樂邦文類 3.58

3.58

If one does not vow to be born in the Pure Land, that is the end of it; but if one vows to be born in the Pure Land, there is none who fails to be born there. If one is not born there, that is the end of it; but once born there, one never retrogresses—is this not what the World-Honoured One called avinivartanīya or avaivartika? Now, an ordinary person burdened with fetters and defilements initially relies on the power of faith to attain birth in that land, yet has not been able to suddenly cast away the three poisons and false views; how do we know they do not retrogress? It is because they are constantly embraced and sustained by the power of Amitābha's vows: his great light constantly shines upon them, superior good beings constantly assemble there, life spans last for eternal kalpas, and the water, birds, tree groves, sounds of the wind, and resonance of music all proclaim the wondrous vehicle. For those who hear these sounds, the thought of mindfulness of the Buddha, mindfulness of the Dharma, and mindfulness of the Saṅgha has never been heard to be interrupted. When sentient beings fall ill, the Buddha is the King of Physicians, the Dharma is the good medicine, and the Saṅgha is the nurse tending the sick: when these three are present before them, illness cannot arise. Spoken of in this way, once one is born in the Pure Land, whence could there be any retrogression? Master Fabao Congya, the Monastic Controller of Qiantang, throughout his life cultivated and practiced the teachings and contemplations of Amitābha, investigated the ancestral Chan style, and delighted in composing verses and hymns, attaining much of their true flavor. He was also skilled in the medical arts and frequently distributed medicine to help people. When people offered money or wealth to reward him, he would say: 'This is not my ability, but the merit of the Three Jewels,' and he would certainly pass it on to offer it to the Three Jewels. Thereupon he constructed a treasure pavilion and erected a great image of Amitābha, encircled by the bodhisattvas of the nine grades. The ocean storehouse of scriptures lay behind it, the pure lotus pond was in front of it, and the profound chambers for concentrated contemplation were arrayed to the left and right. He vowed to invite practitioners and provide for long-term repentance rituals, thereby forging affinities with the Pure Land. How could it be that he merely, in the form of a monk, admired the Buddha as the great physician and used the Dharma as the good medicine? He was truly able to exercise compassion, dispense healing, and share the benefit with the multitude. His mind of mindfulness of the Three Jewels can truly be said not to have dared to pause! Those who enter this bodhimaṇḍa, if they contemplate all marks as non-marks, will be able to see the complete body of Amitābha. If they contemplate all dharmas as illusory dharmas, they will be able to enter the true realm of the Pure Land. If they contemplate their own bodies as non-self, they will be able to possess the right view of a monk. Thus, from one Tathāgata they see immeasurable Tathāgatas, entering one Pure Land they encompass immeasurable Pure Lands, and awakening to one dharmakāya they merge with immeasurable dharmakāyas. Mindfulness without thought, realization without realization, cultivation without cultivation—how could the ocean of the Pure Land fruit be easily measured? Monastic Controller Fabao has erected this Pure Land bodhimaṇḍa of the treasure pavilion to guide and assemble companions of pure karma, aspiring to the Peaceful Nurture. When the fruition of their karmic conditions arrives, they will certainly accomplish what they vowed. On the day of the Shangyuan Festival in the first year of the Yuanyou era [1086], recounted by Yang Jie, Master of Non-action, Court Gentleman of the Left for Dispersion, Supernumerary Gentleman of the Bureau of Reception in the Ministry of Rites, Light Chariot Commandant, bestowed with the Purple Robe and Gold Fish Bag.