淨土往生傳 1.17

1.17

尼道瑗。俗姓江丹陽人也。或云丹徒人。少以聰悟。自得經籍書史。皆所博涉。成戒之後。研味三藏。尤得其要。晉孝武泰元中。皇后美其高行。凡所資善多歸其寺。豪婦貴女。爭與之遊。宋元嘉八年。大造佛像。以廣福業。彭城金像二軀。瓦官寺彌勒行像一軀。建興寺金像二軀。建福寺臥像并普賢行像兩軀。又隨其像。陳獻幡華。頗極精麗。十五年又造金無量壽像一軀。願憑其像。接置西方。明年夏四月十一日。像於眉間。大放光明。以照其寺。寺內盡如金色。於金色中。無量壽佛。與瑗記曰。汝捨此報必遂依我。當善護持勿生疑慢。瑗得其記彌增感悅。旋於其月望日。就其像前。坐以終報。

The nun Daoyuan, whose secular surname was Jiang, was a native of Danyang, or as some say, Dantu. From an early age, through her keen insight, she attained an understanding of the classics, books, and histories on her own, reading widely in all of them. After fully receiving the precepts, she studied and relished the Tripiṭaka, especially grasping its essentials. During the Taiyuan era of Emperor Xiaowu of the Jin, the empress admired her lofty conduct, and most of her donations of good fortune went to her monastery. Wealthy ladies and noblewomen vied to associate with her. In the eighth year of the Yuanjia era of the Song, she made Buddha images on a grand scale to broaden her field of merit: two golden images for Pengcheng, a procession image of Maitreya for Waguan Monastery, two golden images for Jianxing Monastery, and a reclining image along with two procession images of Samantabhadra for Jianfu Monastery. She also presented banners and flowers according with each image, all of which were extremely exquisite. In the fifteenth year, she further made a golden image of Amitāyus, vowing to rely on that image to be received and placed in the West. On the eleventh day of the fourth month in the summer of the following year, the image emitted a great light from between its eyebrows that illuminated the entire monastery. The interior of the monastery became entirely golden. From within the golden light, the Buddha Amitāyus gave Daoyuan a prophecy, saying, 'When you cast off this retribution body, you will surely come to rely on me. You must guard it well and not give rise to doubt or arrogance.' Having received this prophecy, Daoyuan's gratitude and joy increased all the more. Soon, on the fifteenth day of that month, she sat before that image and brought an end to her retribution body.