although the vimalakirti sutra is profound in meaning, the rhetoric is concise and beautiful, especially the expression techniques of dialogue and drama, such as manjushri's questioning, the scattering of flowers, the invitation of the fragrant earth, etc. the story and characters are vivid, the imagination is strange, and the literary interest is rich. using a simple method to attract the public's beliefs is a major feature of the mahayana classics. hu shi commented on this sutra as a "semi-novel, semi-dramatic work."
