龍舒增廣淨土文 5.58

5.58

元祐間，荊王夫人與婢妾精修西方。唯一妾懈怠，夫人斥去。其妾悔悟精進，久之謂他妾云：「吾今夜當生西方。」是夜異香滿室，無疾而終。明日同事之妾告夫人云：「昨夜夢化去之妾，託致起居云：『夫人訓責我修西方，今已獲往生，感德無量。』」夫人：「使我亦夢，乃可信耳。」其夜，夫人夢見亡妾，敘謝如前。夫人云：「西方可到否？」妾云：「可到。但從妾行。」夫人隨之，見池塘廣大，紅白蓮華大小相間，或榮或悴種種不同。夫人問云：「何以如此？」妾云：「此皆世間發念修西方人也。纔發一念，池內便生蓮華一朵。若願心精進，則華日日敷榮，以至大如車輪。若願心退轉，則華日日萎悴，以至殞滅。」次見一人坐蓮華上，其衣飄揚散去，寶冠瓔珞莊嚴其身。夫人問云：「何人也？」妾云：「楊傑也。」又見一人坐於華上，妾云：「此馬玕也。」夫人：「我當生何處？」妾引行數里許，遙望見一金壇，金碧照曜。妾云：「此夫人化生處，乃上品上生也。」夫人既覺，訪問楊、馬所在，則傑已亡，而玕無恙。是知精進不退者，雖身在娑婆之內，其神識已在淨土矣。後夫人於生日秉爐焚香，望觀音閣而立，子孫方具獻壽之儀，已立化矣。

During the Yuanyou era, the wife of the Prince of Jing, together with her maidservants and concubines, diligently cultivated for the Western Direction. Only one concubine was lax and lazy, and the lady rebuked and dismissed her. The concubine felt remorse, awoke to her fault, and practiced diligently. After some time, she said to another concubine: "Tonight I should be reborn in the Western Direction." That night, a wondrous fragrance filled the room, and she died without illness. The next day, the concubine who had practiced with her told the lady: "Last night I dreamed of the deceased concubine, who entrusted me to convey her greetings, saying: 'The lady instructed and rebuked me to cultivate for the Western Direction; now I have attained rebirth, and my gratitude for her virtue is boundless.'" The lady said: "Only if I too dream of it can it be believed." That night, the lady dreamed of seeing the deceased concubine, who expressed her thanks as before. The lady asked: "Can the Western Direction be reached?" The concubine said: "It can be reached. Just follow me." The lady followed her and saw an expansive pond, with red and white lotuses intermingled, large and small, some blooming and some withering, of various kinds. The lady asked: "Why is it like this?" The concubine said: "These are all people in the world who have given rise to the thought to cultivate for the Western Direction. The moment a single thought is given rise to, a lotus flower is born in the pond. If the mind of vow is diligent, the flower flourishes day by day, even becoming as large as a chariot wheel. If the mind of vow retrogresses, the flower withers day by day, even perishing entirely." Next, she saw a person sitting on a lotus flower, his garments billowing and scattering, adorned with a jeweled crown and necklace. The lady asked: "Who is that?" The concubine said: "Yang Jie." She also saw another person sitting upon a flower; the concubine said: "This is Ma Gan." The lady asked: "Where should I be reborn?" The concubine led her on for several li, and in the distance she saw a golden terrace, gleaming with gold and emerald. The concubine said: "This is where the lady will be transformationally born; it is rebirth of the highest grade of the highest class." After the lady awoke, she inquired after the whereabouts of Yang and Ma; Jie had already died, while Gan was alive and well. From this one knows that for those who are diligent and non-retrogressing, though their bodies are within the Sahā world, their conscious spirit is already in the Pure Land. Later, on her birthday, the lady held an incense burner and burned incense, standing and facing the Avalokiteśvara Pavilion. Just as her children and grandchildren were preparing the ritual offerings for her longevity, she passed away standing up.