English (machine translation)

Language: English
Extent: 109 passages, 7,480 words
Text: complete digital text
Source: pramana-mt · Machine translation by Gemini 3.8 Flash (2026-10-21) of in.bauddha.taisho.2070 · Machine output without human authorship: no copyright is claimed (CC0 1.0). The original text keeps its own…

1 — 109 parts

Text

1.1

The Buddhas give rise to compassion with many skillful means; only the single path of rebirth [in the Pure Land] easily accords with beings' capacities and conditions. Examining the sincere devotion of antiquity, one finds that all obtained spiritual responses through auspicious events. Thus the śramaṇa Wenren and the son of Śākya Shaokang highlighted the authentic and recorded the wondrous from within the Rebirth Treatise and the Biographies of Eminent Monks, proving the conditions under which single-minded devotion evokes a response, and revealing the inconceivable function of the Buddha's power. Consequently, from ancient times to the present, [this practice] has not fallen into decline, and monastics and laity turn their hearts to it, carrying forward the profound tradition and reviving the flourishing tradition once more. This causes practitioners who have generated the aspiration to become firm and free of doubt, and provides a path to rely upon for those who have not yet aroused faith. Thus this preface is briefly set forth.

1.2

Dharma Master Huiyuan, the First

1.3

Dharma Master Huiyuan, a monk of the Eastern Jin dynasty, was a native of Yanmen. He chose to reside on Mount Lu for over thirty years; his shadow never left the mountain, and his footsteps never entered worldly affairs. In seeing off guests, the Tiger Brook served as his boundary. Although widely versed in the various canonical treatises, he especially propagated the Western Pure Land. Beneath the crags he built a Pure Land Hall, where he performed prostrations and kṣamā morning and evening. The courtier Xie Lingyun, the lofty recluse Liu Yimin, and others all abandoned worldly honor and cultivated the Pure Land together with him. There were one hundred and twenty-three lay believers in all. Before the image of Amitāyus, they established a vegetarian feast and took vows. Yimin composed an essay of praise and eulogy, which moved an immortal to ride a cloud and listen to the discourse, or at times clear chanting resounded, carrying on the long breeze. On the sixth day of the eighth month in the twelfth year of the Yixi reign era, the noble assembly welcomed him from afar; after bestowing his final instructions at the point of death, the Dharma Master passed away lying on his right side, at the age of eighty-three.

1.4

Dharma Master Tanluan, the Second

1.5

Dharma Master Tanluan of the Qi dynasty lived near Mount Wutai and had a penetrating understanding of the various teachings. Because he had obtained ten fascicles of Daoist immortal scriptures from this land, he wished to visit the Hermit Tao to learn the arts of immortality. Later, encountering a Tripiṭaka Bodhisattva, he asked, "Is there in the Buddha's Dharma a method of longevity and immortality superior to the immortal scriptures of this land?" The Tripiṭaka [Master] spat on the ground and said in astonishment, "Where in this region is there a method of longevity and immortality? Even if one gains an extension of life, when one's years are exhausted one must still fall!" He then handed the Guan Wuliangshou jing to Tanluan, saying, "This is the prescription of the Great Immortal. Practice according to it, and you will forever attain liberation and permanently leave birth and death." Tanluan immediately called for fire and burned the immortal scriptures. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, he saw an Indian monk enter his room, who said to Tanluan, "I am Nāgārjuna Bodhisattva." He then spoke a verse: / "Fallen leaves cannot attach again to the branch; / Grain of the future cannot be sought in the granary. / A white colt passing a crevice cannot be halted even briefly; / What is already gone cannot return, and what has not yet come cannot be pursued. / Where is the present? The white colt is difficult to turn back." / The Dharma Master then knew his life had ended. Gathering over three hundred disciples, he personally held an incense burner, faced west, instructed his followers, and exhorted them to venerate the Western Pure Land. At sunrise, they chanted buddhamanasikāra in unison, and he thereupon passed away. Five li to the west of the temple was a convent, where music in the air was heard coming from the west and going east, and after a moment was heard coming from the east and going west.

1.6

Dhyāna Master Daozhen, the Third

1.7

Dhyāna Master Daozhen of the Liang dynasty practiced buddhamanasikāra on Mount Lu. While performing water contemplation, he dreamed of seeing water, on which a hundred people were aboard a boat intending to go to the Western Pure Land. He asked to board, but the people on the boat would not allow it. Daozhen said, "I have cultivated the karma for the Western Pure Land all my life; why will you not allow it?" A person on the boat said, "Your karma is not yet complete: you have not yet recited the Amitābha Sūtra, nor have you constructed a bathhouse." Thereupon the people on the boat set out all at once. Since Daozhen could not go, he wept and awoke. He then recited the sūtra and provided baths for monks. After a long time, he dreamed again: a person riding a silver tower raised his hand and said, "Dhyāna Master Zhen, your karma is now complete; direct your mind well. I have come purposely to inform you: you are certain to be reborn in the Western Pure Land." On the night of his death, several thousand torches seemed to be lined up on the mountain peak, and a miraculous fragrance filled the temple. Afterward, his post-mortem record written while alive was found in a sūtra box; before his death, he had not spoken of it to anyone at all.

1.8

Monk Sengya, the Fourth

1.9

Monk Sengya of the Northern Zhou dynasty lived at Duobao Temple in Yizhou. By nature he spoke little and did not engage in playful diversions. He spent entire days roaming the mountains and forests. When people asked why, he replied, "People are abominable; I am only contemplating this." To the west of the city, he burned the five fingers of his left hand. Monastics and laity by the millions thronged around him and wept. The Master said, "Only uphold the bodhisattva mind; do not weep for me." People asked if it hurt, and he replied, "Since the mind has no pain, how could the fingers hurt?" When the fire burned the palm of his hand, his bone marrow bubbled up. People asked the reason for this, and he replied, "Because sentient beings cannot practice forbearance, I now see that those who cannot bear it must bear it, and what cannot be burned must be burned." He also addressed the assembly, saying, "In the final kalpa, people are disrespectful, deceitful, and shallow; seeing a Buddha image, they regard it as mere dead wood, and hearing a sūtra, it is like the wind blowing past a horse's ear. Burning my hands and destroying my body, I wish to make them have faith in and revere the Buddha's Dharma." He said to his disciples, "After my parinirvāṇa, provide well for the sick, the ugly, and animals. Most of these kinds of beings are skillful manifestations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Unless one has a great mind of equality, how could one show universal reverence?" Later, someone saw heavenly flowers, and Sengya—wearing a patchwork robe and holding a khakkhara—ascending into the sky with six hundred monks and disappearing into the west.

1.10

Dhyāna Master Huiming, the Fifth

1.11

Dhyāna Master Huiming of the Northern Zhou dynasty was a native of Taiyuan. He was a Dharma friend of Dhyāna Master Si of Nanyue, and they practiced the vaipulya repentance together. Looking at each other beneath the pines, they wept and said, "At these two places, we may end our days." Within ten days, illness pressed upon him; sitting in the full lotus posture and facing west, he called out, "The Buddha has come!" He joined his palms and passed away. Both were eighty-three years old. People of the time dreamed of seeing devas with banners and pennants, calling out, "Sadhu!" as they came to welcome the two masters away.

1.12

Dhyāna Master Jing'ai, the Sixth

1.13

When Dhyāna Master Jing'ai of the Northern Zhou dynasty was a layman, he entered a temple, saw depictions of the hells, and said to his peers, "If karmic effects are truly like this, who can escape such suffering?" He thereupon informed his mother and went forth from home. He always lived in the forests and wilderness. The monastic assembly asked, "Master, you should abide in the world to receive and transform beings; why waste your virtue among the forests and springs?" Jing'ai said, "The Way values practical application; it does not depend on others. Observing the times for advancement and retreat, I shall just remain in seclusion for now." When Emperor Wu of the Zhou suppressed the Buddha's Dharma, Jing'ai lamented having no power to protect the Dharma. He told his disciples, "I am of no benefit to the world; I should abandon my own body." Sitting cross-legged on a flat rock, he took off his patchwork robe, cut up his robes, and arranged his hands and feet in sections upon the rock. He pulled out his intestines and stomach and hung them on tree branches; then, using a knife to cut out his heart, he held it in his hands and died. His farewell letter said: "May all who have karmic affinity not give rise to regression within the Buddha's Dharma, but surely support good benefits. I abandon this body and life for three reasons: first, seeing my own many faults; second, inability to protect the Dharma; third, the desire to see the Buddha quickly." He then composed a verse: / "May all sentient beings, / Hearing of my abandoning the body, / Accomplish divyā śrotra, / And attain ultimate bodhi. / This body is foul to the bottom, / A bag of descending feces; / Flowing from its nine apertures, / Like a dyke overflowing. / Abandoning this body's filthy form, / I vow to be reborn in the Pure Land; / With a single thought the flower opens, / In the presence of Amitābha Buddha."

1.14

Dhyāna Master Zhiyi, the Seventh

1.15

Dhyāna Master Zhiyi of Mount Tiantai during the Sui dynasty was a native of Yingchuan. During the Chen dynasty, while lecturing on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra, he suddenly saw three flights of jeweled stairs descend from empty space, and several dozen Indian monks holding incense burners entered the hall and circumambulated Zhiyi three times. Zhiyi thereupon declared, "Throughout my life, I have sat facing west, practicing buddhamanasikāra toward Amitābha, Mahāprajñā, Avalokiteśvara, and Mahāsthāmaprāpta; the awesome spiritual power [of the Dharma] does not exceed this. I have often petitioned Avalokiteśvara in kṣamā. Since contracting this illness, my thought of the Western Pure Land has grown ever more earnest; I should follow and go." When someone brought medicine, he replied, "Illness does not unite with the body; age does not unite with the mind. How could medicine dispel illness? In life I was burdened by this poisonous vessel; in death I am released and return to rest. Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta have now come to welcome me." He ordered the title of the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra to be recited, praising it: "Father and mother of the Dharma gate, / From which wisdom and understanding arise; / Subtle, wondrous, and hard to fathom, / It terminates on this day." He also had the Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra recited, praising it: "The forty-eight vows / Adorn the Pure Land; / Flower ponds and jeweled trees, / It is easy to reach, yet few people go." He further instructed the karmadāna, saying, "At the point of death, hearing the bell increases one's right mindfulness. Let everyone remain silent; I am about to depart." When he finished speaking, he passed away at the age of sixty. On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month in the seventeenth year of the Kaihuang reign era, he passed away. He had constructed forty-five temples, ordained four thousand monks, copied fifteen sets of the tripiṭaka, and made over one hundred thousand gold, silver, and sandalwood images. He was the Great Master Zhizhe Fakong.

1.16

Monk Daoyu, the Eighth

1.17

During the Sui dynasty, the monk Daoyu practiced buddhamanasikāra toward Amitābha at Kaijue Temple, and made a sandalwood image three inches tall. Later, Daoyu suddenly died, but revived after seven days, saying, "At first, I saw a worthy person attain rebirth and reach the edge of the jeweled pond. The worthy person circumambulated a flower three times, and the flower immediately opened; he then entered and sat within it. When I circumambulated a flower three times, the flower did not open for me. I pushed the flower open with my hand, and the flower immediately withered and fell. Amitābha Buddha told me, 'Return to that land for now, repent all your offenses, bathe in fragrant water, and when the morning star appears, I will come to welcome you. Why did you make my image so small?' I addressed him, saying, 'If the mind is large, it is large; if the mind is small, it is small.' When I finished speaking, the image pervaded empty space." He then bathed in fragrant water according to the instruction, single-mindedly practiced repentance, and said to the assembly, "Recite buddhamanasikāra for me." When the morning star appeared, an emanation Buddha came to welcome him; the assembly all saw the light and heard [celestial sounds], and he thereupon ended his life. It was the eighth year of the Kaihuang reign era.

1.18

Dharma Master Deng, the Ninth

1.19

Dharma Master Deng of the Sui dynasty lectured on the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra at Xingguo Temple in Bingzhou. Monastics and laity came to listen, both old and young, and he orally transmitted to them the name of Amitābha Buddha, exhorting them to be reborn together [there]. In the twelfth year of the Kaihuang reign era, a miraculous fragrance came to welcome him; on the day of his funeral, fragrant clouds covered all the villages.

1.20

Dharma Master Hong, the Tenth

1.21

Dharma Master Hong of the Sui dynasty was a native of Bingzhou. Throughout his life he was diligent, never holding money or jewels, constantly contemplating the Western Pure Land and looking forward to Amitābha Buddha. At the point of death, he saw boys and girls from Tuṣita Heaven coming to welcome him. The Dharma Master said, "I aspire to the Western Pure Land; I will not be born in heaven." He instructed his disciples to recite buddhamanasikāra, and said with his own mouth, "The Buddha of the Western Pure Land has come to welcome me." With these words his life ended, in the fourth year of the Renshou reign era.

1.22

Dhyāna Master Daochuo, the Eleventh

1.23

Dhyāna Master Daochuo of the Tang dynasty was a native of Bingzhou. At Xuanzhong Temple, he lectured on the Guan Wuliangshou jing two hundred times. Through samādhi, even seven-year-olds all understood buddhamanasikāra. He personally strung counting beads to encourage people to practice buddhamanasikāra. In his speech he was always smiling, and he never turned his back to the west. He said to Shandao, "I fear that I, Daochuo, will not attain rebirth. Would the Master enter samādhi on my behalf to ask the Buddha whether I can?" Shandao entered samādhi, saw the Buddha over a hundred feet tall, and said, "Daochuo is now cultivating the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi; not knowing whether upon abandoning this retributive body he can attain rebirth, he also asks: in what year and month will he attain rebirth?" The Buddha answered, "In felling a tree, axe blows must fall continuously; do not converse with those without affinity; in returning home, do not complain of hardship." He also had Daochuo practice repentance: first, for placing scriptures and images in a shallow, exposed place while living himself in a secure, comfortable room—he must repent before the monks of the ten directions; second, for employing monks when performing meritorious deeds—he must repent before the sangha of the ten directions; third, for injuring and harming sentient beings during construction—he must repent before sentient beings. He also asked, "At the time of his death, what auspicious sign will there be for people to see and hear?" The Buddha answered, "On the day of his death, I will emit an ūrṇā radiance that shines far to the east; when this light appears, he will come to be born in my land." When the day of his death arrived, three rays of light from the ūrṇā indeed shone into his room. He also saw the light of Dharma Master Tanluan, who spoke from within the pond of seven jewels, saying, "Your Pure Land is already achieved; your remaining karmic retribution is not yet exhausted." Purple clouds appeared three times above the region.

1.24

Dhyāna Master Shandao, the Twelfth

1.25

Dhyāna Master Shandao of the Tang dynasty had the surname Zhu and was a native of Sizhou. He left home while young. Seeing at that time a tableau of the Western Pure Land, he sighed and said, “When shall I entrust my form to a lotus pedestal and rest my spirit in the Pure Land?” When he received the full precepts, he examined the Guan Wuliangshou jing together with Vinaya Master Miaokai. Overjoyed, they sighed in agreement and said, “Practicing other conduct and karmic practices is circuitous, deviated, and difficult to accomplish; only this gate of contemplation certainly transcends birth and death.” He then went to the place of Dhyāna Master Daochuo and asked, “Does buddhamanasikāra truly result in rebirth?” The master said, “Let each identify one lotus flower and circumambulate the path for seven days; if it does not wither, you will attain rebirth.” Furthermore, Dharma Master Ying of the Eastern Capital had lectured on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra forty times. Entering Dhyāna Master Daochuo’s bodhimanda and wandering in samādhi, he sighed and said, “I lament that for many years I vainly searched through commentaries, merely toiling body and mind. How could I have expected that buddhamanasikāra would be inconceivable?” The Dhyāna Master said, “The sūtras contain sincere words; how could the Buddha speak falsely?” The Dhyāna Master Shandao always took delight in begging for food throughout his life. He would constantly reproach himself, saying, “Even Śākyamuni practiced piṇḍapāta; what sort of man is Shandao to sit upright and demand offerings?” Even from śrāmaṇeras he would not accept prostrations. He copied ten myriad fascicles of the Amitābha Sūtra and painted two hundred tableaux of the Pure Land. Whatever stūpas and monasteries he saw, he never failed to repair them. Since the Buddha's Dharma traveled east, none have flourished like this Dhyāna Master.

1.26

Dharma Master Xuan, the Thirteenth

1.27

Dharma Master Xuan of the Tang dynasty was a native of Bingzhou. Encountering Dhyāna Master Daochuo lecturing on the Guan Wuliangshou jing, he only then changed his mind. For five years he practiced buddhamanasikāra exclusively. In a single day and night he would make one thousand prostrations and practice buddhamanasikāra seventy thousand times. Fearing the end of his lifespan, he redoubled his vigor. In a dream he saw Śākyamuni Buddha and Mañjuśrī praising the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra. He also dreamt of three paths leading west: the first path had only laypeople; on the second path, monastics and laity were mixed together; on the third path, there were only monks. A voice said, “These are all people attaining rebirth.”

1.28

Dhyāna Master An, the Fourteenth

1.29

Dhyāna Master An of the Tang dynasty was a native of Bingzhou. He cultivated the practice of rebirth and constantly performed the vaipulya repentance. When his end was near, the two bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta appeared in the sky. He summoned painters, but none were able to paint them. Suddenly, moved by his devotion, two men arrived, saying, “We have come from the Western Capital and wish to go to Mount Tai.” Thereupon they finished painting them, and once they departed, left no trace. The master said to his disciples, “Who can follow me to go to the west?” The youngest boy said, “I wish to follow you.” Thereupon he entered the bodhimanda, sat upright, and died, at the age of eighty. On the seventh day of the first month in the first year of Chuigong, he passed away.

1.30

Dhyāna Master Daxing, the Fifteenth

1.31

Dhyāna Master Daxing was a native of Qizhou. He entered Mount Tai, wore grass garments, ate from trees, and sought the Lotus Samādhi. Moved by this, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva manifested his body and taught the master to practice buddhamanasikāra on Amitābha Buddha. After three seven-day periods, when the night was near its midpoint, he suddenly saw lapis lazuli ground, and his mind’s eye clearly saw the Buddhas of the ten directions. Later he fell ill, rested on his right side, and died. After the burial, a miraculous fragrance lingered from the inner and outer coffins for several days without dispersing. His appearance was just as when alive, not differing at all.

1.32

Dhyāna Master Zang, the Sixteenth

1.33

Dhyāna Master Zang was a native of Fenzhou. Leaving through the gate, he prostrated at stūpas and monasteries everywhere. He did not accept prostrations from laity or monastics, and beforehand restrained his mind to stop the six thieves. With single-minded awakening, he committed no error. Whenever handling monastic affairs, he substituted for the servants. Seeing soiled robes, he would quietly collect, wash, and mend them. In the height of summer, he took off his clothes and entered the grass to feed the mosquitoes and gnats. On the day his life ended, various devas came in succession to invite him, but he did not go. Only when the emanation Buddha of the Pure Land came to welcome him did he depart.

1.34

Dharma Master Gan, the Seventeenth

1.35

Dharma Master Gan lived at Qianfu Monastery in Chang'an. He was broadly versed in the scriptures, but did not believe in buddhamanasikāra. He asked the preceptor Shandao, “What kind of gate is this matter of buddhamanasikāra?” Shandao answered, “If you can exclusively practice buddhamanasikāra, you will naturally attain your own realization.” He asked again, “Can one actually see the Buddha?” The master said, “How could the Buddha’s words be doubted?” Thereupon he entered the bodhimanda for three seven-day periods without any response. Resenting that his sins were profound, he ceased eating to end his life. The master stopped him and did not permit it. For three years he was single-minded in purpose, and finally attained the sight of the Buddha's golden color and jade ūrṇā, realizing samādhi. Thereupon he composed the seven-fascicle Rebirth Treatise Resolving Doubts. At the end of his life, the Buddha welcomed him; joining his palms, he [saw the Buddha] come from the west, or he passed away facing west.

1.36

Dhyāna Master Huaiyu, the Eighteenth

1.37

Dhyāna Master Huaiyu had the surname Gao and lived at Yongquan Monastery in Taizhou. Eating one meal a day, he would not eat domesticated crops nor wear silkworm silk. He constantly repented his karma over tens of thousands of times. He recited the Guan Wuliangshou jing three hundred thousand times. His daily quota was fifty thousand recitations of the Buddha’s name. He released fleas and lice, and constantly sat without lying down. On the ninth day of the sixth month in the sixth year of Tianbao, he saw the noble assembly of the Western Pure Land, as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. He saw a person holding a white silver pedestal enter directly facing the window. The Dhyāna Master said, “My cultivation warrants attaining a golden pedestal!” and immediately applied greater effort to buddhamanasikāra. A voice in the sky said that there was a circular halo above his crown, and light filled the sky. He said to his disciples, “Step back, do not touch the light.” When his end was near, the color of the light grew even more magnificent. Thereupon he spoke a verse, saying:

1.38

“Pure and radiant, without dust or defilement,
Transformative rebirth in a lotus flower serves as father and mother.
My cultivation has spanned ten kalpas;
I manifested in Jambudvīpa to endure myriad sins.
A single lifetime of ascetic practice surpasses ten kalpas;
Departing Sahā forever, I return to the Pure Land.”

1.39

Having spoken the verse, he saw a purple-gold pedestal, smiled, and died. His physical body remains present at Yongquan Monastery in Taizhou.

1.40

The Monk Fazhi, the Nineteenth

1.41

The monk Fazhi lived on Mount Tiantai and took buddhamanasikāra as his practice. By nature he was mostly coarse and hasty, unconstrained by vinaya deportment. People would constantly say to him, “Committing a duṣkṛta offense brings nine hundred years in hell.” Immediately upon hearing the sūtras state that a single invocation of Amitābha Buddha eradicates the grave sins of birth and death of eighty koṭis of kalpas, he believed it, and day and night practiced buddhamanasikāra at the Tuṣita Terrace of Guoqing Monastery. The people of the time did not believe him. Suddenly, he bid farewell everywhere to monastics and laity: “I wish to attain rebirth.” He had relatives and acquaintances arrange a single day's vegetarian feast. When the midpoint of the night arrived, he died without illness. A golden radiance illuminated several hundred li. Wild pheasants cried out in fright, and boatmen on the river thought that dawn had broken.

1.42

The Monk Dao'ang, the Twentieth

1.43

The monk Dao'ang was lecturing on the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra in Xiangzhou. Suddenly he saw heavenly music coming from the sky, announcing, “This is Tuṣita Heaven, therefore we have descended to welcome you.” Dao'ang said, “The heavenly realm is the root of birth and death; I have never desired it. That which I contemplate is only the Western Pure Land.” As soon as he finished speaking, he saw the celestial performers of the Western Pure Land circling and coming to welcome him. The message arrived that he could not linger long. When his words ended, the incense burner slipped from his hand, and he peacefully passed away while upright on the high seat.

1.44

The Monk Xiongjun, the Twenty-First

1.45

The monk Xiongjun had the surname Zhou and was a native of Chengdu. He was skilled in exposition but lacked precept conduct; the donations and benefits he received were used illicitly. Furthermore, he returned to lay life, entered an army camp, and slaughtered people. Fleeing hardship, he re-entered the saṅgha. During the Dali era, he saw King Yama judge that he should enter hell. Jun loudly said, “If Xiongjun enters hell, then the Buddhas of the three periods of time speak falsely!” The King said, “The Buddha has never spoken falsely.” Jun said, “For the lowest birth of the lowest grade in the Guan Wuliangshou jing, one who commits the five heinous sins can still attain rebirth through ten recitations at the end of life. Although Jun has committed sins, I did not commit the five heinous sins. If one counts my buddhamanasikāra, it is beyond number.” Having spoken these words, he attained rebirth in the Western Pure Land, departing mounted on a pedestal.

1.46

The Nun Fazang, the Twenty-Second

1.47

The nun Fazang of the Song dynasty lived at Jianfu Monastery in Jinling. Her dhyāna practice was lofty and far-reaching. She said to her fellow student Danjing, “I have conducted myself and practiced the Way with my aim set on the Western Pure Land.” Later, she suddenly contracted an illness. First she saw Amitābha Buddha along with the noble assemblies inquiring after Fazang’s illness. Radiance illuminated the entire monastery, and everyone saw it. She thereupon died.

1.48

The Nun Jingzhen, the Twenty-Third

1.49

The nun Jingzhen lived at Jishan Monastery in Chang'an. Wearing patched robes and begging for food, she spent her entire life without anger. She recited the Vajracchedikā Sūtra eighteen thousand times and exclusively concentrated on buddhamanasikāra. In the seventh month of the fifth year of Xianqing, she contracted an illness and said to her disciples, “Within five months, I have seen Amitābha Buddha ten times. Furthermore, twice I saw jewel lotus flower boys sporting in the Land of Bliss. In addition, a holy monk five times conferred the prediction upon me, saying, ‘You will become a Buddha.’ He also said, ‘I shall attain rebirth of the highest grade.’” She sat cross-legged and died. After passing the night, she revived and said to her disciples, “I have attained the bodhisattva stage. I traversed everywhere in the ten directions to make offerings to the Buddhas.” Having spoken these words, she died, and light illuminated the monastery.

1.50

The Nun Fasheng, the Twenty-Fourth

1.51

The nun Fasheng was a native of Wuxian. She progressed in the cultivation of dhyāna tranquility and took buddhamanasikāra as her practice. Instructing and guiding monastics and laity, she encouraged them all toward rebirth. When she contracted an illness, she knew on her own that she would not recover. Lying down, she saw a monk who announced, “This illness will not heal; you must exclusively practice buddhamanasikāra.” Furthermore, she saw two monks with their right shoulders bared, holding flowers and standing before her bed: “Radiance illuminates my body.” Having spoken these words, she died.

1.52

The Nun Wuxing, the Twenty-Fifth

1.53

The nun Wuxing was a native of Luoyang. In Hengzhou she encountered Ācārya Zhao and made a vow to practice buddhamanasikāra ten thousand times. In the sixth year of Dali, she entered Mount Tai and suddenly contracted an illness. Hearing music in the sky, the nun said, “I hear it. I have attained rebirth of the upper grade of the middle rank. I see those who practiced buddhamanasikāra together; all of them have lotus flowers in the Western Pure Land.” Her body had a golden radiance. At that time her age was twenty-four.

1.54

The Nun Daming, the Twenty-Sixth

1.55

The nun Daming was a native of Yanzhou. She encountered Dhyāna Master Daochuo lecturing on the Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra, who taught the practice of buddhamanasikāra. When the nun recited, she would first put on clean clothes, hold agarwood in her mouth, and recite her daily practice in a quiet room, continuing uninterrupted for three or four years. At the time of her end, the assembly beheld radiance, and from within smelled aloeswood fragrance arriving to welcome her. She died at this time.

1.56

Two Śrāmaṇeras, the Twenty-Seventh

1.57

Two śrāmaṇeras lived at Kaihua Monastery in Bingzhou. The younger śrāmaṇera said to the elder śrāmaṇera, “Brother, cultivate the Pure Land practice, how about it?” The śrāmaṇera rejoiced and shared his aspiration. After fifteen years, the elder one died first. Arriving in the Western Pure Land, he saw Amitābha Buddha and said, “I have a younger brother; can he be reborn here?” The Buddha said, “Because of him you gave rise to the aspiration; even you can be reborn, so why doubt him? Return to Jambudvīpa for now and diligently recite my name; after three years, both of you come see me.” He then revived and fully recounted the above events. In a later year, both śrāmaṇeras experienced the opening of the mind and purity of the eyes, and together saw bodhisattvas coming to welcome them. The earth then shook, heavenly flowers scattered in the sky, and both passed away at the same time, attaining rebirth according to their vows.

1.58

The Boy A-Tanyuan, the Twenty-Eighth

1.59

The boy was a person of the Song dynasty period. At the age of eighteen he upheld the bodhisattva precepts, served Dhyāna Master Han, and cultivated the practice for the Pure Land, constantly repenting before his master. At the fourth watch of the night, he suddenly recited aloud on his own. The master was startled and questioned him, and he answered, “I see the Buddha of yellow-golden color, with banners and flowers filling the sky, coming from the west.” Shortly thereafter he died, and a miraculous fragrance did not disperse for several days.

1.60

The Boy Wei Shizan, the Twenty-Ninth

1.61

The boy Wei Shizan, fourteen years of age, was a native of Yongzhou. He served Dhyāna Master Jing and generated the bodhicitta to practice buddhamanasikāra continuously day and night. In the third year of Yonghui, he encountered an illness and his life ended. Reviving, he addressed his mother, saying, “Amitābha Buddha can now be seen right here; your son is following to attain rebirth.” Having spoken these words, he died. Neighbors to the east and west saw five-colored radiance soaring into the clouds westward above the deceased's house.

1.62

The King of Udyāna, the Thirtieth

1.63

The King of Udyāna, in the leisure from the myriad affairs of state, said to his attendants, “Although I am the ruler of a state, I cannot escape impermanence. I have heard that one can rest one’s spirit in the Western Pure Land.” Day and night during the six periods, he practiced buddhamanasikāra, circumambulated the path, and performed music. Every day he invited one hundred monks, and the king and his consort personally served food with their own hands. For over thirty years he was dedicated and focused without slacking. Near the end of his life, his spirit and expression were calm and peaceful; the noble assembly of the Western Pure Land came to welcome him, with more than one auspicious sign.

1.64

The Empress of the Sui Dynasty, the Thirty-First

1.65

Although Emperor Wen of Sui’s Empress lived in the imperial palace, she deeply loathed the female body and recited [the name of] the Western Pure Land daily. When her end drew near, a miraculous fragrance filled the palace, arriving from the sky. Emperor Wen asked Jātisena, “What kind of auspicious sign is this?” [Jātisena replied,] “In the west there is a Buddha named Amitābha. The Empress’s karma is lofty, and her spirit is born in that land; therefore there is this auspicious sign.”

1.66

Liu Yimin of the Jin Dynasty, the Thirty-Second

1.67

Liu Yimin of the Jin dynasty was magistrate of the two counties of Chaisang. He relied on Great Master [Hui]yuan to cultivate the Way, practicing buddhānusmṛti-samādhi. When barely half a year had elapsed, in samādhi he saw the Buddha's ūrṇā radiance and [the Buddha] stretching out his hand to guide and receive him. He entreated the Buddha, seeking [ordination] among the sangha, wishing to swiftly abandon his lifespan and be reborn in the Pure Land. He dwelt in the mountains for fifteen years. Knowing the day of his death in advance, he bade farewell to the community, sat upright, and transformed. This was in the fifteenth year of Yixi, at the age of fifty-seven.

1.68

Wei Zhijin, Surveillance Commissioner of the Tang dynasty, number thirty-three

1.69

Wei Zhijin of the Tang dynasty was established in profound practice and compassion. He established a Western [Pure Land] place of practice, mindful of Amitābha Buddha, practicing kṣamā and vowing to be reborn in the West, practicing the bodhisattva path, protecting the Buddha-Dharma, turning the wheel of the true Dharma, and delivering sentient beings. In the sixth month, facing west, he sat cross-legged with palms joined and recited 'Amitābha Buddha' sixty times. Suddenly he passed away. A miraculous fragrance filled the residence, perceived both inside and outside. The auspicious responses cannot be fully described.

1.70

Yuan Ziping of the Tang dynasty, number thirty-four

1.71

Yuan Ziping of the Tang dynasty, in the ninth year of Dali, produced the mind [for bodhi] at Guanyin Monastery in Runzhou and recited 'Amitābha Buddha' ten thousand times. After three months, one day he suddenly fell ill. At night he heard miraculous fragrance and music in the sky, and the sick man rejoiced, shaking the earth. Someone in the sky called out, saying, 'The coarse music has already passed; the subtle music continues to arrive.' Passing the day in buddhamanasikāra, he passed away. He was certainly reborn in the Pure Land. For several days there was a miraculous fragrance.

1.72

Wei Shizi of the Song dynasty, number thirty-five

1.73

Wei Shizi of the [Liu] Song dynasty, together with his two sons—three people—cultivated the Western [Pure Land]. Only his wife did not believe. His daughter died at the age of fourteen. After seven days she came back and reported to her mother, saying: 'I saw the Western Land. For my father and two brothers, lotus flowers already exist, and they will transformatively take birth later. Only mother alone has none. I have now briefly returned to inform you.' Afterwards, the mother followed the daughter's instruction and was daily mindful of the Western Land. All four people attained rebirth.

1.74

Zhang Yuanxiang, number thirty-six

1.75

Zhang Yuanxiang of the Tang dynasty was a native of the Upper Capital. His endowed nature was pure and straightforward, and he was daily mindful of the Western Land. On the third day of the sixth month in the second year of Kaihuang, at the Chen hour, he asked for a vegetarian meal, saying: 'The worthy and noble ones await me.' Having finished eating, he burned incense, faced the West, and passed away in right mindfulness. When he was carried to the burial site, miraculous fragrance and luminous radiance covered the tomb.

1.76

A person of Hengzhou under the Sui dynasty, number thirty七

1.77

A person of Hengzhou under the Sui dynasty had no recorded surname or personal name. He practiced buddhamanasikāra using small beans to keep count, filling thirty-six piculs. After a vegetarian feast, in celebration he distributed the beans among the attendees of the feast. Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta, appearing emaciated in form, came in person and said, 'We beg for food.' He answered, saying: 'This disciple vows to be reborn in the Western Land, and there are no other obstacles. That the masters have come begging for food deeply arouses my original resolve.' After they ate, only a miraculous fragrance was smelled, and riding into the sky, they departed all at once. It was the ninth month of the eighth year of Kaihuang.

1.78

Zhang Zhongkui, number thirty-eight

1.79

Zhang Zhongkui was a native of Tongzhou whose occupation was selling chickens. In the ninth year of Yonghui, when approaching death, he saw a flock of chickens gather south of his house. Suddenly he saw a man dressed in scarlet and black garments driving the chickens and shouting, 'Peck! Peck!' The chickens flew up four times and pecked at both of his eyes, so that blood flowed onto the bed. At the You hour, he met the buddhamanasikāra monk Hongdao of Shanguang Monastery, who had him set out a sacred image and recite 'Amitābha Buddha.' Suddenly there was a miraculous fragrance, and he quietly passed away.

1.80

A person of Fenzhou, number thirty-nine

1.81

A person of Fenzhou whose surname is unrecorded was an ox butcher by trade. Approaching grave illness, he saw several oxen pressing close upon his body. He told his wife and children, 'Please invite a monk to save me.' When the invited monk arrived, the sick man said: 'Master, you recite the Buddhist sūtras; with severe offenses like this disciple's, can I still be saved?' The master said: 'In the Guan jing it says that even ten recitations on the brink of death still obtain rebirth. How could the Buddha speak falsely?' Suddenly a miraculous fragrance filled the room, and he passed away. Everyone saw the miraculous fragrance, auspicious colours, and auspicious clouds circling above his house.

1.82

Fang Zhu, number forty

1.83

Fang Zhu of Daizhou once exhorted an old man to be mindful of the Buddha; that old man attained rebirth in the Western Land. When [Fang Zhu] entered the underworld and saw King Yama, the King sent him back to the world again: 'You ought to be reborn in the Pure Land.' Zhu had made a vow to recite the Diamond Sūtra ten thousand times, and also wished to pay homage to Mount Wutai; since this desire was not yet fulfilled, he did not yet wish to attain rebirth.

1.84

The wife of Wen Wenjing, number forty-one

1.85

The wife of Wen Wenjing was a native of Bingzhou. Bedridden with illness, her husband told her: 'Be mindful of Amitābha Buddha.' With buddhamanasikāra unceasing on her lips, she saw the Buddha-land. Later she told her husband to prepare a vegetarian feast for her, as she was about to go to the Western Land. When the meal ended, she said, 'Strive diligently in buddhamanasikāra!'

1.86

The old couple of Yueshan Village in Suizhou, number forty-two

1.87

The old man and woman thoroughly understood suffering and emptiness. On the twenty-ninth day of every month, they invited two mountain monks to practice the Way and buddhamanasikāra, and they offered a vegetarian feast, with the old woman preparing the food herself. The old man said, 'Why not have a servant do it?' The old woman replied, 'How much longer will I be able to do it myself? If I make someone else do it, it is only their merit.' At the time of her death, light filled the house; at midnight, it was just like broad daylight.

1.88

The female disciple Lady Liang, number forty-three

1.89

Lady Liang was a native of Haozhou. Both of her eyes were blind. Because a monk exhorted her to be mindful of Amitābha Buddha, after receiving the instruction, she practiced unceasingly for three years. Both eyes opened, as was witnessed by all the villagers. When abandoning her lifespan, she saw the Buddha and bodhisattvas come in welcoming descent. After she passed away, the bodhisattvas together erected a stūpa and shrine for her. Passersby all revered it, and all the men and women of the whole commandery turned their hearts to buddhamanasikāra.

1.90

The female disciple Pei, number forty-four

1.91

Lady Pei, during the Zhenguan era, was taught by a monk to be mindful of the Buddha, using small beans to count, completing three piculs of recitations. Knowing her place of rebirth in advance, she bade farewell everywhere to relatives and friends. Afterwards, properly adorned according to the Dharma, she passed away in buddhamanasikāra, attaining rebirth in Sukhāvatī.

1.92

The female disciple Old Woman Yao, number forty-five

1.93

Old Woman Yao was a native of the Upper Capital. During the Zhenguan era, through the encouragement of Old Woman Fan, she took up the practice of being mindful of Amitābha Buddha. On the verge of death she saw the Buddha and bodhisattvas come in welcoming descent, and she said that she had not yet said farewell to Old Woman Fan, entreating the Buddha to pause and wait a while. The Buddha stayed in empty space and waited. When Old Woman Fan arrived, [Yao], holding an incense burner in her hand, quietly passed away.

1.94

Lady Xun, wife of Zhang Wenchi, number forty-six

1.95

Lady Xun aroused the resolve to be mindful of the Buddha, reaching a full two years. A monk saw a lotus flower in the pond of seven jewels and said to the Buddha: 'If I snap off a stalk to give to the woman, will there be any fault?' When he finished speaking, the vision he had seen completely vanished. On the day she abandoned her lifespan, a miraculous fragrance came to welcome her, and she was reborn in the Pure Land.

1.96

The old man of Fenyang County, number forty-seven

1.97

In the fifth year of Zhenguan, an old man living in Fenyang County, Bingzhou, constantly recited [the name of the Buddha of] the Western Land. He then took provisions and borrowed a vacant room on Mount Faren, lodging there to practice buddhamanasikāra. At the time of his death, a great light shone everywhere. Facing west, he passed away, seemingly ascending a lotus pedestal and departing.

1.98

Shao Yuanbao, number forty-eight

1.99

Shao Yuanbao was a native of Yongzhou. He aroused the resolve to be mindful of the Buddha, sound after sound unceasing, repenting his own karmic offenses. In a dream at night, a jeweled lotus pedestal was being pulled by an ox; colliding with and damaging it, the ox said, 'Kill me!' He thereupon recited three rolls of the Amitābha Sūtra and recited the Buddha's name a hundred times. The ox was then delighted. Later he encountered a golden pedestal, mounted into the sky, and departed.

1.100

Accounts of Auspicious Responses of Rebirth in the Western Pure Land

1.101

On the twenty-ninth day (gengchen, Thursday, Pleiades mansion) of the fourth month in the second year of Tentoku (cyclical year wuwu), Nichien, a śramaṇa of Enryaku-ji who crossed the sea (in the Great Tang's Yuezhou known as Great Master Nichi Shishi Huiguang), exhorted and transmitted this, copying and conveying it.

English (machine translation)

Contents

Text