English (machine translation)

Translation of 淨土往生傳

Language: English
Extent: 70 passages, 34,203 words
Text: complete digital text
Source: pramana-mt · Machine translation by Gemini 3.8 Flash (2026-10-21) of in.bauddha.taisho.2071 · Machine output without human authorship: no copyright is claimed (CC0 1.0). The original text keeps its own…

1 — 25 parts
2 — 23 parts
3 — 22 parts

Text

1.1

Preface to the Biographies of Those Reborn in the Pure Land

1.2

Composed by Śramaṇa Jiezhu of Feishan in Futang, Song

In Anāthapiṇḍada's Park, the assembly of sages and worthies was fully gathered. At that time, not a single word of request came from the assembly. The Tathāgata suddenly announced to them, saying: "Passing beyond here to the west, past a hundred thousand koṭis of lands, there is a Pure Land. That land is vast and extensive, adorned with hundreds of jewels." He also said: "If sentient beings ponder it, mindfully recollect it, and seek to be born there, all will have their wishes fulfilled." Commentators say: The twelve limbs of the teaching encompass all that exists; this is the limb of the udāna (unsolicited discourse). What is its significance? It is like a mother caressing her infant without waiting for it to ask: she only wishes to look after its limbs, suckle and feed it, and embrace it to her bosom. Now, the Tathāgata departed from Śuddhodana's palace and descended upon Kapilavastu; for fifty years he taught the Dharma, spreading compassion and nurturing beings, giving instructions according to their capacities. During this time, dragons, devas, Śakra and Brahmā, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and the great assemblies of mahāsattvas cast aside heads and eyes, donated marrow and brains, and gave away external realms and precious jewels; more than once did they earnestly make requests three times. The Tathāgata at times declined or remained silent, saying, "Cease, cease! Do not speak of it." Yet when it came to this [matter], he spoke it of his own accord. Truly he grieved for the ordinary beings of the five defilements drifting incessantly through long kalpas! Now, whoever wishes to weary of the five defilements and hopes to be born in the Pure Land must focus on single-minded mindfulness. When the extremity of mindful speech is reached, it connects to contemplation; hence the sixteen contemplations provide support in graded stages. The sūtra states that the ocean of the samyaksaṃbuddhas' omniscience arises from the mental contemplation of the mind. What is the reason for this? It illuminates their beginning; it refers to pointing out their gradual progress. Practice begins with cultivation; wisdom begins with habituation; the unsurpassed, ultimate fruit begins with the deeply resolute mind. The deeply resolute mind is firm and immovable. Therefore, a single recitation transforms the suffering of the three lower paths; ten recitations form steps to the virtues of the nine grades. Although all the Mahāyāna vaipulya sūtras present and elaborate this mutually, it is not expounded by merely a single scripture. Since the Han and Wei dynasties, those who set their sincere gaze toward the west were rarely heard of; this was truly because the Great Dharma had only begun to spread and scriptural texts were not yet complete. During the Western Jin, when Liu Yao invaded and disrupted the capital of Luoyang, Sengxian took refuge in the Jiangdong region; relying for the first time on the three causal vows, he suddenly experienced auspicious omens. Yet, his earnest aspiration having encountered an age of disorder, his bequeathed style and supreme deeds were hardly known to subsequent generations. At the end of the Eastern Jin, Master [Hui]yuan rested his footsteps on Mount Lu. At that time, fellow Dharma Masters of the same aspiration—Shi Daobing, Zhu Daosheng, and Buddhayasas—together with lay elites such as Liu Yimin, Lei Cizong, Zhou Xuzhi, and others, one hundred and twenty-three in all, formed an association of worldly-detached companions, admiring his virtue and gathering together. Because the time of illusory assembly could not be preserved forever, and the body of a dream-wanderer could not long endure, Master [Hui]yuan pointed to the Land of Amitāyus, uniting with them to make it their distant journey's destination. He also said: "That land is pure; it has neither the three lower paths nor the six destinies. Sentient beings rely on it and aspire toward it from various walks of life; when they are born there, jeweled banners serve as their vanguard and golden lotuses receive their bodies." Thereupon they mutually conceived the idea of the Lotus Society. Today's references to the Lotus Society, and so forth, indeed began with this. At times it was also called the Pure Society, and its significance is fully comprehensive. From Huiyuan onward, the practice of the Pure Land flourished ever more. Thus the Song had Tanhong, the Qi had Huijin, and the Liang had Daozhen; between the eras of the Li-Tang dynasty, men of brilliant awakening and thorough understanding, such as Daochuo and Shandao, appeared again and again. I, living in the remnants of the latter part of the Semblance Dharma age, have encountered the bequeathed Dharma of the Buddha. I have cherished the pure karma for many years. Whenever I noticed that the deeds of former worthies were scattered across various biographies and lost in different eras, lacking classification and unable to be viewed in continuous order, I therefore systematically examined the records and biographies composed by the twelve masters from the Liang and Sui downward, including Huijiao and Daoxuan, up to the new biographies by Master Tonghui of the Great Song. I obtained seventy-five individuals, beginning with Sengxian and others. Because the principles of those biographical works were sometimes obscure and their wording was sometimes cluttered, I consequently revised, corrected, and clarified them. In addition, there were sixty-two persons such as Hongye and Huiming: throughout their lives they had practiced contemplation, but when it came to the moment of relinquishing life, they had not witnessed auspicious signs. Including them would be insufficient to arouse deep faith, so they were left without inclusion. Should brilliant and discerning individuals of later times consider this an omission and glean materials to supplement them, that too would remedy my deficiencies.

1.4

Nineteen Persons of the Primary Biographies (Twelve Persons Appended)

1.5

Shi Sengxian of Jiangdong under the Western Jin
Shi Huiyong of Mount Lu under the Eastern Jin
Shi Huiyuan of Mount Lu under the Eastern Jin (Buddhayasas, Huichi, and Tianshun appended)
Shi Huiqian of Shanyin under the Eastern Jin
Shi Sengji of Mount Lu under the Eastern Jin
Shi Huigong of Mount Lu under the Eastern Jin (Sengguang, Huikan, and Huilan appended)
Liu Chengzhi of Mount Lu under the Eastern Jin
Shi Sengrui of Dong'an under the Yao Qin
Shi Tanjian of Jiangling under the Liu Song (Daohai, Tanhong, Daoguang, and Daoguang appended)
Shi Tanhong of Jiaozhi under the Liu Song
Nun Fasheng of Jinling under the Liu Song
Nun Daoyuan of Danyang under the Liu Song
Shi Huijin of Yangdu under the Southern Qi
Shi Huiguang of Yexia under the Northern Qi
Shi Falin of Lingjian under the Northern Qi
Shi Sengrou of Lingjiu under the Northern Qi
Shi Tanluan of Bigu under the Later Wei (Nāgārjuna appended)
Shi Daozhen of Mount Lu under the Xiao Liang
Shi Huiming of Heyang under the Later Zhou (Fayin appended)

1.6

Shi Sengxian, whose secular surname was Fu, was a native of Dai Commandery; or, as some say, a native of Nancheng in Linchuan. For successive generations his ancestors served as officials in Dai, and thus settled their household there. When Sengxian was young, he abandoned secular life; his conduct was pure and austere, and he did not engage in frivolous or insincere human affairs. He never gave outward expression to the shifts of flourishing and decline, or clever intrigue. At times he entered meditative absorption and remained so for several consecutive days. At the end of the Western Jin, when Liu Yao raided and devastated the capital of Luoyang, Sengxian took refuge in the Jiangdong region. Giving free rein to his inclinations among famous mountains, even when faced with sheer precipices and extreme perils untouched by human tracks, he would certainly traverse them. Late in life, at a retreat he had reached, he obtained a newly translated scripture from an Indian monk. The scripture's text fully set forth the Pure Land's three causal vows as well as the sequence of rebirth in the nine grades. Thereupon he rejoiced greatly, saying: "I have mingled my body in the five defilements, bound and entrapped by numerous sufferings. Suddenly obtaining this is like flying out of mud and coals to spread wings in the great void! From this day forth, my thoughts have a refuge!" Thereupon he directed his sincere intentions westward in contemplation, exerting himself without remiss for nine months. One evening he fell ill in bed, and saw Amitāyus descending from the sky; through the air there successively shone rays of light of a hundred jewels, illuminating his body. That night, Sengxian arose and bathed; to his co-dwellers and attendants tending to his illness, he spoke of what he had seen, and furthermore laid out admonitions on cause and effect to encourage those who had not yet attained understanding. Soon afterwards he passed away. In neighboring monasteries, some saw a golden dais descending from the west, while others smelled a wonderful fragrance filling the room; everyone marveled at this.

1.7

Shi Huiyong, whose surname was Po, was a native of Henei. At the end of the Eastern Jin, he served Śramaṇa Zhu Tanxian as his master. Later, hearing that Dharma Master Dao'an was a model for the age, he bowed his heart and followed him to study from a thousand li away. At that time, many troubles plagued the Central Plains, and the people devoured one another; he originally wished to cross south over the Five Ridges and rest in the shade of Mount Luofu. But as soon as he reached Xunyang, the commandery resident Tao Fan earnestly pleaded with him to stay. He then entrusted himself to the West Forest (Xilin) of Mount Lu, and did not change places for years. His disciples gradually flourished. Master Huiyuan also came to reside there, and thereupon they agreed to make it their final dwelling. Huiyuan lived at East Forest for thirty years, his shadow never leaving the mountain; Huiyong at West Forest did the same. In addition, he savored the scriptures and vinaya, expounding and lecturing with great clarity; dressed in plain cotton robes and eating coarse food, he joyfully passed his years. Once, wishing to settle his mind in a quiet realm to practice the various samādhis, he built a chamber on the peak of the mountain where he resided. Whenever Huiyong arrived at the chamber, the tigers beside it would submit and be tamed; if visitors feared them, he would drive the tigers away, but they would soon return and crouch down. He also once walked to Wu Bridge; the commander of the Wu Bridge garrison was riding a horse while under the influence of alcohol, blocking the road. As the sun was setting, Huiyong had nowhere to withdraw; he raised his staff and pointed at the horse from afar. The horse took fright and the commander fell off, consequently becoming severely ill. Soon the commander felt regret and sought him out. Huiyong said: "The spirit protecting the precepts is fierce; for such a madman, why show regret to Yong?" Yet Huiyong was genuine, plain, and natural by nature, his words never harming any creature; his sincerity was displayed and his vows were planted, every action directed toward Anyang. In the tenth year of the Yixi era, encountering illness, he drew together his robes, collected his mindfulness, closed his eyes, and faced west. In a short while he sought his sandals and wished to rise. The assembly felt doubt and dread, and stepped forward to ask him. Huiyong said: "I rise because the Buddha has come; why do you question it?" Soon thereafter he passed away. Monastics and laity rushed to the site, all smelling a heavenly fragrance, which ceased only after seven days.

1.8

Shi Huiyuan, whose secular surname was Jia, was a man of Loufan in Yanmen. In his youth, he relied on his maternal uncle and studied as an itinerant scholar in Xu and Luo. He had a comprehensive grasp of the classics and histories, and was especially versed in Zhuangzi and Laozi. At the age of twenty-one, wishing to cross east of the Yangtze River to confirm an agreement with Fan Xuanzi, the southern route was blocked, and his intention could not be carried out. At that time, Dao'an was at the Taihang Mountains propagating and extolling the Semblance Dharma, and his renown was widely known. Huiyuan went to take refuge with him, and upon meeting him once, offered his utmost reverence. Later, listening to Dao'an lecture on the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, he was suddenly awakened, whereupon he said: "The divergent views of the Nine Schools are merely chaff and bran!" He and his maternal younger brother Huichi discarded their hairpins [and renounced secular life] to serve him. Yet his demeanour was solemn and stern, and his comportment was upright and dignified. Dao'an often sighed: "If the teaching is to spread to the Eastern Land, will it not rest upon Yuan?" When he reached the age of twenty-four, he excelled in lecturing and expounding. A visitor once raised difficult questions about the meaning of the true mark (dharmatā); though they debated and analysed it back and forth, the visitor grew only more doubtful and obscure. Huiyuan cited the text of Zhuangzi to draw an analogy, and the visitor was then illuminated. From then on, Master Dao'an permitted Huiyuan not to abandon secular texts. During the Jianyuan era of the illegitimate Qin, Xiangyang suffered turmoil from bandits. Dao'an was detained by Zhu Xu and his assembly dispersed, the disciples each going where they might. Huiyuan, together with Huichi and several dozen others, went together to Jingzhou. Before long, he wished again to go south to Luofu. His route passed through Xunyang, and seeing the green peaks of Mount Lu, his mind was quite pleased with them. However, the place where he rested was still far from water. Huiyuan struck the ground with his staff and said: "If this place may be inhabited, let a spring burst forth from the barren earth!" When he finished speaking, a spring welled up. Later, Xunyang suffered a severe drought. Huiyuan went to the side of that water and recited the Dragon King Sūtra. Soon a giant snake rose from the water into the sky, and in an instant, torrential rain fell. For this reason, the place was named Dragon Spring. At that time, the monk Huiyong was already living at Xilin Monastery; he invited Huiyuan to dwell together, yet was ashamed that his own dwelling was cramped and insufficient to lodge him, so he informed the Inspector Huan Yi. Huan Yi approved his intention and built Donglin Monastery for Huiyuan to dwell in. In the past, when Tao Kan went out to govern Guangzhou, a fisherman found an image made by King Aśoka at sea; the image was exceedingly wondrous. Tao Kan reverently brought it back to Hanxi Monastery in Wuchang. Once the monastery suffered a fire, but the image alone survived. Later, when Tao Kan moved to govern another commandery, because the image repeatedly showed miraculous phenomena, he dispatched envoys to welcome it, but in the end they could not lift it. When Huiyuan's monastery was completed, he made a sincere prayer and entreaty, and it arrived of itself, floating along. From this it was known that Huiyuan's cultivation and realization moved things with auspicious responses. When Yin Zhongkan went to Jingzhou, his path passed through Mount Lu; he discussed the Book of Changes with Huiyuan, and spent hours untired. Zhongkan said: "His depth of understanding and brightness of wisdom are indeed hard to match." The Minister over the Masses Wang Mi and the Protector of the Army Wang Mo both admired his noble demeanor and virtue, paying him respects as a master from afar. Wang Mi sent a letter saying: "I am not yet forty, but my decline is like someone at sixty. How could I not grieve at my own falling away?" Huiyuan said: "The ancients did not prize a foot of jade, but valued an inch of time. Reflecting on what is preserved, it does not lie in long years." When Emperor Wu of the Song pursued and attacked Lu Xun, he pitched his tent at Sangwei. His attendants said: "Master Yuan is the uncrowned king of Mount Lu and has a close friendship with Xun." Emperor Wu of the Song said: "Master Yuan is a man beyond this world; how could he take sides?" Thereupon he sent an envoy carrying a letter, presenting him with money and rice. The ruler of the Qin, Yao Xing, admired Huiyuan's talent and thought, repeatedly sending tokens and provisions. When the newly translated Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa appeared, Xing sent the original treatise to Huiyuan, and in a letter wrote: "This treatise was composed by Nāgārjuna and is moreover the ultimate resort of the vaipulya. Without a great being, who could write a preface and introduction to it?" When Huan Xuan punished the crimes of Zhongkan, he went directly to the foot of the mountain and invited Huiyuan to come out past Tiger Creek, but Huiyuan declined. Huan Xuan entered the mountain himself. His attendants said: "Zhongkan was a guilty man, yet he made great efforts to revere Yuan. May Your Excellency not revere him." Huan Xuan said: "Zhongkan was merely an ordinary mortal; to whom can I compare him?" Yet when they met, he unconsciously displayed his reverence; thus, although he inwardly harboured doubts and challenges, he did not dare bring them up again. He then asked about military strategies for campaigns. Huiyuan did not answer, and when asked the reason, replied: "I have not studied the affairs of military forces." Huan Xuan said: "What is your wish for me?" Huiyuan said: "I wish that the dānapati be at ease and well, and that others likewise suffer no harm." Huan Xuan came out of the mountain and said to his attendants: "This man is truly one I have never seen in my life. How could I treat him with negligence?" Later, Huan Xuan, relying on his awe-inspiring power that shook the sovereign, made subtle advances to summon him, and also instituted an order that monks must revere the king. The President of the Department of State Affairs He Chong, the Vice-Director Chu Yi, Zhuge Hui, and others all submitted memorials and deliberations, while the Imperial Secretariat also presented rebuttals; agreements and disagreements were in turmoil, and the principle could not be decided. Huiyuan composed five treatises On Why Monks Do Not Revere Kings and presented them to Huan Xuan, who thereupon stopped the matter. When Huan Xuan fled west, Emperor An returned from Jiangling to the capital, and the Auxiliary General He Wuji urged Huiyuan to welcome the imperial carriage. Huiyuan pleaded illness. The emperor sent a letter of inquiry, and the court rituals exceeded ordinary standards. Huiyuan submitted a memorial of thanks, saying: "Shi Huiyuan bows his head. The warmth of the tenth month is mild; may the imperial diet be harmonious and fitting. This poor monk is afflicted by chronic illness, and my decline with age grows worse. Receiving the gracious edict unexpectedly, which bestowed radiant consolation, my feelings of deep gratitude and trepidation are indeed tenfold in my heart." The emperor read the memorial and replied again with a gracious edict. Xie Lingyun of Chenliu was proud of his talent and arrogant toward others, seldom praising anyone; yet once he met Huiyuan, he submitted with awe and sincere heart. Moreover, Huiyuan thoroughly understood the Buddhist teachings inwardly and was skilled in Confucian texts outwardly. During his thirty years residing at Mount Lu, his shadow never left the mountain and his footprints never entered the secular world. Liu Yimin of Pengcheng, Lei Cizong of Yuzhang, Zhou Xuzhi of Yanmen, Bi Yingzhi of Xincai, Zong Bing of Nanyang, and Zhang Ye of Qinghe all abandoned the world and cast off glory, relying on Huiyuan to roam and dwell. Huiyuan, together with Liu Yimin and the others, comprising one hundred and twenty-three monks and laymen, formed the Pure Society. In front of the image of Amitābha, they established their sincerity and made a vow, hoping to ascend to Anyang. He then ordered Liu Yimin to compose a text and carve it on stone. At that time, some called it the Lotus Society, which referred to the place where their minds vowed to be reborn. Huiyuan broadly promoted the good and supported the capable, dedicating himself to the propagation of the Dharma. Whenever he heard that monks had arrived from the Western Regions, he would invariably consult and inquire thoroughly into the subtleties of the doctrine. When the Kaśmīran monk Saṃghanandi arrived in Xunyang during the Taiyuan era, Huiyuan requested him to re-translate the Abhidharmahṛdaya and the Tridharmaka-śāstra. Later, hearing that Kumārajīva had entered the Pass, he burned incense and directed his thoughts afar, sending letters to inquire of him. Kumārajīva also had long known of his reputation, and replied with a letter to establish friendship, moreover praising and admiring him greatly with five gāthās. From this time on, across a thousand li between north and south, letters and inquiries never ceased. On the first day of the eighth month of the twelfth year of the Yixi era, his bodily humours became disordered. By the sixth day, his illness grew severely critical. The venerable elders all kowtowed and begged him to drink fermented soybean wine. Huiyuan said: "Using wine to treat illness has no permissive text in the Vinaya." They begged him to drink rice congee. He replied again: "The sun has passed noon." Then they begged him to drink honey water; he then ordered the Vinaya master to unfold the Vinaya and search for the text. Before half the text was read, Huiyuan had already passed away, at the age of eighty-three. Monks and laymen gathered like clouds, and carriage ruts choked the roads. Ruan Bao, the Governor of Xunyang, together with the disciple Fajing and others, excavated a vault to bury him on the west side of the mountain. Renowned worthies of the day, such as Xie Lingyun and Zong Bing, mourning his departed virtue, took turns composing commemorative inscriptions. More than a hundred years after Huiyuan, the Liang monk Huijiao obtained the true facts and also composed a biography for him. According to the Separate Biography of Huiyuan, Huiyuan, in his cultivation of the Pure Land, was assiduous in mindfulness. In the first eleven years after he rested at Mount Lu, he clarified his mind and focused his contemplation, beholding auspicious signs three times; but Huiyuan was reserved and deep, and in the end spoke nothing of it. Nineteen years later, on the evening of the last day of the seventh month, as Huiyuan was just arising from samādhi in the eastern niche of the Prajñā Platform, he saw Amitābha Buddha, his body filling empty space. Within the circular halo there were transformed buddhas, and he also saw Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta standing in attendance to the left and right. Furthermore, he saw radiant light streaming like water divided into fourteen branches, each branch of water flowing up and down, naturally preaching suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self. The Buddha said to Huiyuan: "By the power of my fundamental vow, I have come to console you. In seven days, you shall be reborn in my land." He also saw Buddhayasas, Huichi, and Tanshuan by the side of the Buddha, who came forward, bowed to Huiyuan, and said: "The Dharma Master's aspiration preceded ours; why do you arrive so late?" Having seen this clearly with his own eyes, and examining that his mental faculties were unconfused, Huiyuan fully recounted what he had seen to his disciples Fajing, Huibao, and others. He then told Fajing: "Initially, during the first eleven years I lived here, I was fortunate to behold auspicious signs of the Pure Land three times; now I see them again. My rebirth in the Pure Land is certain!" The next day he fell ill, and said again to Fajing: "The period of seven days is gradually approaching. You disciples must exert yourselves; do not be bound by worldly emotional ties!" When the appointed time arrived, he indeed passed away.

1.9

Shi Huiqian, secular surname Huangfu, was a man of Heshuo. He upheld the precepts and vinaya with pure diligence, and his resolve was especially firm. At first he resided at Mount Lu for barely ten years, and both monastics and laymen who practised the Buddha's path all looked up to him with longing. Because Master Huiyuan was at the foot of that mountain, his virtuous deeds were heard on the wind, and moreover he expounded the sublime Dharma to stimulate the deaf and the blind, Qian praised him with a sigh, saying: "He is a man, and I too am a man. If his virtuous deeds are not matched by me, how can my heart be without shame?" He then went to the Wu and Kuaiji regions, examining places to propagate the teaching widely. When he reached Jiaxiang Monastery in Shanyin, he gathered disciples and lodged an assembly, opening wide the gates of guidance. At that time, Kumārajīva was translating new scriptures; of those that had not yet been lectured on, Qian lectured on them all in turn. However, in what he lectured, he always said to the assembly: "Fortunately, through the Semblance Dharma age, I lecture on the path and the bequeathed teachings. I vow that relying on this little good, I may reverently serve Amitābha in due time." Five years later he contracted an illness. Qian knew that his time had arrived, and said: "Ascending the golden lotus, sitting in the jade pond, the lotus opening to see the Buddha—this is precisely the time! What I wish to pray sincerely for is that the ocean-like assembly become my true friends in the Dharma, and Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta become my good guides; beyond this, I have no other vows." That night, at the North Monastery of Shanyin, there was a nun named Jingyan. While she was taking a nap, she suddenly saw Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta descending from on high with hundreds of thousands of beings. Banners, flowers, standards, and canopies shone with light rivalling the sun and moon. When Jingyan saw them, she both bowed and gazed up, and stepped forward to ask: "Where are the Great Beings going?" They replied: "We are going to Jiaxiang Monastery to welcome Master Qian." That night, Qian also obtained auspicious signs beforehand on his own. Soon he informed his disciples, and peacefully passed away.

1.10

Shi Sengji: it is not clear where he was from, nor is it known under whom he shaved his head and took as master. During the Jin'an era, he once entered Mount Lu to inquire about the Path from Master Huiyuan. In both internal [Buddhist] and external [secular] classics and texts, he penetrated the profound essentials. Huiyuan often said to him: "To continue and glorify the Great Dharma with me—are you not the one?" Because of his keen and awakened understanding, Ji was praised by Huiyuan; whenever he lectured and debated, the people of the time mostly admired and yielded to him. When he became ill and bedridden, sinking into weakness, he wished to rise but could not do so for three days. Huiyuan sent him a candle and gave it to him, saying: "You may rely on this to establish your mind on Anyang." Ji received his intention, grasped the candle, and stilled his thoughts; he also invited the monks to chant the Contemplation Sūtra in the evening. As the water clock ran down and the stars turned, nearly at the fifth watch, Ji handed the candle he held to his disciple Yuanbi, to carry it among the monks. Shortly thereafter, he felt himself holding a candle and walking through empty space; he was received by Amitābha Buddha and placed upon his palm, traveling throughout the ten directions to serve all the buddhas. In a short while, when he awoke, he fully related this to Bi and the others. Soon he rejoiced and said: "By one night of contemplative mindfulness, I have received the Buddha's reception and guidance. The Buddha's great compassion arrives together with mindfulness!" By the next evening, he again saw transformed buddhas and transformed bodhisattvas gathering in the sky, appearing and disappearing. He said again to Bi: "The transformed buddhas have come; I shall depart!" Thereupon, turning his gaze to the west, with a single breath he passed away. For more than three months after his passing, during the blazing summer heat, his flesh did not decay.

1.11

Shi Huigong, whose lay surname was Gong, was a native of Fengcheng in Yuzhang. Ever since he entered the Buddhist order, he was on terms of closest friendship with the three Dharma masters Sengguang, Huikan, and Huilan. In diligent scholarship Lan and the others were hardly a match for Gong, yet regarding the Pure Land, they cultivated and immersed themselves deeply, anchoring their aspirations and reflections there; Gong did not match them in this. Lan once said to him, “Does your diligent learning and vast erudition truly aid you on the Buddha-path? It is merely a deaf man playing music. Have you not heard the clear reproach of the sage? Will you bear that reproach?” Gong replied, “Why should that be so? Learning cannot be abandoned—this is the consensus of wise men. Who, before dying, would willingly remain dim-witted like a fool?” Seven years later, Lan and the others all passed away, and at their deaths each had prior omens. Five years later—in the eleventh year of the Yixi reign-era of the Jin dynasty—Gong fell ill. During his illness he reflected repeatedly: “Lan and the others have already died, whereas I am entangled and oppressed by the suffering of sickness, agitated and without any reliance.” He then said, “Swept along through the six destinies, where will it ever stop?” As his condition grew critical, he further lamented, “Between death and birth, going and coming, where shall I return?” Thereupon he knocked his head until it bled and pledged his resolve to Anyang; though his illness and suffering were extreme, his mindfulness never lapsed for an instant. One day he beheld with his own eyes the Buddha Amitāyus advancing to welcome him with a purple-golden dais. Gong felt his body mount that golden dais, from which light streamed forth like clusters of various jewels. He also saw Sengguang, Huikan, and Huilan of former days amidst that light, who joyfully said to him, “The place of the Elder's rebirth is already in the superior grade! The feelings in our hearts are beyond consoling and delighting. We only reflect that your delay in the five defilements has made our reunion in the Pure Land so late.” On that day, Gong suddenly felt his body and mind freed from all pain. He exerted himself to rise, spoke of this, and then expired.

1.12

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.

1.13

Shi Sengrui was a native of Guantao in Wei. At the age of eighteen, he first served Sengxian as a disciple; outside of washing the robes and sandals, his learning vied with time. By the age of twenty, he had comprehensively mastered Buddhist scriptures and was also versed in Confucian texts. Once, when listening to Senglang lecturing on the Fangguang jing (Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā), he repeatedly raised subtle difficulties. Lang said to Xian, “Rui's discernment surpasses ordinary men. The difficulties he recently posed remained unresolved even after my repeated contemplation. He may truly be called a worthy disciple of a worthy master!” Rui, regarding himself as abiding in the stage of learning, had not yet been able to balance wisdom with the practice of samādhi; moreover, the subtleties of dhyāna samādhi were obscure in their stages. He said, “Although the texts of the sūtras are scarce, they suffice to understand cause and effect; yet because the methods of dhyāna have not been transmitted, there is nowhere to place one's mind.” When Kumārajīva later arrived in Guanzhong and translated the three-fascicle Chan yao (Essentials of Dhyāna), Rui was the first to obtain it. Day and night he cultivated and practiced it, eventually mastering the five methods and entering the six states of tranquility with skill. Yao Song, the illegitimate Minister of Works, held his admirable conduct in high esteem and treated him with great deference. The Qin ruler Yao Xing asked Song, “What manner of man is Master Rui?” Song replied, “He is truly a pine and cypress of Ye and Wei.” When Xing met him, he praised and took immense delight in him, saying in turn to Song, “Master Rui is an exemplar of the four seas; why merely a pine and cypress of Ye and Wei?” Thereupon his fair renown spread widely, and both near and far turned to his virtue. Rui assisted in correcting all the sūtras and treatises translated by Master Kumārajīva. Later, when the Chengshi lun (Tattvasiddhi-śāstra) was translated, Kumārajīva had Rui lecture on it. Kumārajīva looked at Rui and said, “In seven places in this treatise, the text refutes the Abhidharma, but the wording is somewhat obscure. If you can understand it without asking, you are truly preeminent.” When Rui expounded it, he indeed did not consult Kumārajīva. Kumārajīva sighed with praise: “In transmitting and translating texts, that I have met with you leaves me without any regrets!” Later, Rui composed prefaces to the Da zhi lun (Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa), the Shi'ermen lun (Dvādaśamukha-śāstra), the Zhong lun (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā), and other works, as well as prefaces to the Larger and Smaller Prajñāpāramitā, the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa, and the Viśeṣacintibrahmaparipṛcchā sūtras, all of which circulated in the world. Originally, Rui was disciplined in deportment and broadly propagated the scriptural teachings; he constantly dedicated all good deeds with the vow to be reborn in Anyang, so that whether sitting, lying, stepping, or halting, he seldom turned his back to the west. Later, without illness, he assembled the monks and announced, “My lifelong aspiration has resided in Anyang. As I see it, I will certainly attain rebirth there. Yet if my karmas of body, speech, and mind have not reached absolute faultlessness, I pray that you will bestow great compassion and forever be my Dharma friends.” Having thus opened his heart to the monks, he passed away while seated. On the day of Rui's passing, the monastery monks all saw five-colored smoke and vapor emerge from Rui's room, swirling and gradually drifting toward the west.

1.14

Shi Tanjian, whose lay surname was Zhao, was a native of Xiabo in Jizhou. From childhood he was weary of worldly life, and sought ordination under Zhu Daozu. In his studies he investigated the various sūtras and thoroughly mastered the treatises. Whenever there was a point in the treatises that he could not penetrate, he would say, “If a sage is not reborn, to whom shall I attach myself?” Later, hearing that Kumārajīva had entered the passes, he took up his staff and went to him, resolving the doubts in his mind and deducing the rest from a single corner. Upon Kumārajīva's passing, Jian said, “Unfortunately, Master Kumārajīva has departed this world, and I have nowhere to resolve my questions.” He then went to the mountain monastery of Jiangling. In his declining years, his conduct was exceptionally scrupulous. He constantly vowed to ascend to Anyang in person and behold Amitābha face to face; therefore, even the slightest speck of merit was entirely dedicated to this end. One day while in samādhi, he saw Amitābha Buddha holding a golden vase with both hands, who sprinkled water upon his face and said, “I wash away your defilements and purify your mental thoughts, causing both your body and speech to become utterly pure.” Thereupon, from the vase the Buddha drew forth a lotus flower and bestowed it upon him. Emerging from samādhi, Jian said to his disciple Huiyan, “You have the causal conditions of contemplation regarding the Pure Land; between me and you, nothing should be concealed.” He then recounted what he had seen. Nearly three days later, the disciple Daoji took his leave to travel to Shangming. Jian said, “If you disciples cannot ascend to Anyang and escape the Sahā world, rushing about between north and south, what will it ultimately amount to?” Then he added, “If you can heed my words, when you come another day I shall still be here; otherwise, your retribution will shift according to karma.” That evening, Jian recounted past days with the monastery monks, also revealing his intention of departing forever; none of the hearers could fathom it. Late into the night, the novice Sengyuan was attending at his side. Jian looked back and said, “The night is deep and the lamp-oil is spent; why are you still here?” Sengyuan withdrew. Jian then walked alone under the veranda reciting the name of Amitābha Buddha. As the fifth watch drew near, his voice grew even more impassioned. At dawn, when Yan and the others came to pay their customary respects, they saw Jian sitting cross-legged and speechless. Approaching to look, they found he had already passed away. Yan and the others did not cover him with a coffin; for fully thirty days his limbs remained supple and smooth, and a fragrance like that of lotuses emanated from within. At the same time, there were also Shi Daohai of Jiangling, Shi Tanhong of Huainan, Shi Daoguang of Dongyuan, and Shi Daoguang of Hongnong, who all directed their minds toward Anyang. When they departed this world, Guang and the others all stated that they witnessed with their own eyes golden daises, jeweled nets, and kalaviṅka and jīvaṃjīvaka birds appearing before them.

1.15

Shi Tanhong was a native of Huanglong, or, as some say, of Gaoyou in Guangling. During the Yongchu reign-era of the Song dynasty, he traveled south to Panyu and stayed at Tai Monastery. Later he went to Xianshan Monastery in Jiaozhi. Outside of offering incense and fire, he engaged in nothing else. He chanted the Amitāyus Sūtra and the Contemplation Sūtra times beyond count. Hong often thought, “A single body has myriad distractions, and correct mindfulness is hard to preserve; one should take advantage of correct mindfulness to see Amitābha early.” For this reason, he gathered firewood in a mountain valley to make a pyre. One day, he secretly entered the firewood and stated aloud, “I pray to cast off this retribution body and swiftly behold the golden countenance, never falling into the various realms of existence within the three realms.” Thereupon he set fire to it. His disciples chased after him, reached him, and carried him back to the monastery. However, the burned half of his body was already charred and ulcerated; yet before a month had passed, the wounds completely healed. The next day, the local villagers held a solemn great assembly, and the entire monastery attended. On that day, Hong again went into the rocky valley, piled up firewood, and burned himself. When the villagers ran to save him, Hong had already passed away. They then added more firewood and stoked the flames, which were consumed only after the sun moved. His disciples gathered his remaining bones and obtained several hundred relics (śarīra); striking them with stones, sparks and flames immediately burst forth, yet in the end they showed no crack. The next day, someone saw Hong's body colored golden yellow, riding a golden deer and heading west with great haste. When asked, he did not reply; when asked again, he merely raised one hand, pointing toward the west. Someone pressed on and pursued him, but the distance between them grew ever wider, and in the end could not be overtaken.

1.16

The nun Fasheng, whose secular surname was Nie, was a native of Qinghe in Bei Commandery. At the end of the Eastern Jin, she took refuge in Jinling. During the Yuanjia era of the Song dynasty, she first left the household at Jianfu Monastery. Her talent, intelligence, and insightful understanding were all completely endowed by nature. Fasheng, in the twilight of her years, had drifted to the imperial capital; simply because her fate chanced upon a reign of prosperity, her heart nevertheless constantly cherished her old homeland. She then said, 'When passion follows upon passion, how can thoughts not arise? Only by relying on the Buddha's path can they be eliminated.' Thereupon, following Dharma Master Yu of Daochang Monastery, she received the Bodhisattva Precepts. By day she would open and lay out the profound texts; by evening she would serene herself in the flavor of the principle. As the years gradually accumulated, her spirit grew lucid and rich. Though said to be in her declining years, she surpassed those in their prime. Constantly desiring to pull her steps out of the three realms and keep pace with the nine grades [of rebirth], she accordingly set out the sixteen contemplations and also depicted the eight ponds, so as to fix her thoughts upon them. On the twenty-seventh day of the ninth month of the sixteenth year, beneath the stupa of the monastery where she lived, she was paying homage to the image of Amitābha when toward evening she took ill, which gradually grew critical. As Fasheng was lightly asleep, she saw Amitābha Buddha and two bodhisattvas riding clouds of variegated blossoms, from which emanated precious light that shone down upon Fasheng. At this time, various nuns knocked on her door to inquire after her illness and saw that her room was overflowing with brilliant light; wondering at it, they questioned her. Fasheng said, 'Just now in my light sleep, I saw Amitābha Buddha and two bodhisattvas before me, and they shone light upon me again. Could it be that the Buddha in his compassion is delivering me?' As soon as she finished speaking, she expired. At that time, Zhang Bian of Wu Commandery, Grand Protector of Yuzhang, who had always revered her, composed a biography for her.

1.17

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.

1.18

Shi Huijin, whose secular surname was Yao, was a native of Wucheng in Wuxing. By nature he was brave, valiant, and fond of chivalric deeds. At the age of forty, realizing that his body was like a dream and an illusion, he went to Gaozuo Monastery in the capital Yangdu and left the household. Because Jin had left the household in middle age, he could not probe the mysteries of the perfect and sudden [teaching], so he vowed to recite the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka to finish out his remaining retribution body. He applied his mind so laboriously that, holding the scrolls, he fell ill. He sighed and said, 'Could it be that my karmic obstacles are so deep and heavy, and the Tathāgata's teaching so hard to master?' He then made another vow to produce a hundred sets of the scripture to repent of his past obstacles. At first, he gathered sixteen hundred cash. One night, a band of bandits came to raid; Jin was neither startled nor disturbed, but only bowed his body, pressed his palms together, and pointed to the money, saying, 'This is scripture money, derived from the households of dānapatis; I possess nothing.' When the bandits heard this, they withdrew in shame and contrition. After this, he indeed completed the hundred sets. As the fascicles reached their full number, his illness also cleared up accordingly. Jin dedicated the merit he had achieved entirely to assist his rebirth in the Pure Land, his resolute vow being deep and firm. Presently, a voice from the sky announced to him, saying, 'Your task is already done, and your vow is also fulfilled. As for being born in the Pure Land, who could it be if not you?' Jin heard this and said, 'Jin originally did not dare hope for the superior grade; but even in the lowest of the low grades, there will be no falling back.' In the third year of the Yongming era of the Qi dynasty, he passed away without illness, at an age of over eighty.

1.19

Shi Huiguang, whose secular surname was Yang, was a native of Yifeng in Dingzhou. At the age of thirteen, he accompanied his father to Luoyang and met Chan Master Fotuo. Admiring his possession of the Way, he received the three refuges from him. Fotuo, seeing that Guang possessed extraordinary marks and would surely be able to propagate and bear the superior Dharma, encouraged him to follow the Buddha. Once Guang devoted himself to the Buddha's path, he applied himself diligently to study, memorizing several thousand words daily. In addition, he investigated profound purports as though guided by past awakening. Whenever inquiries were addressed to him at any time, Guang would surely give guidance that was clear and pleasant to hear. The people of Dingzhou called him the 'Holy Śrāmaṇera.' When he received full ordination, he greatly assisted the holy teaching. People of the time revered his virtue and often opened their purses to give to him, without an empty day all year round. Guang redirected all that was given to him to support the solitary and impoverished. He once composed commentaries on the Four-Part Vinaya, as well as the Avataṃsaka, the Nirvāṇa, the Daśabhūmika, and other texts, all exhausting the provisional and the real. Eminent worthies of the Qi dynasty, such as Supervisor Gao Longzhi and Marshall Linghu Ziru, all revered him. Yet, though Guang's practice was meticulous and arduous, he had never definitively settled upon which Buddha-land to entrust his rebirth to. When his illness reached an extreme gravity, heavenly hosts suddenly appeared. Guang then devoted his utmost sincerity, prostrating his head to the ground to beg to return to Anyang. In less than an instant, he saw the transformation buddhas and transformation bodhisattvas of the Pure Land filling the empty sky. Guang said, 'May the Buddha alone gather me in and fulfill my original vow!' He also said to his disciples, 'The transformation buddhas and bodhisattvas are beyond number. If I can lift my robes and follow behind them, my wish will be satisfied.' Thereupon, snapping his fingers and clearing his throat, his words and breath ceased together.

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