淨土往生傳 2.6

2.6

釋智通。俗姓程河東人也。十歲服緇為沙彌。威儀敦肅為時所稱。受具之後。屏息諸緣。獨勤懺誦。誦先賢讚佛偈三千餘首。每於六時以對尊像。引聲高唱。委曲悽切。聞者悲之。五十許年。略無告倦。周武之末。釋門淪廢。通即避地幽僻。以消時難。隋祖統御再隆佛日。通於孤老寺。六時精苦益倍初焉。大抵以三界五苦日相凌困。願期出離以生安養。大業七年十月嬰疾。姑命門人頂蓋數十人。同聲西向。念彌陀佛。通乃閉目。端想久之。問蓋曰。有何緣務大明燈燭。蓋因熄燭。通又曰。明何益盛。蓋以無燭。遂對之曰。光明異相。必有待也。非蓋所能知矣。通旋開目周視。令蓋燃香。香煙既起。通彈指云。無上勝異在吾有矣。或問其勝。答曰。寶幢華幔。悉在吾前。非勝而何日將暮矣。又謂蓋曰。吾生淨土。刻在今夕。汝徒精進勿生退惰。至于中夜。坐亡于懺誦之堂。若禪定焉。寺僧道慧。見其堂左。樓閣千重。排空西去。漸遠漸隱。猶雲霧萬疊。或離或散。不可模狀。時頂蓋之母王氏。亦著淨業。當其捨報。亦見青碧蓮華充滿其室。至者往往。尚聞蓮華之香。移日不散。

Shi Zhitong had the secular surname Cheng and was a native of Hedong. At ten years old, he donned the black robes to become a novice monk (śrāmaṇera). His solemn deportment was praised by his contemporaries. After receiving full ordination, he halted all external concerns and diligently devoted himself solely to repentance and recitation, chanting more than three thousand verses in praise of the Buddha composed by past sages. At the six times of the day, facing the venerable image, he chanted aloud, his tones nuanced and mournful, moving those who heard him to sorrow. For some fifty years, he showed no weariness. In the final years of Emperor Wu of the Zhou, when the Buddhist order was suppressed, Zhitong withdrew to a secluded place to ride out the troubles of the time. When the founding emperor of the Sui took the throne and caused the sun of the Buddha to shine brightly once more, Zhitong resided at Gulao Monastery, where his austerity during the six times of the day doubled that of his early years. Ever distressed by the day-to-day afflictions of the three realms and five sufferings, he vowed to attain release and be reborn in Anyang. In the tenth month of the seventh year of Daye, he fell ill. For the time being, he ordered dozens of his disciples, including Dinggai, to face west with one voice and recite Amitābha Buddha. Zhitong then closed his eyes and remained in focused contemplation for a long time. He asked Gai, "For what reason are the lanterns and candles lit so brightly?" Gai then extinguished the candles. Zhitong said again, "Why has the light grown even brighter?" Since there were no candles, Gai replied to him, "This wondrous manifestation of radiant light must presage something; it is not something I can understand." Zhitong immediately opened his eyes, looked all around, and instructed Gai to light incense. Once the smoke of the incense arose, Zhitong snapped his fingers and said, "Unsurpassed wondrous omens are mine!" Someone asked what was wondrous, and he replied, "Jeweled banners and flower canopies are entirely before me. If not wondrous, then what are they? Day is about to turn to dusk." He also said to Gai, "My rebirth in the Pure Land is set for tonight. You disciples must advance with vigor and never fall back into indolence!" When the middle of the night arrived, he passed away sitting in the hall of repentance and recitation, as if in meditative absorption. Daohui, a monk of the monastery, saw to the left of the hall thousands of multistoried pavilions arrayed across the void, departing westward, growing gradually more distant and faint, like ten thousand folds of clouds and mist, now dispersing, now scattering, beyond description. At that time, Dinggai's mother, Lady Wang, was also devoted to pure karma. When she cast off her retribution body, blue-green lotuses were also seen filling her chamber; those who came, more often than not, could still smell the fragrance of the lotuses, which did not disperse for days.