往生集 1.120

1.120

唐僧衒。并州人。初念慈氏。期上生內院。年九十遇道綽禪師。得聞淨土。始迴心念佛。日禮千拜。一心無怠。後有疾。告弟子曰。阿彌陀佛授我香衣。觀音勢至示我寶手。吾其行矣。言訖而逝。七日異香不散。時有啟芳圓果二法師。目擊斯事。乃於悟真寺。共折楊枝於觀音手中。誓曰。若於淨土有緣。當七日不萎。至期益茂。芳果慶忭。晝夜觀念不捨。忽覺臨七寶池。入大寶帳。見佛及二大士。坐寶華臺光明輝映。芳果作禮。佛云。念我名者皆生我國。又聞釋迦世尊。與文殊菩薩以梵音聲。稱讚淨土。復見三道寶階。其一白衣。其二道俗相半。其三唯僧也。云皆至心念佛者。得生此土耳。後五日。忽聞鍾聲曰。鍾聲我輩事也。俱時化去。

Sengxuan of the Tang was a native of Bingzhou. At first, he was mindful of Maitreya, hoping for ascent to rebirth in the inner court. At the age of ninety, he met Chan Master Daochuo and got to hear of the Pure Land; only then did he turn his mind to buddhamanasikāra. Daily he made one thousand bows, wholehearted and without slacking. Later, when he fell ill, he told his disciples: 'Amitābha has conferred upon me fragrant robes; Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta have shown me their precious hands. I am about to depart!' When he finished speaking, he passed away. For seven days an extraordinary fragrance did not dissipate. At that time, the two Dharma Masters Qifang and Yuanguo witnessed this event firsthand. Thereupon, at Wuzhen Monastery, they together snapped a willow twig in the hand of Avalokiteśvara and vowed: 'If we have affinity with the Pure Land, it shall not wither for seven days.' When the time came, it grew even more luxuriant. Fang and Guo rejoiced, contemplating day and night without ceasing. Suddenly, they felt themselves approaching the pool of seven jewels and entering a great jeweled canopy. They saw the Buddha and the two Great Beings seated upon jeweled flower daises, their light shining radiantly. Fang and Guo paid reverence, and the Buddha said: 'Those who are mindful of my name shall all be reborn in my land.' They also heard Śākya the World-Honoured One and Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva praising the Pure Land with brahma voices. Furthermore, they saw three flights of jeweled steps: the first had white-robed laity, the second was half monastics and half laity, and the third had monks alone. It was said that all who practiced buddhamanasikāra with the utmost mind attained rebirth in this land. Five days later, they suddenly heard the sound of a bell, and said: 'The sound of the bell is our concern.' At the same time, both passed away.