淨土往生傳 3

English (machine translation) 3

Language: English

3.1

Seventeen persons in the main biographies (three persons appended)

Shi Sengxuan of Bingzhou under the Tang (with Qifang and Yuanguo appended)
Shi Biancai of Shuofang under the Tang
Shi Fazhao of Mount Wutai under the Tang
Shi Zijue of Zhenzhou under the Tang
Shi Huaiyu of Taizhou under the Tang
Shi Qihan of Wujun under the Tang
Shi Shenghao of Wujun under the Tang
Shi Shaokang of Muzhou under the Tang
Shi Zhixuan of Pengzhou under the Tang
Shi Sengzang of Fenzhou under the Tang
Shi Daxing of Yanzhou under the Tang
Shi Weigong of Jingzhou under the Tang (with Lingkui appended)
Shi Hongju of Wenzhou under the Later Tang
Shi Zhitong of Fengxiang under the Later Jin
Shi Shaoyan of Qiantang under the Great Song
Shi Shouzhen of the Eastern Capital under the Great Song
Shi Wu'en of Yuhang under the Great Song

3.3

Shi Sengxuan was a native of Shouyang in Bingzhou. In his youth, he contemplated Maitreya and aspired to be born in the Inner Court. When he reached the age of ninety, he met Chan Master Daochuo, who guided and encouraged him with the Pure Land. Though he had not yet awakened, he then turned his mind [toward it]. Since Sengxuan was pressed by his declining years and had accumulated little merit, he thereafter made a thousand bows before the Buddha and recited the Buddha's name ten thousand times each morning and evening. Awake or asleep, he diligently urged himself on, fearful and vigilant without slackening for three years. In the ninth year of Zhenyuan he fell ill, and when his condition became grave, he said to his disciples: "I am a man of outflows; now that I am afflicted with this illness, who would have thought that Amitābha would confer upon me a fragrant robe, and Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta would show me their jeweled hands? From here westward, all is the realm of the Pure Land. I shall follow the Buddha and depart!" He then passed away. Seven days after his passing, an extraordinary fragrance had not dispersed. Because of this, the people of Bingzhou and Fenzhou developed faith in the Pure Land. At that time, at Wuzhen Monastery west of Fen, there were two Dharma masters, Qifang and Yuanguo. Formerly, they had respected Sengxuan for his old age, and moreover had witnessed these events with their own eyes. They therefore repented and revealed their past transgressions before a statue of Avalokiteśvara, and broke a willow branch, placing it in Avalokiteśvara's hand, vowing: "If we, Qifang and the other, truly have an affinity with the Pure Land, let this willow branch not wither for seven days!" When the time came, the willow branch was even more luxuriant. Qifang and Yuanguo rejoiced and clapped their hands, and joining night to day, did not abandon their contemplation and recitation. Several months later, one night during their contemplation, they suddenly became aware of themselves approaching a great pool of seven jewels. In the pool was a great jeweled canopy, and they entered within it. They also saw Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta seated on jeweled lotus daises, beneath which lotus blossoms fully filled [the space by] tens of thousands. Amitābha came from the west and sat upon the largest lotus blossom, and the blossoms emitted radiance that mutually shone upon one another. Qifang and the other stepped forward, bowed, and asked: "Can the sentient beings of Jambudvīpa be born here by reciting the Buddha's name according to the sūtras?" The Buddha told Qifang: "If they recite my name, all will be born in my land; there is not a single thought [of my name] that does not bring rebirth." They also saw that the ground of that land was as flat as the palm of a hand, with jeweled banners and pearl nets interlinked above and below. They also saw a monk driving a jeweled chariot who came swiftly and said to Qifang and the other: "I am Dharmākara. Because of the cause of past vows, I have come to welcome you." Qifang and the other mounted the chariot and proceeded forward, and felt their bodies sitting upon jeweled lotuses. They also heard Śākyamuni Tathāgata and the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī praising the Pure Land with Brahmā voices. In front of them was a great hall, which had three tiers of jeweled stairs. Upon the first tier were purely laypeople. Upon the second tier, monastics and laypeople were half and half. Upon the third tier, there were only monastics and no laypeople. The Buddha pointed to the monastics and laypeople on the stairs and said to Qifang: "These are all people from Jambudvīpa who practiced buddhānusmṛti and were thereupon born here. Why do you not exert yourselves?" After Qifang and Yuanguo awoke, they related all this to their companions. After five days, neither had any illness, but they suddenly heard the sound of a bell. Asking the nearby monks, all said they did not hear it. Qifang and Yuanguo said: "The sound of the bell is our affair; it is not for you." In no time at all, both passed away together.

3.4

Shi Biancai's secular surname was Li, and he was a native of Xiangyang. When his mother was pregnant with him, she suddenly abhorred meat and pungent foods. On the night of his birth, a fragrant aroma filled the room. At the age of seven, he went forth under Chan Master Ji of Mount Xian. At sixteen, he shaved his head and was registered at Dayun Monastery in his home prefecture. Next, he traveled widely through various commanderies, thoroughly investigating the scriptures and texts. Later, hearing of the Dharma gate of Vinaya Master Huaiwei of Anguo Monastery in Chang'an, he gazed up to him and went in person to request instruction, whereupon he attained great accomplishment. In the fourteenth year of Tianbao of the Tang, Emperor Xuanzong, considering that the people of the north were endowed with a fierce and resolute disposition which had formed into a custom, and that many in the monasteries practiced riding and archery, decreed that Biancai serve as an instructor, ascending the platform to train and tame them. Early in the Zhide era, when Emperor Suzong ascended the throne, the Chief Minister Du Hongjian and others memorialized that he reside at Longxing Monastery, and an imperial decree added the post of Instructor within the Shuofang Jurisdiction so that he might admonish and encourage them in order to reform the corrupt customs. When An Lushan rebelled against the dynasty, shedding blood along the Yellow and Luo rivers, Biancai feigned illness, cut off all sound, and did not speak for three years. After An Lushan's troops were defeated, Emperor Suzong repeatedly issued imperial edicts to express praise. In the third year of Dali, an imperial decree appointed him as a Great Virtuous One of Zhangxin Monastery. At that time, the Prefectural Commander Lord Chang of the Guo State and the Defense Commissioner Lord Ren, though admiring Biancai's reputation, had not yet bowed in greeting to him in person; when they personally discussed the Way with him, their admiration deepened even more. Regarding the Pure Land, Biancai had practiced secretly and made hidden progress for some twenty years without ever speaking of it to others. When interacting with Lord Ren, he then said: "With this phantom body, I have already reached declining years. When my years are exhausted and my body dies, I will surely be born in the Pure Land. The period for fulfilling this rebirth—will it not be ten years?" In the autumn of the thirteenth year, he fell ill. When it reached the eighth day of late winter, he said to his disciples: "Go to Lord Ren and tell him: 'The period that was previously promised has now reached ten years. May your Lordship not forget it.'" The disciples reported his words, and Lord Ren said: "Could the Master be bidding farewell to me?" He hastily made an appointment with Lord Chang to go and inquire after him. When the two lords reached the gate, someone reported: "Lord Ren has arrived." Biancai said: "Since he has arrived, I shall depart." He then sat cross-legged and serenely passed away. At that time, Shi Yong, a townsman serving on the city wall, heard music coming from the west played in ensemble, and also smelled various wondrous fragrances drifting down from the west, which grew even more intense by the clear morning.

3.5

Shi Fazhao: It is not known where he was from. In the second year of the Dali reign of the Tang dynasty, he resided at Yunfeng Monastery in Hengzhou. For his compassionate forbearance, precepts, and concentration, he was revered by his contemporaries. One morning, while eating in the sangha hall, he saw five-colored clouds within his alms bowl. Within the clouds was a monastery. To the northeast of the monastery was a great mountain. On the mountain was a ravine, and north of the ravine was a stone gate. About five li beyond the gate, there was another monastery with a golden plaque inscribed: “Monastery of the Great Sage’s Bamboo Grove.” Though Zhao saw it with his own eyes, his heart still felt unsettled. On another day at mealtime, he again saw five-colored clouds in his bowl. Within the clouds appeared several monasteries, completely free of the foulness of worldly mountains and forests, a realm of pure gold where ponds, terraces, and multi-storied pavilions were interspersed with myriad treasures, and an assembly of ten thousand bodhisattvas dwelt therein. Within it were all kinds of exquisite signs of the Buddhas’ adorned and pure lands. Rejoicing at what he had seen, Zhao inquired about it. Two monks, Jiayan and Tanrui, said, “The transformations of holy beings cannot be fathomed by ordinary sentiments. Judging from the disposition of the mountains and streams, it is none other than Mount Wutai.” In the summer of the fourth year, Zhao inaugurated a five-session buddhānusmṛti sanctuary at Hudong Monastery in Hengzhou. On the second day of the sixth month of that year, auspicious five-colored clouds covered the monastery completely. Within the clouds were also pavilions, and upon the pavilions were several Indian monks, each about a zhang in height, holding锡 staves and circumambulating in practice. He also saw Amitābha Buddha and two bodhisattvas, their bodies vast and tall, equal to the realm of empty space. When evening came, outside the sanctuary Zhao met an old man who said, “You previously made a vow to pay homage to the Great Sage in the golden realm; why have you now abruptly stopped?” Zhao said, “The times are difficult and the road is treacherous; how could I not stop?” The old man said, “If you only set out swiftly, then how could the journey be difficult?” Before Zhao had time to reply, the old man vanished. Because of the wondrous spectacles he had witnessed, Zhao renewed his vow, saying, “I vow to offer this body to behold the Great Sage; even if I must cross heaps of fire and rivers of ice, I shall never turn back or become remiss.” On the thirteenth day of the eighth month of that year, together with several like-minded companions, he set out from Mount Nanyue; indeed, there were no dangers. On the fifth day of the fourth month of the fifth year, they reached Wutai County and saw several rays of light south of the monastery in the distance. On the sixth day, they arrived at Foguang Monastery, which matched exactly what he had seen in his bowl without the slightest discrepancy. At the fourth watch of that night, an extraordinary light again came from the north and shone upon Zhao. Not knowing what to make of it, Zhao asked, “What kind of omen is this? Is it auspicious or calamitous?” A resident monk said, “This is the inconceivable light of the Great Sage, gathering in your body and mind; why do you even ask?” Hearing this, Zhao immediately adjusted his dignified demeanor and proceeded forward to a monastery. About five li to the northeast of the monastery, there was indeed a mountain. On the mountain was a ravine, and north of the ravine was a stone gate. Beside the gate were two boys in blue robes, barely eight or nine years old, with handsome features; one was named Sudhana (Shancai) and the other Nanda. They led Zhao through the gate. Walking north for nearly five li, he saw a golden gate with a tower above it. Beside that tower was another monastery. On the monastery gate was a large golden plaque inscribed: “Monastery of the Great Sage’s Bamboo Grove.” The monastery measured about twenty li in circumference, with more than a hundred compounds, and every compound possessed jeweled pagodas, with the ground made of yellow gold and filled with flowering terraces and jade trees. Zhao entered the lecture hall of the monastery and saw Mañjuśrī in the west and Samantabhadra in the east, both seated upon elevated lion thrones. The sounds of their expounding the Dharma were distinctly audible. To Mañjuśrī’s left and right were tens of thousands of bodhisattvas, and Samantabhadra was likewise surrounded by various bodhisattvas. Before the two bodhisattvas, Zhao made prostrations and asked, “Ordinary beings in the terminal age are shallow and inferior in wisdom and understanding; the mind-ground of Buddha-nature has no means to manifest. I do not know which Dharma door is the most essential to cultivate? I only pray that the Great Sages will cut through my web of doubts.” Mañjuśrī said, “The question you ask is just at the proper time. Among all the doors of cultivation, none surpasses buddhānusmṛti. In eons past, because of buddhānusmṛti, I attained omniscience. Therefore, all phenomena, prajñāpāramitā, profound dhyāna-contemplations, and even the ocean of the Buddhas’ samyaksaṃbuddha knowledge, all arise from buddhānusmṛti.” Zhao asked, “How should one practice buddhānusmṛti?” Mañjuśrī said, “West of this world is Amitābha Buddha. That Buddha’s vow-power is inconceivable. You should continuously practice recollection without interruption; after your life ends, you will definitively attain rebirth.” When he spoke these words, the two great bodhisattvas extended their golden-colored arms, rubbed Zhao’s crown, and bestowed a prophecy upon him, saying, “Because of the inconceivability of buddhānusmṛti, you shall ultimately realize unsurpassed awakening. If good men and good women wish swiftly to escape, they should practice buddhānusmṛti.” Then the two bodhisattvas recited gāthās to each other; having heard them, Zhao leaped with even greater joy. Mañjuśrī also said, “You may go to the various bodhisattvas’ compounds, make a pilgrimage, and receive their instructions.” Zhao acted according to his words, going round to request instructions. Next, he arrived at a garden of seven-jeweled flowers. Coming out from that garden, he bowed and took his leave before the Great Sages. He saw the two boys in blue robes from before, Sudhana and Nanda, escorting him outside the gate. Zhao bowed again, and when he raised his head, they had all vanished. On the thirteenth day, Zhao went with more than fifty monks to the Diamond Cave, the place where Asanga had seen the Great Sage. Suddenly he saw that the ground was vast, adorned, and pure, with lapis lazuli and myriad jewels forming palaces and halls. Mañjuśrī, Samantabhadra, some ten thousand bodhisattvas, and Buddhapāli were also among them. Having witnessed this, Zhao returned to the monastery with the assembly. At the third watch of that night, on the western pavilion of the Huayan Compound, he saw five lamps halfway up the eastern crags and valleys of the monastery, each more than a foot square. Zhao said, “I vow that they divide into a hundred lamps to illuminate one side.” The lamps divided as he wished. He vowed again that they divide into a thousand torches, and the torches did likewise, arranged in rows facing each other, their lights interpenetrating. The extraordinary sights within the light filled the mountains and plains. Zhao again went forward to the Diamond Cave, wishing to see the Great Sage. Around the third watch, he saw an Indian monk who called himself Buddhapāli, who led him into a monastery. On the first day of the twelfth month, in the Huayan Compound, he entered a buddhānusmṛti sanctuary. In the sanctuary, he repeatedly recollected that the two bodhisattvas, Mañjuśrī and Samantabhadra, had told him, “You shall ultimately realize unsurpassed awakening,” and had also prophesied to him that by practicing recollection of Amitābha Buddha, he would definitively attain rebirth. Thereupon he recollected the Buddha single-mindedly. While he was practicing recollection of the Buddha, suddenly he saw the Indian monk from before enter the sanctuary and say, “Your flower terrace in the Pure Land has already come into being; after three years, when the flower opens, you shall arrive there. But why do you not make the Bamboo Grove and other monasteries that you saw known to all living beings?” Hearing this, Zhao recalled what he had seen previously; he thus engaged artisans to carve stone and also built a special monastery at the place where he had seen the Bamboo Grove Monastery, naming it Bamboo Grove. When the monastery was completed, Zhao said, “My work is finished; how could I linger here for long?” Within a few days, he passed away. Calculating backward, it was indeed three years from when he had heard the Indian monk’s words.

3.6

Shi Zijue was a native of Wangdu in Boling. At the age of ten, he served Zhiqin of Kaiyuan Monastery in his home commandery as a disciple. Qin, observing that his aspirations were uncommon, named him Zijue (“Self-Awakening”) and teased him, saying, “Hearing your name and reflecting on its meaning, could it not bring you benefit?” Jue said, “The Buddha-seed arises from conditions; how could I forget your clear instruction?” In the second year of the Zhide reign of the Tang dynasty, he received the full precepts. He went north to Chanfa Monastery in Lingshou and studied various sūtras and vinaya texts of both the Mahāyāna and Hīnayāna vehicles, distinguishing their branches clearly. After a long time, he reflected, “Human affairs are chaotic, renewing themselves ten-thousandfold each day. If I were to enter Mount Tai and find a flat boulder upon which to tie a thatched hut to dwell, that would suffice.” In the first year of the Dali reign, he obtained the Chonglin Compound west of Pingshan. Jue said, “In an empty mountain with no people, vexations do not arise. In a place where vexations do not arise, how could it be right for the Buddha’s teaching to go unheard? Indeed, the way of spirits and ghosts is present here.” Thereupon, for three years, morning and evening he lectured and practiced for the hidden spirits. In the fifth year, there was a great drought, and bands of bandits swarmed like bees; in addition, the forest at the foot of the mountain was dense and overgrown, with the tracks of tigers and wolves crossing. Jue gathered fruits to serve as his single daily meal. Zhang Zhao, the military commissioner of Hengyang, because of the protracted drought and having heard that Jue’s rigorous asceticism had repeatedly elicited auspicious responses, personally entered the mountain and petitioned him, saying, “Zhao lacks governmental skill, and calamity has burdened the common people. For three years the sun has blazed, and not a drop of moisture has fallen. Blaming myself and taking the fault upon myself truly brings no remedy.” He also said, “Zhao has heard that dragon kings rely on the master to listen to the Dharma, and together with their companions, they have forgotten to bestow rain. I pray you take pity on the common folk to arouse great compassion; then Zhao’s sincerity will not have been in vain.” Jue then burned incense, gazed toward the pool and cave, and prayed, “The purpose of dragons is to provide rain and bring abundant moisture; if they provide neither moisture nor rainfall, what virtue do dragons possess?” In no time, clouds and mist arose on all four sides, and sweet rain poured down abundantly. That year, the people of Hengyang had a bountiful harvest. Ever since Jue entered the Dharma, he had made forty-nine vows; one of those vows was that he wished to be received and see Amitābha through the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion [Avalokiteśvara]. Thereupon he gathered donations and cast an image of Great Compassion forty-nine feet high, building a temple to house it. When the temple was completed, he lavishly arranged Buddhist services, bowed down prostrate before the image of Great Compassion, and wept, saying, “The holy form is completed, and the pure sanctuary is built. I pray that, relying on holy power, I may quickly ascend to Anyang.” At the third watch of that night, suddenly two rays of auspicious light appeared, of an intermediate golden color. Within the light, Amitābha Buddha descended upon a cloud, with Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta accompanying him on left and right. The Buddha lowered his golden arm, placed his hand upon Jue’s head, and said, “Keep your vow and do not waver; put benefiting beings first. When you are born in the jeweled pond, what will not be according to your wish?” Presently the light withdrew and the clouds dispersed, leaving no trace behind. Eleven years later, on the full moon night of the seventh month, he again saw a person manifest half a body amidst the clouds, appearing in the likeness of Vaiśravaṇa, who looked down and said to Jue, “The time for Anyang has arrived at this moment.” On the same day, Jue told his disciples what he had seen and admonished them to be diligent and vigorous in the Tathāgata’s Dharma, never giving rise to laxity. Soon after, before the image of Great Compassion, he sat cross-legged and transformed his consciousness. His disciples wished to escort his sacred casket back to his former mountain, but the people of the prefecture pleaded earnestly to keep him; they thereupon relocated his pagoda south of Dabei Monastery.

3.7

Shi Huaiyu was a native of Danqiu whose secular surname was Gao. He concentrated his thoughts on pure karma for nearly forty years. Daily he recited the name of Amitābha Buddha fifty thousand times and recited various sūtras to a total of three million fascicles. On the ninth day of the sixth month in the first year of the Tianbao reign of the Tang dynasty, while Yu was practicing buddhānusmṛti, he suddenly saw the holy multitude of the western region as numerous as the sands of the Ganges. Among them was a person holding a silver dais in his hands, who came forward and showed it to Yu. Yu said, “One such as Huaiyu originally hoped for a golden dais; why has a silver dais arrived?” As soon as the words were spoken, the dais vanished and the person disappeared as well. From then on, Yu applied himself with even greater diligence and austerity. After three weeks (twenty-one days), the one who had previously held the silver dais returned and announced, “Because of the master’s diligence and austerity, you have attained promotion to the highest grade.” He also said, “Those reborn in the highest grade must first see the Buddha; you should sit cross-legged to await the Buddha.” Before one could turn on one’s heel, an extraordinary light illuminated the room. Yu then gestured to the people with his hand, saying, “Do not touch this radiance; I wish to tread upon it and depart.” After three more days, the extraordinary light shone again. His disciples, suspecting he was departing the world, gathered around to question him. Yu said, “It is not yet the time.” He also said, “If you disciples smell an extraordinary fragrance, my karmic retribution will then be exhausted.” The next day, his disciple Huiming said, “When this retribution is surely exhausted, in which land will you take birth?” Yu did not answer, but only wrote a six-line gāthā: / “Pure, bright, and spotless, / The lotus flower transformed into birth serves as my parents. / Having cultivated the path through ten eons, I came forth, / Appearing in Jambudvīpa, weary of all suffering. / A single lifetime of austere practice surpasses ten eons; / Departing forever from the Sahā world, I return to the Pure Land.” / When the gāthā was finished, an aroma arose from all four directions. Among the disciples, there were those who saw the Buddha and the two bodhisattvas riding together on a golden dais, with hundreds and thousands of transformation buddhas descending from the west beside the dais to welcome Yu. With reverent and respectful joined palms, smiling gently, Yu returned forever.

3.8

Shi Qihan, courtesy name Dengzhi, was a son of the Shen family of Wuxing. His great-great-grandfather was a Chancellor of the Directorate of Education under the Chen dynasty; his great-grandfather was an Aide of Wei Prefecture under the Sui; his grandfather and father did not take office. In his youth, Han visited a monastery; treading upon this lofty, tranquil, and dustless ground, he was moved with a deep awareness of his past lives, and the places where he had previously been born became as clear as if seen with his own eyes. Thereupon he renounced the household life. In the eighth year of the Tianbao era of the Tang, he was attached to Yongding Monastery in his home prefecture. In the ninth year, he ascended the fivefold platform at Kaiyuan Monastery [to receive the precepts]. In the third year of the Dali era, he was transferred to Wuqiu [Monastery] in Liangzhou. Clerics and layfolk arrived day after day to take refuge and pay respect to him. Yet Han by nature did not cater to the times, and did not pursue fame through good deeds. Whenever he stayed alone in a room, it was as silent as though no one were there. He was solely devoted to arduous study, never wasting an inch of time, mastering the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka, various other sūtras, and the vinaya texts with exceptional clarity and discernment. He promoted and elucidated the sublime practice, guiding and drawing forward junior scholars. He once said to Jiaoran of Wuxing: “To the utmost of what I see, let it aid what others hear; may every hair's breadth of good all revert to the Pure Land.” In the tenth year, he fell ill and entered a Flowing Water Buddhānusmṛti Practice Center; the landscape of the Pure Land manifested abruptly in a single thought. When Han came out of the practice center, he composed a gāthā: / “The flowing water stirs, its waves rippling; / The lotuses reflect one another, accompanied by jeweled light. / Riding the light to journey on, who will be my companions?” / On that day, he passed away at the Eastern Monastery of Huqiu, at the age of sixty-eight, having been thirty-six years a monk. Earlier, when Han came out of the practice center and finished composing the gāthā, he said to his disciples, “Good must not be abandoned, and time must not be lost. Can you all remain steadfast in the good of Anyang?” His disciples replied, “Who would dare forget it?” Han said, “If you do not forget the Buddha's path, your virtue will thereby flourish.” Someone asked, “When a venerable preceptor departs this life, why should he suffer illness?” Han said, “The appointed time of passing is unavoidable even for the sages; how much less can I avoid it!” Thereupon he turned to gaze upon the sacred image, and in an instant he expired.

3.9

Shi Shenhao, courtesy name Changqing, had the secular surname Xu; his ancestors were from the Northern Qi. His great-grandfather served the Chen dynasty, and thus the family settled in Wu. Hao possessed an expansive demeanor and a bright, outstanding air. In his youth, he served Master Huiyi of the practice center. In the sixth year of the Tianbao era, an imperial edict was issued directing that three monks be ordained in each commandery, and that those with superior reputation, moral integrity, and exceptional religious practice be recommended. Hao was the first to be recommended in his home commandery. Soon after, he relied on Master Tanyi of Kuaiji, thoroughly investigating the vinaya texts. Later, he sighed and said: “What the vinaya texts guard against is surely to restrain oneself. Monks of today discard the root to chase the branches; of those who can restrain themselves, I have never heard of any. Why should I make small-minded efforts merely to invite ridicule from the multitude?” Thereupon he returned to Fuyuan Monastery on Mount Bao, carefree and self-content. Literati praised his noble aspirations and gladly sought his company, so for a time his renown spread widely. In the first year of the Qianyuan era of the Tang, an imperial edict ordered that twenty-seven monasteries throughout the realm each recommend seven monks of great virtue to lecture continually on the vinaya precepts. Receiving the imperial decree, Hao reluctantly complied. Among the disciples who received the precepts from him were Lu Xiang, Prefect of Kaizhou, and Yan Sui, Supervising Secretary; among his disciples who embraced the Dao were Liu Taizhen, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Zhang Xiang, Reviewer of the Court of Judicial Review, and Li Jun, Surveillance Commissioner—all of whom admired his refined virtue as if they could never match it. In his later years, he established a Western Pure Land society to inspire clerics and layfolk alike. Among them, many were unable to shed worldly concerns and purify their six sense faculties; when they withdrew, people considered that ordinary timber naturally withers in a sandalwood forest. In the tenth month of the sixth year of the Zhenyuan era, he fell ill. On the fifth day of the twelfth month, he instructed his disciple Weiliang, saying: “Tonight I shall certainly pass away. That which I vow to be born into is the Pure Land. You should arrange the nine grades in rank to serve as my vanguard.” That night, signs of the Pure Land secretly manifested before him. Hao then bathed his body and changed his robes to bring his karmic lifespan to an end. For three days after his life ended, a fragrant aroma lingered in the room where he had resided.

3.10

Shi Shaokang had the secular surname Zhou and was a native of Xiandu in Jinyun. When his mother, of the Luo clan, first conceived him, she dreamed that she was wandering on Dinghu Peak and was approached by a jade maiden holding a blue lotus blossom, who presented it to her and said, “This blossom is auspicious; I bestow it upon you, and you shall give birth to an illustrious son.” When the day came for Kang to be born, a blue radiance filled the chamber, and its fragrance was like that of a lotus. In swaddling clothes, he had green eyes and vermilion lips, different from other children. Moreover, from birth he did not speak at all. A physiognomist said, “The extraordinary nature of this child cannot be measured; only, I do not understand why he does not speak.” At seven years of age, his mother entered Lingshan Monastery in their home commandery and brought him up to the hall. Pointing to the Buddha in the hall, she teased him, saying, “Do you revere the Buddha?” Kang immediately answered, “He is our Buddha, Śākya[muni]; who would not revere him?” Those who heard this were astonished, because he had never spoken since birth. His parents therefore allowed him to leave the household life. At the age of fifteen, he had memorized five collections of scriptures, including the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka and the Śūraṅgama-sūtras. Soon after, at Jiaxiang Monastery in Yuezhou, he thoroughly studied the vinaya. Later, he went to Longxing Monastery in Shangyuan to listen to lectures on the Avataṃsaka and various Yogācāra treatises. Early in the Zhenyuan era, he arrived at Baima Monastery in Luoyang, where he saw writings in the hall repeatedly radiating light. Kang could not fathom it, so he stepped forward and reached out to take them; they were texts on transforming and guiding beings to the Western Pure Land, formerly written by Shandao. Kang said, “If I have an affinity with the Pure Land, let this text radiate light again.” Before his wish was even finished, it indeed flashed anew. Kang said, “A kalpa-stone may be moved, but my vow shall never change.” He then went to Shandao's portrait hall in Chang'an and laid out vast offerings. Just as the offerings were laid out, he suddenly saw Shandao's remaining portrait rise into the air, saying to Kang: “If you rely upon my work to benefit and bring joy to sentient beings, then through your merit you will be born together [with me] in Anyang.” When Kang heard these words, it was as if he had experienced a realization. He went south to Guoyuan Monastery in Jiangling, where he met a monk along the road who told him: “If you wish to transform people, you should go to Xinding.” Having spoken, he disappeared. When Kang arrived in the commandery of Mu, no one among the people of Mu knew him yet, nor did they follow his teachings. Kang then begged for coins, using them to entice and guide small children, making an agreement with them: “Amitābha is truly your good guide. If you can recite his name once, I will give you one coin.” The children, striving to get the coins, recited it accordingly. After a month or so, children waiting for coins by reciting the Buddha's name were everywhere. Seeing that so many were waiting for coins, Kang said again, “You must recite ten times before you receive a coin.” The market children followed his agreement as well. After one year like this, whether male or female, young or old, noble or lowly, whenever anyone saw Kang, they would say, “Amitābha.” For this reason, the people of the city of Mu reciting the Buddha's name filled the roads. In the tenth year of the Zhenyuan era, Kang established a Pure Land practice center on Mount Wulong, building a three-tiered platform and gathering the people to practice the path at midnight. Every time the practice center was held, Kang would ascend the seat himself, having the men and women look at his mouth and take turns loudly chanting Amitābha's name, after which he would chant along in harmony with them. When Kang chanted, the assembly saw a Buddha emerge from his mouth; if he chanted ten times continuously, ten Buddhas appeared, resembling a string of pearls. Kang said, “Do you see the Buddhas? If you see the Buddhas, you will surely be born in the Pure Land.” Among the several thousand people paying homage to the Buddha, there were also those who never saw them at all. On the third day of the tenth month in the twenty-first year of the Zhenyuan era, he gave his final admonition to clerics and layfolk: “You should give rise to an aspiring mind toward Anyang, and give rise to a mind of revulsion and renunciation toward Jambudvīpa.” He also said, “If you can see light at this time, you are truly my disciples.” He then emitted several rays of extraordinary light and departed this life. A stupa for his grave was placed by Taizi Rock to the east of the prefecture. In the third year of the Qianyou era of the Later Han, Chan Master Deshao of Tiantai rebuilt it. People today often refer to his stupa as that of the “Latter Shandao.”

3.11

Shi Zhixuan, whose courtesy name was Houjue, had the secular surname Chen and was a native of Hongya in Meizhou. His mother, Lady Wei, dreamt that the moon entered her bosom, and subsequently gave birth to him. While being nursed in infancy, whenever he saw the Buddha he was overjoyed. At five years of age, his grandfather had him chant a poem on flowers, and he composed it upon the sounding of his voice. At seven years of age, he encountered Dharma Master Tai lecturing on the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra at Ningyi Monastery. Xuan entered the lecture hall as if viewing former [lives]. That night he dreamt that a Buddha's hand pressed upon his crown; he subsequently went forth from the household. At eleven, he had his hair shaved, and went to Xi'an Monastery in Tangxing, where he was transmitted forty-two fascicles of the Great Sūtra, Master [Hui]yuan's commentary, and Master Bian's complete tenets, amounting to 1.25 million words. In pointing out teachings to the black-robed monks, his manner already revealed maturity. At that time, Prime Minister Du Yuanying was governing western Shu. Hearing of Xuan's renown, he ordered him to lecture beneath the Samantabhadra Pavilion of Daci Monastery. Monastic and lay followers gathered by the myriad daily, listening attentively with all their hearts in endless astonishment and admiration. Thereafter, the people of Shu dared not address him by his name, but based on his secular surname called him 'Chen Bodhisattva'. At Jingzhong Monastery, Xuan listened to the Vinaya and thoroughly understood the Abhidharmakośa. He then followed his master down the Three Gorges, traveling through Jing and Xiang, arriving at Zisheng Monastery in the divine capital [Chang'an]. This monastery was a gathering place of great importance for practitioners of the three trainings from the four seas. As Xuan expounded sūtras and treatises, monastics and laypeople gazed up at him with veneration, and the shoes outside the hall grew more numerous day by day. Emperor Wenzong heard of him, summoned him into [the court] for consultation, and was greatly pleased with his spirit. Later he studied the Cheng weishi lun under Dharma Master Xin of Anguo [Monastery]. As for non-Buddhist scriptures and texts and the various masters of the Hundred Schools, there was none he did not master comprehensively. He always regretted that his Sichuan accent had not changed, making him unsuitable for continuous lecturing; he then chanted the Great Compassion Dhāraṇī at Elephant Ear Mountain. One night Xuan dreamt that a divine monk cut out his tongue and replaced it; the next day it abruptly turned into the sound of Qin. At that time, Minister of Punishments Yang Rushi, Vice Director of the Left Gao Yuanyu, and Yang Lushi of Chang'an all arrived at his door, intending to form a Lotus Society. When Emperor Wuzong ascended the throne, he initially respected the Buddhist teachings, but later accepted superficial discussions, offering sacrifices to Penglai and building a wind terrace to pray for Daoist feather-immortality. Although remonstrance officials submitted memorials in opposition, he ultimately did not change his mind. On the occasion of the Deyang Festival, monastics and Daoists gathered at Linde Hall to debate doctrines. The Emperor personally presented the Laozi's doctrine, 'Governing a large state is like cooking a small fish.' Xuan, relying on this, broadly expounded that the governing principles and transformative teachings of rulers are the root; he also stated that divine immortals and feather-ascension are affairs of lone recluses in mountain forests cultivating themselves alone, not what an emperor should esteem. His words poured down like a river and his eloquence spread horizontally like an ocean, totaling tens of thousands of words; he greatly defied the imperial intention. Left Army Commander Chou Shiliang and Palace Secretarial Commissioner Yang Qinyi cherished his talent and eloquence, and fearing he would face banishment, they tactfully advised Xuan to present poems congratulating Emperor Yao. Xuan immediately composed five pieces. The final poem ran: 'Rebirth in heaven fundamentally comes from heaven-birth karma; / One does not necessarily attain immortality simply by seeking it. / The crane's back is precipitous and the dragon's back slippery; / Let the sovereign ruler stay for another thousand years.' The Emperor read the poem and was slightly mollified. When the Emperor purged the sangha, Xuan returned to his old mountains in Ba and Min, donning cloth cap and comb according to the mandate; preserving his moral restraint, his discipline grew even brighter. Subsequently he entered Hu and Xiang. At that time, Supervising Secretary Yang Han-gong was conducting inspection tours in Hu and Xiang, and invited him to dwell at Kaiyuan Monastery. When Emperor Xuanzong ascended the dragon throne, Lord Yang, having coordinated the Left Imperial Guard from the inner privy chamber to secure the enthronement merit, requested the restoration of Buddhism, and further begged to seek Xuan's whereabouts. Thereupon Xuan became a monk once again and stayed at Baoying Monastery. Belonging to the Shouchang Festival lecture and praise bureau, he was made the Head of the Three Teachings. Using his old princely mansion, the Emperor built Fagan Monastery and issued an edict commanding him to dwell there. In the third year of Dazhong, on the occasion of Emperor Xuanzong's birthday festival, an edict ordered Remonstrance Official Li Yisun, Supervising Secretary Yang Han-gong, and Xuan to stand like a tripod in debate. Xuan memorialized that the empire's abolished monasteries should be revived again; in the widespread reconstruction of Buddhist monasteries, Xuan possessed great merit. Because Xuan had talent and discernment, the Emperor especially held him in deep regard, ordering artisans to paint his portrait and place it in the forbidden palace. At that time, Chancellor Pei Xiu was on good terms with Xuan, and they also encouraged and spurred each other in reviving the teachings. In the second year of Guangming, when Emperor Xizong fled from turmoil to western Shu, he sent Guo Zuntai carrying an imperial seal to summon Xuan, providing a sedan chair for him to arrive at the temporary palace. When Xuan arrived, he responded eloquently according to the circumstances, greatly resolving the Emperor's anxieties. Left Military Commander Tian Lingzi and various prominent officials all revered Xuan's virtue, inquiring about the Dao earnestly without neglecting morning or evening. The Emperor wished to honor and commend his excellence, and decreed the various academicians to compose an honorific master-title for Xuan, but none matched the imperial desire. The Emperor said: 'I rely on the deep import of opening, displaying, awakening to, and entering the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka: "awakening" means awareness and illumination—awakening to the Great Dao of the Buddha, illuminating the Buddha's vision and knowledge.' He further said: 'That which awakens is awakening to one's own nature, clearly becoming a Buddha. Now I bestow [upon him the title of] State Master Wuda. Although it is said to be a forced name, it is used to express my intention.' One year later, [Xuan] begged to return to his old lodge in Jiulong to continue his pure karma; the Emperor granted it by edict. On the twenty-first day of the first month of the following year, while lying down, Xuan saw places he had traversed in his life distinctly appear before him. He then arose, burned incense, and facing the west, said: 'Although these are other states and realms, none are my aspiration. If I may obtain one sight of the Pure Land, my wish will be fulfilled.' As he finished speaking, a voice in the sky responded: 'By your practice and deeds, you are resolved to be reborn in Anyang; why should your wish not be fulfilled?' Xuan heard this, leaped with joy, and comforted himself. He then summoned his disciple Cideng to submit his final memorial, and further said to Deng: 'I have engaged in Pure Land cultivation for many years. What I heard today fulfills my past vow.' Thereupon, resting his right side against the mat, he gently breathed his last. He died at seventy-three years of age.

3.12

Shi Sengzang was a native of Xihe. His family surname is unknown. By nature he was humble and modest, never contending with others. When he saw the elderly, he respected them; when he met the virtuous, he revered them. Wherever there was toil or hardship, he would certainly place himself ahead of the assembly. He had practiced buddhānusmṛti of Amitābha for over twenty years, and his mouth never uttered wrong or malicious words. Always considering that for swiftly escaping the three realms nothing comes before buddhānusmṛti, therefore whether walking he seemed to leave, whether sitting he seemed to forget, and while drinking, eating, or sleeping, his mind was set upon Anyang. In the Qianfu era of Emperor Xizong of the Tang, he fell ill in bed. While ill, he saw the Pure Land's transformation Buddhas illuminating his body with light. Those attending the sick were beside Zang; Zang said: 'Reflecting upon myself from dust-eon times up to the present day, the sins and errors I have accumulated are like the number of dust motes. How could I expect that today the holy assembly's light would illuminate my body? This is truly the Lord of the Pure Land Teachings, who with great compassion embraces me.' The next day, he again addressed the monks, saying: 'I just closed my eyes and was right in the Pure Land, receiving the various superior virtuous persons.' He also said: 'The various superior virtuous persons all rejoice at my coming, and are scattering flowers together with our kind.' Before the span of a meal had passed, he said again: 'The various superior virtuous persons are presently beckoning me; I shall depart.' Thereupon he arose, adjusted his garments, faced west, and passed away.

3.13

Shi Daxing's surname cannot be traced. During the Qianfu era of the Tang, the bandit [Huang] Chao raided and plundered, and the people could not rest peacefully in their occupations. Thereupon, at Mount Tai, Daxing wove grass for clothing and gathered trees for food, practicing the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka and Samantabhadra repentance for a cumulative three years. When his sincere devotion reached the utmost, it stimulated Samantabhadra to manifest his physical form. Daxing personally gazed upon him, feeling all the more joyful over his past causes. Thereupon he spurred on his various thoughts, reflecting that the Tathāgata's Dharma still remains, yet his own cultivation was not yet realized; morning and evening he was intense and earnest, to the point of forgetting to eat and drink. In his later years, he tentatively considered that the cultivation of the Buddha-way was not focused on a single object, and also that this illusory body was impermanent and would certainly return to extinction, not knowing what rebirth he would receive in a future life. He then entered the Great Canon, pursuing sincerity and knocking his heart, openly declaring: 'May I, with a faithful mind, select a scripture text, and according to what is obtained, eternally accept and uphold it.' Thereupon, letting his mind go, he drew and took one; that which he obtained was the Amitābha Sūtra. Day and night he chanted and upheld it, continuously directing his thoughts to Anyang. Before three seven-day periods had passed, suddenly at midnight, he saw lapis lazuli ground, pure and radiant, before him. Daxing felt the eyes of his mind become thoroughly enlightened, seeing Amitābha together with Avalokiteśvara, Mahāsthāmaprāpta, and countless transformation Buddhas. At that time the news spread near and far, and the matter reached the ears of Emperor Xizong. The Emperor summoned him into the palace and questioned him about what he had seen; Daxing answered everything in full. The Emperor said: 'This is the result brought about by energetic progress.' An imperial decree was issued bestowing the title 'Bodhisattva of Constant Energetic Progress' and granting him the nobility title of Duke Founding the State. One year later he contracted an illness and saw the lapis lazuli ground reappear before him. Daxing said: 'I have no visualization, yet the lapis lazuli ground reappears; how could I lack affinity with Anyang?' That very day, he manifested extinction in the meditation room where he resided.

3.14

Shi Weigong—it is not known where he was from. He left the household at Faxing Monastery in Jingzhou. He was haughty toward superiors and bullying toward inferiors, associating familiarly with unvirtuous kinds. At times of brief leisure, he would chant sūtra texts, aspiring to ascend to Anyang. However, drunkards and gamblers congregated at his door; deceitful words and deeds never ceased for a single day. In the same monastery was a monk named Lingkui, whose conduct was rather similar. The people of Jing playfully mocked them, saying: 'Lingkui exhausts all evil karma; Weigong follows in his footsteps. Though hell has thousands and myriads of levels, do not begrudge entering in line!' When Gong heard this, he said: 'Since I have already made them, how can I avoid them? Yet relying on the Lord of the Pure Land Teachings, who pities my transgressions and evils and pulls me out of misery, how could there be a hell for me to enter?' In the second year of Qianning of the Tang, Gong was sick and about to die, though people did not yet know it. At that time Kui stepped about a hundred paces out of the monastery, and met on the road six or seven youths, their attire fresh and clean, holding musical instruments in their hands like a Kucha orchestra. Kui suspected they were his peers going to play music for the Buddha at his monastery. He asked where they came from; the youths said: 'We come from the west.' They also said: 'Our coming has someone to await.' They further asked: 'Where is Master Weigong's monastery?' Kui pointed to the monastery, saying: 'This is his monastery, and this is his room.' Hearing this, the youths were exceedingly joyful, and from within their robes brought out a golden vase, and from the vase took out a lotus flower. It was closed like a fist, and gradually opened, becoming as large as a basin. From beneath each petal extraordinary light burst forth in succession, the brilliant colors gleaming against each other like a cluster of several lamps. Looking toward the monastery, they hastened toward it, and before reaching the monastery they suddenly vanished. Kui was greatly astonished, dared not look back, and did not express it in words. The next day, when he reached the monastery gate, he suddenly heard the sound of the bell, and saw the monastery's monks all assembled beneath the gate. Asking the reason, they said: 'Weigong died last night.' Someone said: 'When Gong died, a monk of the monastery dreamt that the radiant form of a lotus flower approached his room, and after a long time departed to the west.' Kui then fully recounted what he had seen, and those who heard it increased their faith. Some people of the neighborhood used this matter to encourage Kui; Kui, moved to realization, thereupon maintained moral integrity and attained lofty excellence.

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淨土往生傳 — Classical Chinese