Thereupon, a certain goddess who lived in that house, having heard
this teaching of the Dharma of the great heroic bodhisattvas, and being
delighted, pleased, and overjoyed, manifested herself in a material body
and showered the great spiritual heroes, the bodhisattvas, and the great
disciples with heavenly flowers. When the flowers fell on the bodies of the
bodhisattvas, they fell off on the floor, but when they fell on the bodies of the
great disciples, they stuck to them and did not fall. The great disciples shook
the flowers and even tried to use their magical powers, but still the flowers
would not shake off.
Then, the goddess said to the venerable Śāriputra, “Reverend Śāriputra,
why do you shake these flowers?”
Śāriputra replied, “Goddess, these flowers are not proper for religious
persons and so we are trying to shake them off.”
The goddess said, “Do not say that, reverend Śāriputra. Why? These
flowers are proper indeed! Why? Such flowers have neither constructual
thought nor discrimination. But the elder Śāriputra has both constructual
thought and discrimination.
“Reverend Śāriputra, impropriety for one who has renounced the world
for the discipline of the rightly taught Dharma consists of constructual
thought and discrimination, yet the elders are full of such thoughts. One
who is without such thoughts is always proper.
“Reverend Śāriputra, see how these flowers do not stick to the bodies
of these great spiritual heroes, the bodhisattvas! This is because they have
eliminated constructual thoughts and discriminations.
“In the same way that evil spirits have power over fearful men but cannot
disturb the fearless, those intimidated by fear of the world are in the power
of forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures, which do not disturb those
who are free from fear of the passions inherent in the constructive world.
Thus, these flowers stick to the bodies of those who have not eliminated their
instincts for the passions and do not stick to the bodies of those who have
eliminated their instincts. Therefore, the flowers do not stick to the bodies
of these bodhisattvas, who have abandoned all instincts.”
English translation of the Sūtra by
Robert A.F. Thurman
http://84000.co/doc/vimalakirti/Vimalakirti%20Book_E_screen-170724.pdf