廬山蓮宗寶鑑 4.45

4.45

師縉雲仙都人，母羅氏，游鼎湖峯，得玉女捧青蓮花授之，且曰：「此華吉祥，授之於汝，當生貴子。」及生康日，青光滿室香似芙蕖。年十有五，誦《法華》、《楞嚴》等經五部。尋往越，學究毘尼，及聽《華嚴》、《瑜珈》諸論。貞元初至洛下白馬寺，見殿內文字累放光明。康不能測，即探而取之，乃善導昔為西方化導文也。康曰：「若於淨土有緣，當使此文光明再發。」此願未已，果重閃爍。康曰：「劫石可移，而我之願無易也。」遂之長安善導影堂大陳薦獻，倏見善導現於空中謂康曰：「汝依吾教利樂有情，則汝之功當生安養。」康聞如有所證。南適江陵果願寺，路逢一僧曰：「汝欲化人念佛，當往新定。」言訖而隱。洎到睦州，人未從化，康乃乞錢誘引小兒曰：「能念阿彌陀佛一聲，與汝一錢。」小兒務得其錢，念佛者眾，師曰：「念佛十聲乃與一錢。」如是一年，大小貴賤凡見康者則曰阿彌陀佛，於是念佛之人盈溢道路。貞元十年，康於烏龍山建淨土道場，築壇三級聚人。午夜行道入道場，時康自陞座，令男女弟子面西高聲念阿彌陀佛。眾見師念佛一聲，佛從口出，連念十聲若聯珠狀。康曰：「汝等見佛不？如見佛者決生淨土。」其禮佛人亦有不見佛者。貞元二十一年十月三日囑累道俗：「當於安養起增進心、於閻浮提生厭離想，此時見佛，真我弟子。」言訖，放異光數道奄然而逝，塔於臺子巖。天自德韶禪師重新之，後之人多指其塔為善導焉。

The master was a native of Xiandu in Jinyun. His mother, Lady Luo, visited Dinghu Peak and was given a blue lotus flower handed to her by a jade maiden, who said, "This flower is auspicious; I confer it upon you, and you shall give birth to an honorable son." When Shaokang was born, blue light filled the chamber and a fragrance was like that of a lotus. At fifteen, he recited five sūtras, including the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka and the Śūraṅgama. Soon after, he traveled to Yue, where he thoroughly investigated the vinaya and listened to various treatises on the Avataṃsaka and Yogācāra. In the early Zhenyuan era, he arrived at Baima Temple in Luoyang and saw that texts in the hall repeatedly emitted radiance. Shaokang could not fathom it, so he reached out and took them; they were Shan-dao's past texts for transforming people toward the Western Direction. Shaokang said, "If I have an affinity with the Pure Land, let this text emit radiance once more." Before this vow was ended, it indeed flared again. Shaokang said, "The kalpa-stone may be moved, but my vow shall never change." He then went to Shan-dao's portrait hall in Chang'an and laid out vast offerings. Suddenly he saw Shan-dao appear in midair and say to Shaokang, "If you rely on my teaching to benefit and gladden sentient beings, your merit shall ensure your rebirth in Sukhāvatī." Hearing this, Shaokang felt as if he had attained realization. Traveling south to Guoyuan Temple in Jiangling, he met a monk on the road who said, "If you wish to convert people to practice buddhānusmṛti, you should go to Xinding." Having spoken, the monk vanished. Upon arriving in Muzhou, the people were not yet converted, so Shaokang begged for coins and enticed young children, saying, "If you can recite the name of Amitābha Buddha once, I will give you one coin." The children strove to obtain the coins, and those practicing buddhānusmṛti became numerous. The master then said, "Only if you recite the Buddha's name ten times will I give you one coin." In this way, after one year, whether old or young, noble or base, whenever they saw Shaokang they said, "Amitābha Buddha." Thereupon, people reciting the Buddha's name overflowed the roads. In the tenth year of Zhenyuan, Shaokang established a Pure Land site of practice on Mount Wulong, building a three-tiered altar to assemble the people. At midnight, as they circumambulated and entered the site of practice, Shaokang himself ascended the seat and ordered the male and female disciples to face west and recite Amitābha Buddha in a loud voice. The assembly saw that each time the master recited the Buddha's name once, a buddha emerged from his mouth; when he recited ten times consecutively, they were like a string of pearls. Shaokang said, "Do you see the buddhas or not? If you see the buddhas, you will definitely be reborn in the Pure Land." Among those paying homage to the Buddha, there were also some who did not see the buddhas. On the third day of the tenth month in the twenty-first year of Zhenyuan, he gave his final instructions to the monastics and laity: "You must arouse a mind of progress toward Sukhāvatī and generate thoughts of revulsion and renunciation toward Jambudvīpa. If you see the Buddha at this time, you are truly my disciples." Having spoken, he emitted several rays of extraordinary light and passed away peacefully. His stūpa was erected at Taiziyan. Chan Master Tianzong Deshao later renovated it; people of later times often referred to his stūpa as that of Shan-dao.