樂邦文類 1.9

1.9

Our Buddha, the Benevolent One, took birth in Kapilavastu. Without attachment to the precious throne of a wheel-turning king, he went directly to the Snowy Mountains to sit in quiet meditation. Having attained the Way, he expounded the teachings according to individuals' capacities, so that the teachings of the Hinayana and Mahayana, the provisional and the perfect, differed. Finally, at the sublime assembly of the Lotus Sūtra, the single path was without partiality; opening the provisional vehicles, he brought them all back to the real truth. Thus the original intent of his appearing in the world only then was fully expressed. Moreover, reflecting that the faculties of people in future generations would be dull and dim, unable to seek liberation on their own, [he showed that] only through Amitābha's original vows in establishing the land of Ultimate Bliss can one cut horizontally across the river of craving and directly transcend to the stage of buddhahood. Therefore, he repeatedly and earnestly urged rebirth across the various Mahayana sūtras. This was truly the Tathāgata's extraordinary and wondrous expedient means, examining and taking pity on the sunken and drowning, like the father departing yet leaving behind the medicine. However, when the great teaching flowed eastward, people were still unaware. But Dharma Master Huiyuan of the Eastern Jin, whose spiritual capacity was outstandingly manifested, opened this source of transformation: channeling water to plant lotuses, he formed a Pure Land Society. At that time, there were one hundred and twenty-three participants, with eighteen great worthies, such as Liu Yimin, as their leaders. From then on, the path of the samādhi of buddha-mindfulness flourished. Down to the present, more than eight hundred years later, their legacy and glorious deeds remain stern and alive; thus Defense Commissioner Zhang was able to carry out this practice, following in their footsteps from afar. Indeed, one who undertakes learning must seek a teacher, and one who advances in practice must rely on the Dharma. Therefore, the rise of this society took Amitābha exclusively as its principal guide and the various sūtras as its compass. Since the Jin and Tang dynasties, eminent monks and great scholars have all composed writings praising this matter. Although the principles explained therein vary in depth and the diction is skilled or plain, they are like myriad streams flowing eastward together into the boundless ocean, allowing all who drink of them to partake of the single taste. As I, Zongxiao, gradually approach the evening of life, I have awakened to the fragility and transience of the world. Looking up with reverence to Emperor Gaozong, whose Way equals heaven and earth and whose virtue surpasses Fu Xi and the Yellow Emperor, yet who still propagated the supreme teaching to instruct the ignorant masses—how much more should I, who shamefully occupy a place among the monastic assembly, dare to neglect the path of contemplation and practice? Thereupon, I brought together the various sūtras and gathered the numerous writings, reading them prostrate with the intention of finding a good guide. Although their subtle phrases and profound meanings are not easily fathomed, having savored and investigated them for years, I have also roughly grasped their outline. Reflecting that the Sui pearl and He jade are the supreme treasures of the realm, if one were to box and conceal them, who among people could share in them? Thereupon, during my leisure days, I compiled what I had obtained in sequential order, beginning with sūtras and dhāraṇīs and ending with poems and verses, comprising fourteen sections in total, over two hundred and twenty items, divided into five fascicles, and titled it 'Collected Writings on the Land of Bliss' (Lebang wenlei), modeled after the Confucian Liu Zongzhi's 'Classified Writings of the Western Han'. As for whatever has not been fully gathered here, those who share my aspirations will surely continue it in due time.