[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [淨土往生傳](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2071) › 1.12 # 淨土往生傳 1.12 淨土往生傳 1.12 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [1.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2071.1.12) 劉程之。字仲思彭城人。漢楚元王之後也。祖考而上為晉顯官。程之少孤。事母以孝行聞州里。又以才藻自負。不委氣于時俗。雖夫寒餓在己威福在前。其意湛如也。司徒王謐。丞相桓玄。侍中謝琨。都督謝安。太尉劉裕。咸嘉其賢。欲相推薦。程之曰。諸公所薦皆人傑也。若程之行不足以飾身。才不足以蔽俗。今而薦之。不唯已有尸祿之毀。亦恐天下不以諸公為知人矣。乃之廬阜。以託于遠公。遠公曰。官祿巍巍。欲何不為。程之曰。君臣相疑疣贅。相窺晉室。無盤石之固。物情有累卵之危。吾何為哉。遠聞其說。大相器厚。太尉劉公。亦以其志不可以力屈。與群公議遺民之號旌焉。及雷次宗周續之畢頴之張秀實等同來棲遠。遠曰。諸公之來。宜忘淨土之游乎。如有心焉當加勉勵無宜後也。程之於諸公中。又最有文。得識其事。鑱石以永之。是後程之。拳拳佛道。不罹榮辱驚者十一年。末年於念佛中。見彌陀佛身紫金色以臨其室。程之愧幸悲泣且自陳曰。安得如來為我手摩其頂覆我以衣耶。俄而佛摩其頂引袈裟以覆之。他日念佛。又見身入七寶大池。其池蓮華青白相間。其水湛湛若無畔岸。中有一人。頂有圓光。胸有萬字。指池水曰。八功德水。汝可飲之。程之飲水甘美盈口。及其寤之猶覺異香發於毛孔。程之曰。此吾淨土之緣至矣。誰為六和之眾。與我證明之。廬阜諸僧既相來集。程之乃對尊像。焚香載拜。而祝曰。我以釋迦遺教故。能知有阿彌陀佛。此香當先供養釋迦如來。次乃供養阿彌陀佛。然後供養法華會中佛菩薩眾。至於十方佛菩薩眾。願令一切有情俱生淨土。願畢乃三叩齒長跪而卒。卒之十一日。遠公以程之社中人。也為之發傳云。 > Liu Chengzhi, styled Zhongsi, was a native of Pengcheng and a descendant of King Yuan of Chu of the Han dynasty. His grandfather and ancestors before him had been eminent officials of the Jin. Having lost his father when young, Chengzhi served his mother with filial conduct renowned throughout the province and village. Furthermore, confident in his literary talent, he did not humble his spirit to the customs of the age. Even when cold and hunger beset him, or power and fortune stood before him, his mind remained serene. The Minister of Works Wang Mi, the Chancellor Huan Xuan, the Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary Xie Kun, the Commander-in-Chief Xie An, and the Grand Commander Liu Yu all praised his virtue and wished to recommend him. Chengzhi said, “Those recommended by you lords are all heroes among men. As for Chengzhi, my conduct is insufficient to adorn myself, and my talent is inadequate to shelter me from worldly vulgarity. If you recommend me now, not only will I incur the disgrace of holding a sinecure, but I also fear the world will consider that you lords cannot recognize talent.” He thereupon went to Mount Lu to entrust himself to Master Yuan. Master Yuan said, “Official rank and emolument are exalted; what would you not wish to pursue?” Chengzhi replied, “Ruler and ministers harbor mutual suspicion like parasitic growths; looking upon the Jin court, it lacks the firmness of a solid rock, and the worldly situation faces the peril of piled-up eggs. What would I pursue?” Hearing this discourse, Yuan esteemed and respected him deeply. The Grand Commander Lord Liu also recognized that his resolve could not be bent by force, and conferred upon him the title 'Yimin' (Hermit-Subject) in consultation with the various lords to honor him. When Lei Cizong, Zhou Xuzhi, Bi Yingzhi, Zhang Xiushi, and others came together to dwell with Yuan, Yuan said, “Having come here, gentlemen, should you neglect wandering in the Pure Land? If you have the aspiration, you ought to apply diligent effort and not fall behind.” Among the gentlemen, Chengzhi was the most skilled in literary composition; he recorded these events, inscribing them on stone to endure forever. Thereafter, Chengzhi devoted himself single-mindedly to the Buddhist path for eleven years without being disturbed by honor or disgrace. In his final years, while practicing buddhānusmṛti, he saw the purple-golden body of the Buddha Amitābha appear in his room. Chengzhi, feeling unworthy yet fortunate, wept with sorrow and uttered, “How could I obtain the Tathāgata to stroke my head with his hand and cover me with his robe?” Presently the Buddha stroked his head and drew forward his kāṣāya to cover him. On another day while practicing buddhānusmṛti, he again saw his body enter a great pool of seven jewels. In the pool, blue and white lotus flowers grew intermingled, and its water was vast and clear, as if shoreless. Within it was a person whose head bore a circular halo and whose chest bore a svastika. Pointing to the pool's water, he said, “This is the water of eight virtuous qualities; you may drink it.” Chengzhi drank the water, which filled his mouth with delicious sweetness. When he awoke, an extraordinary fragrance still emanated from his pores. Chengzhi said, “My conditions for the Pure Land have arrived. Who among the community of six harmonies will bear witness for me?” After the monks of Mount Lu gathered, Chengzhi burned incense before the venerable image, bowed repeatedly, and prayed: “It is due to Śākyamuni’s bequeathed teachings that I have come to know of Amitābha Buddha. This incense shall first be offered to Śākyamuni Tathāgata, next to Amitābha Buddha, and then to the assembly of Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the Lotus Gathering, and onward to the assemblies of Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions. May all sentient beings be reborn together in the Pure Land.” Having finished his vow, he clicked his teeth three times, knelt upright, and passed away. On the eleventh day after his death, Master Yuan, because Chengzhi was a member of the Society, composed a biography for him. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 1.11](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2071.1.11) - [Next: 1.13](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2071.1.13) - [Up: 1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2071.1) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2071~en-mt.1.12) — English, machine translation ## Linked texts (1) - [龍舒增廣淨土文](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.1970.5.6) — Classical Chinese --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2071.1.12](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2071.1.12) · Pramāṇa