樂邦文類 5

English (machine translation) 5

Language: English

5.1

Compiled by the Śramaṇa Zongxiao of Shizhi in Siming

5.2

Rhapsodies and Inscriptions (one author each)

5.3

Rhapsody on the Spirit Resting in Peaceful Nurture, by Chan Master Zhijue, Yanshou

5.4

Memorial Presenting the Rhapsody on Peaceful Nurture in Accordance with Imperial Command, by King Qian Chu of Wuyue

5.5

Inscription on the Contemplation of the Sun, by the Repentance Master of Ciyun, Zunshi

5.7

Verses on Painting an Image of Amitābha Buddha, by the Layman of Dongpo, Su Shi

5.8

Verses Explaining Xianshou's Praise of the Buddha in the Avataṃsaka, by the Repentance Master of Ciyun, Zunshi

5.9

Verses on Establishing Rebirth in Accordance with the Sūtras, by the same [author]

5.10

Verses on Making Vows upon Copying and Donating the Amitābha Sūtra, by the same [author]

5.11

Verses on the Old Woman Yao Seeing the Buddha in the Sun Disc, by Dharma Master Miaoxing, Fayi

5.12

Verses in Praise and Simile of Amitābha, by Grand Master for Court Discussion Ding Xing

5.14

Odes on the Sixteen Contemplations (twenty-three poems), by the Repentance Master of Ciyun, Zunshi

5.15

Odes on the Sixteen Contemplations (sixteen poems), by Dharma Master Zha'an, Youyan

5.16

Odes on the Sixteen Contemplations (twenty-four poems), by Vinaya Master Dazhi, Yuanzhao

5.17

Odes Exhorting and Transforming through Practice of the Direct Path, by the Monk Shandao of the Capital

5.18

Odes Exhorting Buddha-Mindfulness (four poems), by Chan Master Cijue, Zongze

5.19

Odes on the Western Pure Land (thirteen poems), by the same [author]

5.20

Odes on the Samādhi of Contemplating the Buddha, by Dharma Master Zha'an, Youyan

5.21

Odes Exhorting Buddha-Mindfulness (five poems), by Chan Master Cishou, Huaishen

5.22

Odes Instructing the Old Woman Chen (two poems), by Dharma Master Cibian, Congjian

5.23

Odes Exhorting the Cultivation of Pure Karma (two poems), by Vinaya Master Dazhi, Yuanzhao

5.24

Odes Transforming and Guiding through Buddha-Mindfulness (three poems), by Vinaya Master Qingzhao, Huiheng

5.25

Odes on the Mind Essentials of Buddha-Mindfulness, by Dharma Master Cao'an, Daoyin

5.26

Odes on Carving a Fragrant Image of Amitābha, by Dharma Master Jiekong, Kequan

5.27

Odes on the Pure Land and Taking Leave of the World, by Dharma Master Fajing, Ruoyu

5.28

Odes Praising the West, by the Layman Huanzhu, Ren Biao

5.29

Odes Exhorting the Cultivation of the Pure Land, by Dharma Master Tongjiang, Zeying

5.30

Odes on the White Lotus Pure Society, by Rectifier of Right-Street Congzheng

5.31

Odes on Pure Karma, Buddhas, and Māras, by Dharma Master Shou'an, Liangbi

5.32

Odes Exhorting the Cultivation of Pure Karma, by Magistrate of Changguo Wang Cunzhi

5.33

Odes Exhorting the World to Buddha-Mindfulness, author's name lost

5.35

Chants on the Pure Land, by Kangle of the Jin, Xie Lingyun

5.36

Poems on the Samādhi of Buddha-Mindfulness (four poems), by Wang Qiaozhi of Langya of the Jin

5.37

Poems on the Samādhi of Buddha-Mindfulness (four poems), by the Repentance Master of Ciyun, Zunshi

5.38

Parting from Secretary Li at His Residence at Shixing Temple, by Master Caotang, Du Zimei

5.39

Sitting by the Water at Donglin Temple, by the Layman of Xiangshan, Bai Juyi

5.40

Mourning Master Baoyue of Tianzhu, by the Layman of Dongpo, Su Shi

5.41

New Year's Eve (with three and four-line phrases), by the Layman of Houshan, Chen Wuji

5.42

Wonderful Matters of Qiantang Sent to Vice Minister Ma, by the Repentance Master of Ciyun, Zunshi

5.43

Old Man Wu Planting Lotuses at Ruizhu, by Cigong, Yang Jie

5.44

The White Lotus Society of Mount Lu, by Shi Huaiwu of Yuxi

5.45

Presented to the Practitioner of Amitābha, by Huang Gao of the Auxiliary Secretariat

5.46

Regulated Verse on the Sixteen Contemplations (sixteen poems), by the Śramaṇa Chongmo

5.47

The Lotus Society of Mount Lu (two poems), by Registrar Yu Liangneng

5.48

Harmonizing with the Rhyme of the Lotus Society, by the Graduated Scholar Chunsou

5.49

The Eighteen Worthies of Mount Lu, by Shi Zuke of Dongxi

5.50

Poems Yearning for the Native Homeland of Peaceful Nurture (four poems), by Dharma Master Zha'an, Youyan

5.51

Poems Yearning for the West (with two five-character poems), by the Lecturer-Monk of Beishan, Kemin

5.52

The Amitābha Pavilion of Juehai in Huzhou, by Zhang Jingxiu of the Ministry of Rites

5.53

Poems on the Pavilion of Returning to the West, by Chan Master Luoyue, Tanying

5.54

Poems on the Pavilion of Remembering the Buddha (ten poems), by Chief Monk of Xuexi, Xiyan

5.55

Moved by Reading the Biographies of Rebirth, by Dharma Master Yun'an, Liaohong

Chanting History through the Pure Land (narrating the circumstances of the Buddha's transforming along with the intention of composition; twenty-five poems in total), by the Layman of West Lake, Li Ji

5.57

Lyrics (seven authors)

5.58

Harmonizing with Yuanming's 'Return Away!', by Supervising Secretary Ping Ji

5.59

"In Imitation of [Tao] Yuanming's 'Return Away, Ah!'" by Ren Biao of Huanzhu.

5.60

"Following and Matching [Tao] Yuanming's 'Return Away'" by Vinaya Master Jiedu of Zhuo'an.

5.61

"Praising the Pure Land: To the Tune of 'Pride of the Fisherman'" (with poems, twenty of each) by the Lecturer-Monk Kemin of Beishan.

5.62

"Praising the West: To the Tune of 'Pride of the Fisherman'" by Chan Master Faduan of Xiyu.

5.63

"The Sufferings of Sahā: To the Tune of 'Gazing South of the River'" (six verses) by Dharma Master Jingyuan of Baiyun.

5.64

"The Excellences of the West: To the Tune of 'Gazing South of the River'" (six verses) by the same author as above.

5.65

Rhapsody on Lodging the Spirit in Peaceful Nurture.

5.66

By Chan Master Zhijue Yanshou.

5.67

Amitābha's precious domain bears the auspicious name of Peaceful Nurture; situated in the reward land, it is utmost bliss, and among the ten directions it is the most pure. Through the sixteen contemplations, one cultivates a concentrated mind and is secretly reborn there; by means of the forty-eight vows, one stirs even a distracted mind and attains transformation-birth. Thus, throughout one's life one upholds them, and for a lifetime takes refuge. Immortals ride clouds to listen to the Dharma; from the empty realm, chants are performed in praise and singing. In person one ascends the purple-gold dais, proving the original vows were not in vain; within the white jade urna, one's spirit transforms, celebrating one's single mind. In detail, the broad and long tongue praises it, and the ten lands proclaim it in unison; one need only fix the mind and all will be aligned—it was not casually conceived nor falsely transmitted. The earth's axis revolves; heavenly flowers scatter before one. In a single thought, when the lotus blossoms, one sees the Buddha and all ascend to the wondrous fruit; bathed in a thousand layers of light, one realizes the Dharma and takes one's place among the former sages. Examining antiquity and inferring the present, instances of rebirth are not one: when the karmic fortune arrives, heavenly music fills the sky; when the hour comes, wondrous fragrance permeates the chamber. Although the appearances manifested in the single true realm rely on the Buddha's majesty, the sights beheld in the seven-jeweled ponds all arise from one's own mind. Therefore we know that the holy intention is unfathomable, and spiritual resonance endures. Transforming the ordinary into the sagely takes but an instant; turning delusion into awakening is radiant and clear. Drawing forth the immortal texts, this is truly the art of long life; pointing the way back to the pure realm, one dwells forever in the homeland of immortality. Furthermore, there are eminent persons who transcend the world and great beings who dwell among the dust: they burn their bodies and arms to initiate practice; they hang their viscera and hold their hearts to establish standards. When celestial music comes to welcome them, they do not follow; when heavenly boys invite their fate, they are not pleased. Or atop fire-blazing mountains, within realms of radiant light, they never hear the names of evil destinies, and forever abandon the baseness of the womb-prison. With open eyes and firm tongues, confirmation appears at once; cattle butting and chickens pecking abruptly cease. Confined to an iron city, they resist the king's decree, solely following their sincere heart; seated on a lotus dais, they rely on the Buddha's grace, finding it hard to abandon the ultimate truth. Even if someone has slandered the Three Jewels and broken the monastic rules, when the wind-knives are about to sever the body and the karmic mirror reflects the form, meeting a spiritual friend who manifests the inconceivable, the forest of swords turns into seven rows of trees, and the chariot of fire transforms into the lotus pond of eight virtues. Hell vanishes away; serene and clear, the terrified heart completely ceases; heavenly flowers fly and lead, and suddenly a transformation Buddha welcomes them. With the eye of wisdom and an illuminated mind, the incense burner drops from the hand; matching the prophecy, the lotus does not wither, and having received the prediction, one does not tarry long in the jeweled grove. How extraordinary! The Buddha's power is inconceivable, unprecedented in all of history!

5.68

The Chan Master set his single aspiration upon the West, and his vast praise was as great as this; in his *Universal Convergence of Myriad Goods* (*Wanshan tonggui ji*), he also vigorously exhorted its cultivation. From this we know that a thorough person is without stinginess, benefiting others in many ways, far superior to those who cling to quiescence and sink into emptiness. The master himself wrote an annotated edition of this rhapsody, which contains extensive matters and long text, not recorded here. Looking closely at what it contains, they are all wondrous words of the sūtras and spiritual traces from the *Biographies of Rebirth*. Only those who are broadly learned and esteem the Way, upon seeing these core outlines, will naturally understand the details.

5.69

Imperial Decree in Response to the Presentation of the Rhapsody on Peaceful Nurture.

5.70

By Qian Chu, King of Wuyue.

5.71

Your presentation has been respectfully received and fully noted. I have heard that in the country of Peaceful Nurture, the Pure Land of Amitābha, the myriad transformations are about to cease and a single thought remains indelibly clear; to entrust oneself to that holy womb is easier than turning over one's hand. Whether faith is reached or not, both are tathatā; I tread the wide avenue, clear and plain. Master, you guide the fourfold assembly and regulate the One Vehicle; you encourage me with the cause of the white moon and aid me with the fruit of the blue lotus. As a virtuous friend of humans and devas, who could it be if not you, Master? My feelings of shame and acknowledgment dwell in my heart morning and evening. Therefore I grant this commendation, which I trust you will understand; this brief letter does not express everything.

5.72

Inscription on the Contemplation of the Sun (with preface).

5.73

By Zunshi, Repentance Master Ciyun.

5.74

In the fourth year of the Tianxi reign, the *gengshen* year of the sexagenary cycle, in the spring, the second month whose first day was *guiwei*, on the thirteenth day, *yiwei*: South of the Feilai Peak of Gṛdhrakūṭa, the Song śramaṇa (Zunshi) of the ancient Tianzhu Monastery, constructed the Hermitage of the Sun Contemplation beside the Xianglin Cave on the monastery's eastern ridge. Upon its completion, he inscribed the rock with this Inscription on the Contemplation of the Sun (derived from the *Sūtra on the Sixteen Contemplations*):

5.75

Far off is that radiant luminary; / the heart inclines to it like a sunflower. / When the Mengfan pool has but a few fathoms left, / the six dragons halt their journey. / Like a suspended drum, / like the brilliance of a jade disc. / Restraining the gaze to confront it, / accumulated thoughts take it as their focus. / The brilliant, circular image / arises from within the indistinct; / treading on frost, solid ice arrives— / it resides in being clearly evident. / Directing the thoughts toward that quarter, / cautioning the spirit against roving far away; / the abode being right here, / one therefore faces the Evening Star.

5.76

Gāthā on Painting an Image of Amitābha Buddha (with preface).

5.77

By Su Shi, Layman Dongpo.

5.78

Vinaya Master Yuanzhao of Qiantang universally exhorted monastics and laypeople to take refuge with utmost sincerity in the Western World of Utmost Bliss. Su Shi of Meishan respectfully gave up the inherited hairpins and earrings of his late mother, Lady Cheng, Grand Dowager of Shu Commandery, and commissioned the artisan Hu Xi to paint an image of Amitābha Buddha to dedicate posthumous blessings. I express this in verse, saying:

5.79

The Buddha, with great, perfect awakening, / fills the realms of the ten directions. / I, through inverted thoughts, / appear and disappear within birth and death. / How could it be that with a single thought / one attains rebirth in the Pure Land? / The beginningless karma that I have made / leaves ample residue in a single thought; / since it arises from a single thought, / it also ceases with a single thought. / At the point where arising and ceasing are extinguished, / then I and the Buddha are the same. / Like pouring water into the ocean, / like bellows blowing in the wind, / even with great, holy wisdom, / one could not distinguish them. / I vow that my deceased parents / and all sentient beings / will find that wherever they are is the West, / and whatever they encounter is Utmost Bliss; / each and every person having measureless life, / with neither going nor coming.

5.80

Explanation of the *Avataṃsaka* Xianshou Gāthā in Praise of the Buddha.

5.81

By Zunshi, Repentance Master Ciyun.

5.82

He also emits a light called 'Seeing the Buddha'; / this light awakens those about to die, / causing them, following that awakening thought, to see the Tathāgata, / and at the end of life to attain rebirth in his Pure Land. / Seeing someone on the verge of death, one encourages buddha-mindfulness, / and shows the revered image, causing them to gaze and revere it, / leading them to take deep refuge in the Buddha; / therefore, this light is accomplished.

5.83

These two verses: the first four lines praise the Buddha's emitting of light. That light is named 'Seeing the Buddha,' which is able to cause those on the verge of death to see the Buddha and attain rebirth. The latter four lines praise the cause by which the Buddha cultivated this light. That cause is simply encouraging dying persons to practice buddha-mindfulness and showing them the Buddha's image; therefore, upon attaining buddhahood, he obtained this light. Now, the reason for broadly disseminating these verses is to exhort those of deep faith that whenever relatives or any people are on the verge of death, one should first place a Buddha image before their bed for them to see with their own eyes, and encourage them to practice buddha-mindfulness. If they are oppressed by pain, or previously had no faith and refuse to practice buddha-mindfulness, one must also use various skillful means to encourage them to recite the Buddha's name; down to ten recitations, they will extinguish heavy offenses and be reborn in the Buddha's Pure Land. This single benefit is inconceivable. If one can persuade even one person to be reborn in the Pure Land, even if one does not cultivate oneself, one naturally deserves to be reborn in the Buddha's land as well. How much more so when attaining buddhahood in the future, being able to emit light that shines upon all sentient beings so that they see the Buddha at the end of life! One often sees that worldly people, because of emotional affection, gather together and weep, not thinking of rescue and deliverance. How bitter, how bitter! They are called bad spiritual friends. Dragged along by emotional affection, they fall into evil destinies, with no time of liberation. In the world there are five kinds of people who refuse to practice buddha-mindfulness: first, those who previously had no faith; second, those who cling to wealth and treasures; third, those who cannot let go of wife and children; fourth, those who cherish their own bodies and lives; fifth, those who are obstructed by sinful karma. At death they fall into hell; may they awaken early!

5.84

Gāthā on Establishing Right Faith in Rebirth Based on the Sūtras.

5.85

By the same author as above.

5.86

(If someone can recite and uphold these verses, they will obtain three kinds of benefits: first, they will constantly uphold the titles and names of the various Mahāyāna sūtras; second, their faith in the Pure Land will increase; third, they will cause those who hear it to have deep faith in the Pure Land. If encountering one on the verge of death, recite it aloud once or twice, and then encourage them to practice buddha-mindfulness.)

5.87

I bow my head to the Western Land of Peace and Joy, / to the Lord of the World, Amitābha, the Great Compassionate and Revered One. / Relying upon various sūtras, / I establish decisive faith in rebirth. / A person dwelling in the Mahāyāna with a pure mind, / who is mindful of that Immeasurable Life for ten thoughts, / dreaming of the Buddha on the verge of death is definitely reborn; / as the *Great Ratnakūṭa Sūtra* speaks. / When the fires of the hell of the five heinous sins appear, / encountering a good friend and giving rise to a fierce mind, / reciting the Buddha's name for ten thoughts, one is immediately reborn; / as the *Sūtra on the Sixteen Contemplations* speaks. / If one has a mind of joy, faith, and delight, / down to ten thoughts, one is immediately reborn; / if it were not so, he would not attain buddhahood; / as the forty-eight vows speak. / All who hear the name and give rise to an utmost mind, / with a single thought dedicating it, are immediately reborn, / only excluding the five heinous sins and slandering the True Dharma; / as the *Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra* speaks. / If on the verge of death one cannot contemplate or be mindful, / but merely generates an intention and knows there is a Buddha, / when this person's breath ceases, they are immediately reborn; / as the *Mahābherīhāraka Sūtra* speaks. / For one day and one night hanging silk canopies, / single-mindedly mindful of rebirth without interruption, / dreaming of the Buddha while lying down, one is immediately reborn; / as the *Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra* speaks. / Reciting the Buddha's name for one day and night, / diligently striving without interruption, / mutually encouraging one another to be reborn together; / as the *Mahākāruṇika Sūtra* speaks. / For one day, two days, or up to seven days, / upholding the name with an undisturbed mind, / the Buddha appearing before them, they are immediately reborn; / as the *Amitābha Sūtra* speaks. / If a person hears of that Amitābha, / for one day, two days, or more, / with focused mindfulness present before them, they are immediately reborn; / as the *Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra* speaks. / For ten days and ten nights throughout the six periods, / bowing to the Buddha with the five limbs, mindfulness uninterrupted, / seeing that Buddha in person, they are immediately reborn; / as the *Sūtra on the King of Drum Sound* speaks. / For ten days and ten nights upholding the fasting precepts, / hanging silk banners and canopies, lighting incense and lamps, / with focused mindfulness uninterrupted, one attains rebirth; / as the *Larger Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra* speaks. / If a person focuses mindfulness on the Buddha of a single direction, / walking or sitting for seven times seven days, / seeing the Buddha in their present body, they are immediately reborn; / as the *Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra* speaks. / If a person makes a vow to constantly circumambulate, / for ninety days not sitting or lying down, / seeing Amitābha within samādhi; / as the *Pratyutpanna Samādhi Sūtra* speaks. / If a person sits upright facing directly west, / for ninety days constantly being mindful of the Buddha, / they will accomplish samādhi and be born before the Buddha; / as the *Mañjuśrī Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra* speaks. / I have praised a small part from the various sūtras, / and what is taught in this way is inexhaustible; / I vow that all who hear this will give rise to right faith, / for the Buddha's words are true and free from deception.

5.88

A doubter says: Looking at these verses, there are those who with ten recitations, down to a single thought, give rise to faith and joy, and even those who merely generate the intention of knowing there is a Buddha, who also attain rebirth in that land. Yet there are also those who must practice buddha-mindfulness for forty-nine days or up to ninety days before they can attain rebirth. Is it not that the Pure Land is one? Why are the causal practices so suddenly disparate? Explaining, [the master] says: Although the Pure Land is one, those who are born there naturally differ. The *Sūtra of Immeasurable Life* broadly divides them into three tiers, and the *Contemplation Sūtra* (*Sixteen Contemplations Sūtra*) opens them into nine grades; if further subdivided into details, they would indeed be immeasurable. Further doubting, [the person] asks: The causal practices of those in the lower grades and tiers being shallow, should they not be subject to retrogression and falling? Explaining, [the master] says: Not so. It is merely that the blooming of the lotuses among the nine grades has slowness and swiftness, their distance from the Buddha has closeness and remoteness, and their attainment of the Way has sharpness and dullness. Yet those who are born there all without exception do not retrogress. The sūtra says: "Those who are born there all abide in the definitely determined stage." It also says: "The sentient beings who are born there are all avaivartika." This refers to non-retrogression. In the *Treatise on Ten Doubts*, there are five causes and conditions for why they do not retrogress: First, because the power of the great compassionate vows of Amitābha Buddha embraces and upholds them, they do not retrogress. Second, because the Buddha's light constantly shines upon them, their bodhicitta constantly increases and advances, and they do not retrogress. Third, because the water, birds, tree groves, sounds of the wind, and music all proclaim suffering and emptiness, so that those who hear them constantly give rise to the intention of mindfulness of the Buddha, mindfulness of the Dharma, and mindfulness of the Saṅgha, they do not retrogress. Fourth, because that land has purely bodhisattvas as good friends, free of evil conditions and objects—externally without ghosts, spirits, or evil māras, internally without the three poisons and the like—afflictions ultimately do not arise, and thus they do not retrogress. Fifth, because upon being born in that land their lifespans endure for eternal kalpas, equal to bodhisattvas and Buddhas, they do not retrogress. How much more so in this evil world! Not only is it devoid of these five conditions, but evil friends and companions, sound and form intoxicate and confuse, demons and ghosts counterfeit the truth, and lifespans are brief and fleeting—all five are evil, hindering and troubling practice of the Way, letting vast kalpas pass in vain. Please consider this thoroughly! Please consider this thoroughly! Someone says: All dharmas are fundamentally unarisen and unceasing, equal, empty, and quiescent; why forcibly urge abandoning this and seeking that? Explaining, [the master] says: If you say that seeking rebirth in the West constitutes grasping and rejecting and violates the principle of equality, then in rejecting that and grasping this, do you not violate the principle? If you turn around and hypothesize: "I neither seek rebirth there nor seek rebirth here," then you give rise to an annihilationist view. Does the *Diamond Prajñā Sūtra* not speak of emptiness? The Buddha admonished Subhūti, saying: "You must not form this thought. One who gives rise to the thought of bodhi does not speak of the mark of annihilation regarding dharmas." One who truly understands emptiness realizes within conditioned dharmas the nature of non-arising within arising and the nature of non-ceasing within cessation; it does not mean taking complete extinction and non-existence as unarisen and unceasing. The *Mūlamadhyamakakārikā* says: "Dharmas that arise from causes and conditions, I declare to be empty." It does not say that emptiness comes after extinction into nothingness. The *Vimalakīrti Sūtra* says: "Although knowing that Buddha lands and sentient beings are empty, one constantly cultivates the Pure Land to teach and transform all living beings." Someone says: The Pure Land is in the mind; why seek it outside? "According as the mind is pure, the Buddha land is pure." Why journey far off to seek rebirth in a Pure Land of another realm? Explaining, [the master] says: You do not understand the meaning of mind and land. If you assume that our mind is confined to a square inch [of the breast], you then see the West as faraway beyond the realm. If this were so, how could it be said that "According as the mind is pure, the Buddha land is pure"? The *Avataṃsaka Sūtra* says: "The mind, the Buddha, and sentient beings—these three are without difference." Since the Buddha-dharma is all-pervading, the mind-dharma is also all-pervading. If each had its own direction and boundary, how could they be called "without difference"? It also says: "Letting the mind roam in the dharmadhātu like empty space." How could empty space have divisions? If one understands that a single thought of the mind is all-pervading, even a single speck of dust is all-pervading; how could a hundred thousand koṭis of lands, being within a foot and a step, be outside the mind? When people of the world speak of the principle of emptiness, they immediately discard cause and effect; when they speak of their own mind, they immediately disbelieve the existence of external dharmas. Not only do they slander the Dharma, they also slander their own mind, falling into calamity for myriad kalpas—truly lamentable! Falsely fabricating right and wrong to obstruct others' Pure Land, they are true evil teachers. The *Sūtra of Immeasurable Life* says: "The Buddha told Bodhisattva Maitreya, all the devas, humans, and others: 'In the Land of Immeasurable Life, the merit and wisdom of the śrāvakas and bodhisattvas cannot be fully praised or spoken. And its country is subtle, wonderful, secure, happy, and pure like this. Why do you not strive to do good and be mindful of the naturalness of the Way? Each of you should spur on vigor and strive to seek it yourselves. You will certainly attain transcendent departure and be reborn in the Land of Peace and Joy. Traversing across, cut off the five evil paths, and the evil destinies will naturally be closed. Ascending the Way is limitless; it is easy to go, yet there are no people. That land does not go against or oppose anyone, pulled by the naturalness [of vows]. Why not abandon worldly affairs and diligently practice seeking virtue and the Way? You can attain extreme longevity, with bliss and life without end.'"

5.89

Gāthā on Generating Vows with Right Faith on Writing the *Amitābha Sūtra*

5.90

By the same author as above

5.91

I bow my head to the Buddhas of the ten directions, / To Amitābha, the Honoured One among the sages, / To the Vaipulya sūtras, the treasure house of all Dharmas, / To Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta, and the saṅgha of great-ground bodhisattvas. / With a sincere and faithful mind, I carved blocks and printed / Fascicles of the *Amitābha Sūtra* and the *Gāthā on Right Faith*, / Printing ten thousand copies of each in turn, to distribute to the fourfold assembly to accept and uphold. / The verses serve to generate faith; the sūtra serves to aid recitation. / If anyone, in the course of every day, recites at least three fascicles, / In a year they recite one thousand and eighty; in ten years, ten thousand and eight hundred. / How much more so those who recite more, and over the course of many years! / Accumulating merits in this manner, they will naturally be born before the Buddha. / For these ten thousand fascicles of the sūtra, wherever they are distributed, / If at the very least a single person upholds and recites them to be born in the Pure Land, / I vow, relying on this power, to be definitely born in that land. / How much more so for many people! When people pass away, the sūtras still remain; / Transmitted from one to another, this is called the inexhaustible lamp. / Lamp illuminates lamp in succession, shattering the long night of birth and death, / Revealing the Buddha's bodhi, so that all together ultimately attain birth / In the Pure Land of Eternally Quiescent Light. Holding this pure blessing, / I dedicate it to sovereign and parents: that our nation's holy emperor, / And the holy empress and holy seats, each enjoy benevolent longevity of ten thousand years; / Shrouding and nourishing the multitudes of common people. May my parents and relatives, / Enemies, loved ones, and those neither enemy nor kin, all receive this supreme good root, / And together be born in the Land of Peaceful Nurture.

5.92

Gāthā on Old Woman Yao Seeing the Buddha in the Solar Disc (with preface)

5.93

Dharma Master Fayis of Wondrous Practice

5.94

Amitābha Buddha of the West has forty-eight vows, one of which says: "If, when I attain Buddhahood, sentient beings of the ten directions who wish to be born in my land should chant my name ten times and not be born there, may I not attain Buddhahood." If a person every morning joins their palms facing west and recites the Buddha's name ten times, in this life they will extinguish calamities and prolong their life, and in the future they are certain to attain rebirth. I beheld Yu Mituo of Qiantang paint the image of Amitābha Buddha in the solar disc as seen by Old Woman Yao. When a person can focus their mind with such dedication, the sympathetic resonance is like this. Bhikṣu Fayi of Wondrous Practice praises it with a gāthā, saying:

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The World of Ultimate Bliss has a location: / It is just where the sun usually sets. / Therefore the Buddha taught Vaidehī / To clearly contemplate the setting sun like a suspended drum. / Excellent is this old woman of the Yao clan, / Who was able with this mind to seek the Pure Land! / Contemplating in the evening and thinking in the morning without reckoning the years, / Walking and upholding, sitting and reciting, forgetting cold and heat. / Amitābha suddenly arose from her mental thoughts; / In a flash, clear and distinct, she beheld him. / At that time, the sky was devoid of the slightest cloud; / In the mulberry and elm trees Xihe's chariot still lingered. / The Buddha-sun shone brilliantly, eclipsing the solar radiance; / His dark blue eyes and jade-like ūrṇā endowed with wondrous marks. / Her eyes startled and her heart astonished, joyful yet moved to tears, / She ran to tell the guide, Yu Mituo, / Detailing all that she had seen as exceedingly rare, / Wishing to paint the golden visage with brush and silk. / Hearing of this supreme event, I sighed in admiration at its rarity; / For her sake I speak these gāthā verses to enlighten those not yet awakened. / You should know that the distance to the Buddha is not far at all; / How could an icchantika understand the reason for this? / Though passing through a hundred thousand koṭis of lands, / A single thought transcends it, like taking a single half-step. / If there is a confused person asking for the way, / Tell them: "Just go straight forward like this."

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Gāthā in Praise of Yu Mituo (with preface)

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Ding Zhu, Grand Master for Court Discussion of the Left

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Master Jing abandoned wife and servants to become a disciple of the Tathāgata, and recruited ten thousand people to form a Pure Land society. His fellow townsman (Ding Zhu) praised him with a gāthā.

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"When the mind is pure, the Buddha land is pure"— / The Dharma King does not speak falsely. / Extracting his body from the dust and defilement, / He has already seen the lotus within the fire. / When a single thought does not arise or cease, / Ultimate Bliss appears right before one. / The great trichiliocosm shares this same realm; / How could it be limited to the affinity of ten thousand people?

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Verses on the Sūtra of Sixteen Contemplations

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Zunshi, Repentance Master of Ciyun

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Introductory Section

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Vaidehī repeatedly bowed and requested the Capable Benevolent One, / Wishing him to expound the pure reward-cause of the Western direction; / The sixteen contemplations together with the three pure karmas: / Cultivating these, one immediately attains a body of rebirth.

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Contemplation of the Sun

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Sitting upright facing west, visualize the solar disc, / Seeing the sun about to set like a suspended drum; / Having seen it, whether closing or opening the eyes, / Cause it to be clearly distinct and the mind firmly settled.

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Contemplation of Water

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Next, form the visualization of water, seeing the Western direction: / Everything becomes the water of the Pure Land; / Having seen the water, imagine it becoming ice, / Clear and translucent, reflecting through as ground of lapis lazuli.

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Contemplation of the Ground

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When contemplating the lapis lazuli jeweled ground, / Clearly and distinctly perceive the Land of Ultimate Bliss: / Eight kinds of pure breezes strike musical sounds, / Melodies of suffering, emptiness, non-self, and impermanence.

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Contemplation of the Trees

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Fourth, contemplate the jeweled trees in seven rows, / Jeweled blossoms open into wondrous palaces; / Jeweled banners and canopies cast layer upon layer of shadows, / In which the Buddha lands of the ten directions appear.

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Contemplation of the Ponds

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Fifth, visualize the seven-jeweled ponds of the Pure Land, / The water within the ponds having eight virtues; / Flowing and proclaiming the names of the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha, / With thousands of myriads of koṭis of wondrous jeweled lotus flowers.

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Comprehensive Contemplation

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The lands of many jewels and jeweled multi-storied pavilions, / The jeweled trees interspersed with the ponds; / When this comprehensive contemplation is accomplished, / It is called a rough perception of that Ultimate Bliss.

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Flower Throne

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Seventh, visualize the wondrous dais-throne of the lotus flower, / Accomplished through the vast power of Amitābha's vows; / When forming this thought, the mind is undisturbed, / Definitely visualizing being born within the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

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Contemplation of the Image

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The dharmadhātu body of all Buddha Tathāgatas / Pervades and enters all the thoughts of sentient beings; / The wise should contemplate this visualizing mind: / This mind is the image of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

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Contemplation of Immeasurable Life

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The golden-colored body of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life, / Whose light universally shines upon all living beings; / The wise who diligently practice bind their minds to contemplate it, / And the Buddhas appear before them, together bestowing prophecies.

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Contemplation of Avalokiteśvara

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The purple-gold body of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, / The mark of the curl between the brows having the colors of the seven jewels; / Pouring forth light that fills the ten directions, / With countless koṭis of transformed Buddhas within the light.

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Contemplation of Mahāsthāmaprāpta

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Next, contemplate the body of Bodhisattva Mahāsthāmaprāpta, / In measure equal to Avalokiteśvara without difference; / Only that within the jeweled vase upon the uṣṇīṣa, / He contains all lights, manifesting Buddha-activities.

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Contemplation of Universal Rebirth

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Uprightly visualize one's body born in the realm of Ultimate Bliss, / The lotus flower closed, the body dwelling within; / When the flower opens, one sees Buddhas filling empty space, / Water, birds, and tree groves proclaiming Dharma verses.

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Contemplation of Miscellaneous Rebirth

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Again visualize Amitābha and the two bodhisattvas, / Their supernatural manifestations and activities as before; / When this varied contemplation is accomplished, immeasurable blessings accrue: / One is definitely born in Peaceful Nurture to serve the Golden Immortal.

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Highest Grade of the Upper Level

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With a compassionate heart, not killing, upholding all precepts, / Reading and reciting the Mahāyāna Vaipulya sūtras; / Cultivating the six mindfulnesses and making dedication vows: / At the end of life, transformed Buddhas all come to welcome them.

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Middle Grade of the Upper Level

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Not necessarily upholding the Vaipulya sūtras, / But understanding the primary meaning and being clear on cause and effect; / When a purple-gold dais appears at the end of life, / One sees oneself seated upon the dais.

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Lowest Grade of the Upper Level

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Deeply believing in cause and effect and upholding the Mahāyāna, / Merely generating the intention for unexcelled bodhi; / Dedicating this merit with the vow for rebirth, / Having been born, one will dwell in the Joyful Ground.

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Highest Grade of the Middle Level

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Accepting and upholding the five precepts and the eightfold upavasatha, / Cultivating all precepts and making dedication vows; / Reborn there at the end of life, one hears the sound of the Dharma, / And immediately attains arhatship on the spot.

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Middle Grade of the Middle Level

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If someone with a sincere mind for one day and one night / Upholds the precepts and upavasatha without breach or flaw, / Dedicating this merit with the vow for rebirth, / In seven days the flower blooms and they receive their prophecy.

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Lowest Grade of the Middle Level

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Filially nurturing parents and practicing benevolence and righteousness, / At the approach of death one meets a good spiritual friend, / Who extensively expounds the cause of Amitābha's great vows; / In the time it takes to bend and stretch an arm, one is born in that land.

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Lowest Grade: Higher Rebirth

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Though a person does not slander the revered sūtras, / They create many evil karmas without shame or remorse; / At the approach of death, urged to be mindful of Amitābha, / Reborn there, after ten kalpas they attain the first bhūmi.

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Lowest Grade: Middle Rebirth

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If there are sentient beings who violate the precepts / And steal property of the Saṅgha and the Three Jewels, / At the approach of death, urged to be mindful of Amitābha, / In the space of a single thought-moment they are born in that land.

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Lowest Grade: Lower Rebirth

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There are those who commit the five heinous acts and the ten evils, / Who should fall into hell to undergo all sufferings; / At the approach of death, urged to be mindful of Amitābha, / They definitively transcend and are born in that land.

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Verses on the Sixteen Contemplations

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By Dharma Master Youyan of Zha'an

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Contemplation of the Sun

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The shape of the setting sun resembles a suspended drum; / Sitting upright cross-legged, one faces the west: / Though the body has not yet reached the flower pond, / One first sends the mind to return to the realm of Ultimate Bliss.

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Contemplation of the Water

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Visualizing water turning into ice, thoroughly clear, / It manifests as the lapis lazuli ground supported by jeweled banners; / Its radiant brilliance shines like a thousand suns— / This is called the meditative mind completing the contemplation of water.

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Contemplation of the Ground

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When the jeweled ground is adorned and flowers rain down, / The banners, pennants, and towers are wonderful to contemplate; / The level ground mirrors the mind's thousands of dharmas— / Relying on the object to illuminate the mind, it cannot be shaken.

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Contemplation of the Trees

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The jeweled trees, layer upon layer, lean together in their height; / Adorned with nets of jewels spanning how many tiers of the firmament? / If one can comprehend this realm as mind-only, / Though it lies in the west, the path is not far.

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Contemplation of the Ponds

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Clear and serene with eight virtues, it is called the pool of virtue, / With golden sand as its bed, glistening with brilliant light; / The flowing water furthermore expounds gāthās of non-arising: / Hearing this is the moment the contemplating mind focuses its mindfulness.

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Comprehensive Contemplation

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The jeweled and adorned realm is made of the seven treasures; / From within the towers, heavenly music resounds; / The jade trees and flower ponds are known as the comprehensive contemplation; / When this contemplation is clearly realized, the eradication of sins is no light matter.

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Contemplation of the Flower Throne

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The lotus blossom has eighty-four thousand petals, / Adorned with myriad wonders and immeasurable light; / With this lotus flower serving as the jeweled seat, / It opens and blooms, awaiting the enthronement of the King of Dharmas.

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Contemplation of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas

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To contemplate the Buddha's true body when wisdom is not yet opened, / First visualize the image seated on the flower dais; / The bodies of the Buddha and bodhisattvas fill that realm— / One must comprehend from where the image comes.

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Contemplation of Amitāyus

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That Buddha's towering and supremely victorious body / Sheds light pervading all, in rays as numerous as dust motes; / Sentient beings touched by this illumination set their minds upon the Buddha / And thereby become dwellers of the Western Pure Land.

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Contemplation of Avalokiteśvara

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The Bodhisattva named Avalokiteśvara / Universally blankets the ten directions with great compassionate mind; / With a mass of purple-golden light and majestic spiritual power, / Welcoming and guiding sentient beings, their sea of vows is deep.

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Contemplation of Mahāsthāmaprāpta

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The unsurpassed power is called Mahāsthāmaprāpta; / Pure, wondrous, and luminous, named Boundless Light; / If a person contemplates and is mindful of this Bodhisattva, / They will never dwell in the foul and filthy sac of the womb.

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Contemplation of Universal Rebirth

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When the universal contemplation is accomplished, merit is realized: / Visualize oneself entering west into the thickets of wondrous flowers; / Seeing distinctly the opening and closing of the lotus blossoms, / While bodhisattvas and Tathāgatas fill the azure sky.

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Contemplation of Miscellaneous Visualizations

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The Buddha manifests bodies large and small in awe-inspiring brilliance, / Flanked by Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta; / If one enables the miscellaneous contemplation to be fulfilled now, / This is also known as the pure cause.

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Three Contemplations of the Higher Grade

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The higher grade is divided into three degrees according to their depth; / At the end of life, the Buddhas bestow their radiant arrival, / Welcoming them onto the flower dais to be born in Peaceful Nurture— / Know that these are the ten stages of faith of the Perfect Teaching.

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Three Contemplations of the Middle Grade

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Those reborn in the middle grade are persons of five ranks: / Externally cultivating restraint of precepts, internally cultivating the true; / At the end of life, they transcend crosswise the five paths / And forthwith realize an untainted body in the West.

Linked texts (1)

樂邦文類 — Classical Chinese