龍舒增廣淨土文 5.4

5.4

僧慧遠雁門人也，居廬山，與劉遺民等僧俗百二十三人結為蓮社以修淨土，謂他日託生蓮華中也。遠澄心觀想，初十一年三覩聖相，而遠沈厚不言。後十九年七月晦夕，遠面見阿彌陀佛身滿虛空，圓光之中有諸化佛，觀音、勢至侍立左右。又見水流光明分十四支，一一支水流注上下，自能演說苦、空、無常、無我妙法，如《十六觀經》所說。佛告遠曰：「我以本願力故來安慰，汝後七日當生我國。」見僧佛馱耶舍及慧持及曇順在佛之側，向前揖遠曰：「法師之志在吾先，何來之遲也？」遠目見分明，乃與其徒言之，且曰：「始吾居此十一年，幸於淨土三覩聖相。今復見之，吾生淨土決矣。」次日寢疾，至七日卒。遠少年博覽經史，尤通莊老，因往太行山聽道安法師講《般若經》，豁然開悟，乃曰：「九流異議，皆糠粕耳。」因削髮事之。後至廬山，凡三十年不出，卒年八十二。

The monk Huiyuan was a native of Yanmen. He resided at Mount Lu, forming a Lotus Society to cultivate the Pure Land together with one hundred and twenty-three people, both monastics and laymen, including Liu Yimin, aspiring to entrust their birth into lotus flowers on a future day. Yuan stilled his mind and practiced contemplation; in the first eleven years, he saw sacred manifestations three times, but being deep and reserved, Yuan did not speak of it. Nineteen years later, on the evening of the last day of the seventh month, Yuan saw Amitābha Buddha face to face, his body filling empty space, with various transformation Buddhas within the round halo, and Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta standing in attendance on his left and right. He also saw flowing water of radiant light dividing into fourteen streams, each stream flowing up and down, naturally able to proclaim the wondrous Dharma of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self, just as explained in the Sūtra of the Sixteen Contemplations. The Buddha told Yuan: 'Because of the power of my fundamental vow, I have come to comfort you; after seven days you shall be born in my land.' He saw the monks Buddhayasās, Huichi, and Tanshūn beside the Buddha, who stepped forward, bowed to Yuan, and said: 'The Dharma Master's aspiration preceded ours; why do you arrive so late?' Yuan saw them clearly with his own eyes, so he spoke of it to his disciples, saying: 'When I first dwelt here for eleven years, I fortunately saw the sacred manifestations three times in the Pure Land. Now seeing them again, my rebirth in the Pure Land is certain.' The next day he fell ill, and on the seventh day he died. In his youth, Yuan was widely read in the classics and histories, and was especially versed in Zhuangzi and Laozi. When he went to Mount Taihang and heard Dharma Master Dao'an lecturing on the Prajñā-sūtra, he was suddenly enlightened, and said: 'The diverse doctrines of the nine schools are mere chaff and husks.' He then shaved his hair and served him. Later he arrived at Mount Lu and did not leave for thirty years. He died at the age of eighty-two.