淨土往生傳 1.17

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.