淨土往生傳 3.10

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.”