On Yuan Chwang's Travels in India, 629–645 A.D. v2.c18.s2.22

v2.c18.s2.22

Our pilgrim here, as before, transcribes the name of the Vaiśāli householder by P'i-mo-lo-kih which is perhaps for a form like Vimalakit or Vimalakitti. He styles the individual so named a Chang-chê, (Gahapati or "Householder"), and he translates the name by Wu-kou-ch'êng (無垢稱) that is, "Stainless Reputation". In some of the sūtras, however, Vimalakīrti is called a Ta-li-shih (大力士) or "Great Malla", while in other books he is often styled a P'usa, and he is also represented as being from another world. He is always, however, a fictitious personage, a character created for the religious teachings attributed to him, or connected with him and his imaginary family. We may, accordingly, be certain that the site pointed out to our pilgrim as that of Vimalakīrti's house was a late invention. This house also is not in Fa-hsien's enumeration of Buddhistic objects of interest in and near Vesāli.