念佛三昧寶王論 2.36

2.36

I reply: “Dharma Master Yuan of Mount Lu during the Jin dynasty was its foremost pioneer. Master Yuan received the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi from Tripiṭaka Master Buddhabhadra, and together with his younger brother Huichi, the eminent monk Huiyong, court dignitaries and noble scholars, and recluses of pure faith—Zong Bing, Zhang Ye, Liu Yimin, Lei Cizong, Zhou Xuzhi, Xie Lingyun, Que Gongze, and others, one hundred and twenty-three in total—carved an inscription into the mountain, vowing to be reborn in the Pure Land. Liu Yimin composed a text whose general drift states: ‘Reflecting upon the transience of locking arms only to sink into the waves, realizing the urgency of impermanence, carefully examining the marks of the three karmic retributions, and spurred by the awareness that the perilous paths are hard to escape—this is why our like-minded worthy companions are watchful in the evening and diligent in the night, looking upward and contemplating that which rescues. Thereafter, contemplating the great meaning with wondrous insight, opening the mind in correct illumination, consciousness is renewed through awakening, and bodily form is transformed by cultivation. Resting upon lotus blossoms in midstream, chanting poetry sheltered beneath jeweled branches, our cloud-robes flutter across the eight directions, drifting in fragrant breezes to exhaust our years. The physical frame forgets repose yet becomes ever more serene; the mind transcends worldly pleasure to take delight in itself. Looking down upon the three evil paths, we bid them a distant farewell; disdaining the heavenly palaces, we take our permanent leave of them. Carrying on the lineage of all spiritual sages to follow their footsteps, we take the abandonment of our last breath as our period of fulfillment. When plumbing this path to its depths, is it not magnificent!’ Master Yuan composed a ‘Preface to the Buddhānusmṛti-samādhi’ which says: ‘What is meant by samādhi? It refers to concentrating the mind and stilling thought. When thoughts are concentrated, the aspiration is unified and unmoving; when thoughts are stilled, the vital breath is empty and the spirit is luminous. When the vital breath is empty, wisdom illuminates in tranquility; when the spirit is luminous, there is no obscurity that it does not penetrate. These two are a natural, profound tally; merging as one, they bring about the function. Furthermore, the samādhis are very numerous in name; their merit is high and progress is easy, with buddha-mindfulness coming first. If compared with the conditions of ordinary people's various concentrations, one cannot even speak of their superiority or inferiority; this can be known right where one dwells.’ Xie Lingyun’s ‘Ode on the Pure Land’ says: ‘Dharmākara grew up in a royal palace, / yet cherishing the Way he left the city walls. / He made forty-eight vows, / a vast pledge to rescue all living beings. / How wondrous is the Pure Land! / Those who come are all the finest. / How could declining years be relied upon? / Borne on transformation, one must journey at dawn.’ To your question, ‘No one has seen rebirth reported back,’ there was Que Gongze of the Jin dynasty, who vowed to be reborn and came back to report. Later, when a friend bound by the same vow was at the Baima Monastery in the Eastern Capital turning the sūtras on the anniversary of Que Gongze's death, the forest and the hall all turned a golden color, and a voice spoke in the sky, saying: ‘I am Que Gongze! That which I prayed for—rebirth in the jeweled land of Sukhāvatī—has now been fulfilled, and so I have come to report.’ Having finished speaking, he disappeared. Zhi Daolin praised him, saying: