the same time constituting a literary work that functions on several levels. On the narrative level, it is the story of a seemingly uneducated outsider named Vimalatejā, who has a spiritual awakening and then impresses the Buddhist establishment. On another level, it is a commentary on the nature of human power and merit, which we progressively come to see are rooted in insight. It also displays evidence from within the Buddhist tradition that its adherents were concerned about the preservation and positive reputation of their cultural institution. All of this unfolds in Āmrapālī’s grove near Vaiśālī where the Buddha timelessly dwells, and the Great Vehicle teachings emerge in constant revelation.