往生集 1.61

1.61

後魏曇鸞。少遊五臺。感靈異出家。而性嗜長生。受陶隱君仙經十卷。後遇菩提流支。乃問曰。佛有長生不死術乎。支笑曰。長生不死。吾佛道也。乃授十六觀經曰。學此則三界無復生。六道無復往。其為壽也。河沙劫石。莫能比焉。此吾金仙氏之長生也。鸞大喜。遂焚仙經而修淨業。寒暑疾痛曾無少懈。魏主號為神鸞。一夕室中見梵僧。謂曰。吾龍樹也。久居淨土。以汝同志故來相見。鸞自知時至。集眾教誡曰。勞生役役。其止無日。地獄諸苦。不可以不懼。九品淨業。不可以不修。因令弟子高聲念佛。西向稽顙而終。眾聞天樂自西而來。良久乃已。

Tanluan of the Later Wei dynasty traveled in his youth to Wutai, where, moved by miraculous occurrences, he took pravrajyā. However, he was naturally fond of longevity and received ten fascicles of immortal scriptures from the Hermit Tao. Later he met Bodhiruci and asked, "Does the Buddha have a method for long life and immortality?" Ruci smiled and said: "Long life and immortality is precisely the path of our Buddha." He then conferred the Sixteen Contemplations Sūtra, saying: "If you study this, you will never again be reborn in the trailokya, nor will you transmigrate in the six destinies. As for its longevity, kalpas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges or kalpa-stones cannot compare with it. This is the long life of our Golden Immortal." Luan was overjoyed; he burned the immortal scriptures and cultivated pure karma, never flagging in cold, heat, sickness, or pain. The Wei emperor bestowed upon him the title "Shenluan" (Divine Luan). One evening, he saw an Indian monk in his room who said to him, "I am Nāgārjuna. Having resided in the Pure Land for long, I have come to meet you because we share the same aspiration." Luan knew his time had come. Gathering the assembly, he instructed them, saying: "Weary life is toilsome and driven, with no day of rest. The various sufferings of hell cannot but be feared; the pure karma of the nine grades cannot but be cultivated." He then ordered his disciples to chant the Buddha's name aloud, bowed with his forehead to the ground facing west, and expired. The assembly heard heavenly music coming from the west, which ceased only after a long while.