龍舒增廣淨土文 7.6

7.6

Chan Master Wuzu [Jie] was the previous incarnation of Dongpo, with many verified signs. Because of his cultivation in past lives, in this life he had intelligence surpassing others. Because the habitual energies of the five poisons were not yet eliminated, in this life he suffered unexpected banishment mostly on account of his poetic lines; this too was a great mistake. If in his past life as a monk he had practiced Chan while also cultivating the Western [path], he would surely have been born directly into the Pure Land and achieved great merit and great wisdom; why would he have come to this world to suffer so many afflictions? I have heard that when Dongpo traveled south, he carried only a single hanging scroll of Amitābha Buddha. When someone asked the reason, he answered: "This is Shi's official passport for birth in the Western [Pure Land]." If it was indeed like this, then Dongpo only at this point achieved the right strategy. This was also because his long-planted wholesome roots and surpassing clarity and comprehension allowed him to awaken to this principle. I have also heard that Luzhi was in a past life a woman who recited the Lotus Sūtra. Because of the merit of reciting the sūtra, in this life he was intelligent and held official rank; this is coming along with karmic conditions. If he had been born in the Western [Pure Land], how could it have been merely like this?