樂邦文類 3.39

3.39

Tens of thousands of li to the west of the Central Realm, there is a country named Shendu (India), the land where Śākyamuni Tathāgata manifested. That Buddha said: Traversing past a hundred thousand kotis of buddha-lands to the west, there is a world named Ultimate Bliss, and the Buddha is titled Amitāyus Tathāgata. In that land there are no three poisons or eight difficulties; many treasures serve as its adornment. Its people have no ten fetters or nine vexations; the multitude of sages serve as their companions. If there are those who with sincere mind and great vows return their minds to this land, provided their power of mindfulness is complete, they will be reborn in that land, and thereafter transcend beyond the three realms, never to retrogress from the Buddha path. His words do not deceive! In the Jin era, Dharma Master Yuan of Mount Lu composed a chant on the buddha-mindfulness samādhi, greatly exhorting [people] at the time. Afterwards, Great Master Yi of Tiantai composed the Treatise Clarifying the Ten Doubts about the Pure Land, broadly proclaiming its teaching; thorough, minute, and wondrous, all those who are deluded rely upon it. Indeed, those who have left behind wondrous traces upon their departure have been extremely numerous. Li Chengzhi, former Prefect of Yongzhou, together with the monk Falin, established a Pure Land hall on the eastern side of Longxing Monastery, where they constantly venerated these matters. Down to the present, more than twenty years have elapsed: its corners were ruined and broken, and its holy icons had collapsed and fallen. It happened that Superior Xun came to dwell beneath its eaves and began to restore it. This Superior cultivates the Supreme Vehicle and understands the primary truth; without any trace of substantializing emptiness or analyzing form, he attains the true source; grasping that designations are borrowed from conditioned existence and conventional non-existence, he enters into the true mark. Objects harmonize with wisdom, and phenomena unite with principle; therefore, although the cause of rebirth also involves appearances and functions, he did not abandon it, but vowed to repair this building to open the way for later students. A faithful layman painted an image of the Buddha, with the Dharma marks fully complete. The current Prefect, Lord Feng, built a main gate to designate its location. I thereupon extended the four eaves all around and surrounded them with cloistered corridors, painted images of the two Mahāsattvas, and added silk canopies, streamers, and banners to bring it to completion. Alas! If there are those who can seek the birth of non-birth, let them know that the raft lies right here! Thereupon I wrote the Tiantai Ten Doubts on the walls of the building, so that those who view it may give rise to faith.