樂邦文類 2.100

2.100

When the assembly of sages and worthies had completely gathered in the Anāthapiṇḍada Park, at that time no one in the assembly uttered a single word of request. The Tathāgata abruptly addressed them, saying: 'Passing from here to the west beyond a hundred thousand koṭis of lands, there is a Pure Land. That land is vast and extensive, adorned with hundreds of treasures.' He also said: 'If sentient beings contemplate it and are mindful of it, seeking to be born there, all will have their wishes fulfilled.' Commentators say: the twelve divisions of the canon encompass all existence, and this is the division of spontaneous preaching without request. What is its meaning like? It is like a mother cradling an infant: not waiting for its request, she only looks after its hands and feet, nursing and feeding it, and embracing it to her bosom. Yet, when the Tathāgata abandoned Tuṣita and descended to Kapilavastu, he preached the Dharma for fifty years, pouring out compassion to nurture and sustain, bestowing teachings according to individual capacities. During that time, the nagas, devas, Śakra, and Brahmā, the śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, and the great bodhisattva assemblies gave up their heads, eyes, marrow, and brains, and cast aside their kingdoms, cities, and precious treasures, repeatedly and earnestly making the three requests more than once. The Tathāgata would sometimes decline, sometimes remain silent, or say 'Stop, stop!' and refrain from speaking. But when it came to this, he spoke spontaneously, truly grieving that the ordinary beings of the five turbidities wander aimlessly without rest for long kalpas. Now, if one wishes to feel revulsion toward the five turbidities and aspire to be born in the Pure Land, it must lie in single-minded mindfulness. When the expression of mindfulness reaches its utmost, it fastens onto visualization; this is why the sixteen contemplations serve in turn as aids. The sūtra states: 'The ocean of correct and universal knowledge of all Buddhas arises from mental visualization.' What is the reason for this? It clarifies the beginning, pointing out that it is achieved through gradual progression. Practice begins with cultivation, wisdom begins with training, and the unsurpassable ultimate fruit begins with the profound mind. The profound mind is that which is steadfast and cannot be uprooted; thus a single thought-moment turns away the suffering of the three wretched realms, and ten thought-moments ascend the lotus flowers of the nine grades. Although this is mutually set forth and elucidated in all the Mahāyāna and Vaipulya sūtras, it is not merely expressed and revealed in a single sūtra. Since the Han and Wei dynasties, those with sincere yearning directed toward the west were scarcely heard of; this was truly because the Great Dharma had only just begun to flow and the scriptural texts were not yet complete. During the Western Jin, when Liu Yao plundered and disrupted the capital of Luoyang, Sengxian took refuge in Jiangdong, and for the first time, through three causal conditions and vows, suddenly experienced auspicious marvels. Yet, because his earnest aspirations encountered a chaotic age, his enduring influence and supreme achievements were at times unheard of by later generations. At the end of the Eastern Jin, Master [Hui]yuan rested his traces at Mount Lu. Like-minded Dharma masters such as Shi Daobing, Zhu Daosheng, and Buddhayasas, along with lay notables such as Liu Yimin, Lei Cizong, Zhou Xuzhi, and others, numbering one hundred and twenty-three people, formed a fellowship beyond worldly affairs and gathered together in admiration of the lofty tradition. Huiyuan, considering that this illusory gathering could not be permanently maintained and that a body roaming in a dream could not endure for long, pointed to the Realm of Immeasurable Life and bound their fellowship for a distant voyage there. Having done so, he further stated: 'That realm is pure, without the three wretched realms and the six destinies. Sentient beings who take refuge in it and are born there without exception are guided by jeweled banners, and their forms are received upon golden lotuses.' Thereupon they mutually called it the Lotus Society. The current reference to the 'Lotus Society' indeed originated with this. At times it was also called the Pure Society, its meaning being equally comprehensive. From Huiyuan onward, the cultivation of the Pure Land flourished ever more; thus the Song had Tanhong, the Qi had Huijin, the Liang had Daozhen, and during the Li Tang dynasty there repeatedly appeared individuals of sharp awakening and comprehensive discernment, such as Daochuo and Shandao. Living in the remnants of the Semblance Dharma age, I have encountered the Buddha's bequeathed teachings, and I have cherished the pure karma for many years. I have always regretted that the deeds of former worthies were scattered across various biographies and lost in different eras, unable to be classified together and clearly seen in order. For this reason, searching through the records composed by masters from the Liang and Sui dynasties downward, such as Huijiao and Daoxuan, among twelve authors, as well as the new biography by Great Master Tonghui of the Great Song, I obtained seventy-five persons, starting with [Seng]xian. In the composition of those biographies, the principles were sometimes obscure and the phrasing was sometimes cluttered; therefore I have revised and elucidated them. In addition, there were sixty-two persons such as Hongye and Huiming: in their lifetimes they visualized [the Pure Land], yet at the time of relinquishing their lives, they did not happen to witness supreme auspicious signs; since including them would not suffice to inspire deep faith, I did not include them. If later discerning scholars, regretting what was lacking, should gather and supply them, that would also remedy my omissions.