淨土往生傳 3.7

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.