佛祖統紀 28.22

28.22

Zhongli Jingrong was the seventh son of the Junior Tutor. His post was Grand Master for Court Audiences. He constantly recited the Contemplation Sūtra and recited the Buddha’s name without cease. He hung up his cap, abandoned his official career, and built a thatched hut next to the Eastern Garden in Yizhen. He once said: “If you recognize Amitābha, / It is Amitābha, Amitābha! / If you do not recognize Amitābha, / What can you do, what can you do? / If you do not recognize Amitābha, / Amitābha is outside in the west. / If you recognize Amitābha, / Amitābha is right in your own home.” One evening, he instructed the monk Miaoying to recite the Samantabhadra's Vows Chapter. Lighting incense and listening reverently, when it was finished, he formed a mudrā with both hands and passed away. From Lady Ren down to the Junior Tutor and the Grand Master, three generations attained rebirth in the Pure Land. His great-grandson Song lived in Wu. During the Qiandao era, while managing an ancestral shrine in Wu Commandery, he formed an association to recite the Buddha’s name together with Master Shi of Baoji, Lü Ji of Dongping, and others. Free of any illness, he suddenly sat upright facing west, joined his palms, and passed away.