佛祖統紀 49.21

49.21

Tens of thousands of li to the west of the Central Realm, there is a country named Shendu (according to the pronunciation in the *Book of Han*, it is Gandu, namely Tianzhu), the place where Śākyamuni Tathāgata manifested himself. That Buddha said: 'To the west, passing through a hundred thousand koṭis of Buddha lands, there is a world named Ultimate Bliss. The Buddha's title is Amitāyus. That land has neither the three poisons nor the eight difficulties, and myriad jewels serve as its adornments. Its people have neither the ten fetters nor the nine afflictions, and the host of sages serve as their companions. If there are those who can with a sincere mind and great vows turn their hearts to this land, and if their power of mindfulness is complete, they will be reborn in that land. Afterward, they will step outside the Three Realms, and in the Buddha's Way they will be non-retrogressing.' These words are not deceptive. During the Jin dynasty, Dharma Master Huiyuan of Mount Lu composed poems on the Mindfulness of the Buddha Samādhi, greatly exhorting the people of the time. Thereafter, the Great Master of Tiantai composed the *Treatise Explaining the Ten Doubts Concerning the Pure Land*, extensively proclaiming his teaching; thorough, subtle, and profound, all the confused relied upon it. Indeed, those who left extraordinary traces and departed were very numerous. At Longxing Monastery in Yongzhou, former Prefect Li Chengzhi (pronounced *zhì*, meaning great) and the monk Falin established a Pure Land Hall on the eastern side of the monastery, regularly venerating this practice. Down to the present, more than thirty years have passed; its corners have deteriorated and the painted images have collapsed. It happened that Superior Xun resided beneath its roof (in Liu's collection: 'I studied under Chongxun of Lingling, seeking his Way for thirty years, and I alone attained something from him'), and then began to restore it. The Superior cultivates the Supreme Vehicle and understands the ultimate truth; without traces of substantializing emptiness or analyzing matter, he arrives at the genuine source. Comprehending the designations of provisional existence and borrowed non-existence, he enters into the real mark. Object and wisdom merge; phenomena and principle combine. Therefore, although it is a cause for rebirth, he does not abandon characteristics and functions. He vowed to repair this building to open the way for later students. A faithful layman painted an image of the Buddha, and the Dharma marks were very complete. Now the Prefect, Lord Feng, has built a grand gate to indicate its position. I then extended the four eaves all around, encircled them with corridors, and had the images of the Two Mahāsattvas painted, completing it with silken canopies, banners, and streamers. Ah! If there are those who can seek the birth of non-birth, they should know that the raft exists in this. Thereupon, the Tiantai *Ten Doubts Treatise* was inscribed upon the walls and buildings, causing those who view it to give rise to faith.