Vimalakīrti, whose name means "spotless reputation", is the main figure of the Vimalakīrti Sutra. He is portrayed as the ideal Buddhist lay practitioner, and is said to have lived at the time of the Buddha. In the scripture he has encounters with each of the Buddha's most senior disciples, and debates with Manjusri Bodhisattva, all of which demonstrate his great wisdom.

The festival and the Dharma talk will focus on the teaching of Vimalakīrti, and in particular chapters eight and nine of the Vimalakīrti Sutra.