The Vimalakīrti Nirdeśa Sūtra or Vimalakīrti Sūtra translated by Robert A. F. Thurman is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra. The sutra explains the meaning of nonduality directly with the words of the Buddha. An important aspect of this scripture is that it contains a report of teaching addressed to both arhats and bodhisattvas by the layman Vimalakīrti, who expounds the doctrine of Śūnyatā, or emptiness, to them. This culminates with the wordless teaching of silence. The Vimalakirti Sutra is written in northern India about 100 CE.