神僧傳 7.36

7.36

Śramaṇa Huaiyu, surnamed Gao, was a native of Danqiu. He held strictly to the Vinaya rules, his reputation and integrity being unbending. He took one meal a day and sat constantly without lying down, allowing fleas and lice to multiply freely, and wore only a single cloth robe. Practicing the rite of repentance, he made it his daily task to recite the name of the Buddha Amitābha fifty thousand times and recited the Amitābha Sūtra three hundred thousand times in all. One day, he suddenly saw holy images of the Western Realm as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. There was a person holding up a white silver platform who entered through the window. Huaiyu said, "I should attain a golden platform." The silver platform then retreated and went out. Huaiyu redoubled the devotion of his mind. Later, a voice from the sky announced, "Above your head there is already an aura of light. Please cross your legs and form the Amitābha Buddha mudrā." At that time, Buddha-light filled the room. Huaiyu signaled people with his hand to step back, saying, "Do not disturb this radiance." Several days later, a white curl of light (ūrṇā) appeared again, and holy beings filled the sky. Huaiyu said, "When an extraordinary fragrance is smelled, my karmic retribution in this life will be ended." In an instant, a fragrance filled the sky and the oceanic assembly pervaded everywhere; he saw Amitābha Buddha, Avalokiteśvara, and Mahāsthāmaprāpta, their bodies golden, riding together upon a vajra platform to welcome him. Huaiyu smiled and passed away.