Vimalakīrti (Sanskrit: विमल vimala "stainless, undefiled" + कीर्ति kīrti "fame, glory, reputation") is a bodhisattva[1] and the central figure in the Vimalakirti Sutra,[2][3] which presents him as the ideal Mahayana Buddhist upāsaka ("lay practitioner")[4] and a contemporary of Gautama Buddha (6th to 5th century BCE).

[8] There is an ongoing debate as to the historicity of Vimalakirti with modern scholars grouping him with other figures in Mahayana literature, such as Avalokiteśvara and other bodhisattvas.

Traditional scholars, however, take him to be a historical figure like Gautama Buddha, rather than mythic or legendary, and as such Vimalakīrti is not commonly venerated on altars or in tantric rituals,[9] but as a prehistoric Zen, i.e., Chan preacher.

He also claims himself to be among the "Great Sorcerers" and is capable of performing miraculous feats to teach fellow practitioners.

[10] In Chinese Chan Buddhist monasteries, a common word for abbot is Fāngzhàng (方丈) meaning "one square zhàng (equal to ten square feet)", a reference to the size of Vimalakīrti's stone room.