往生集 1.88

1.88

唐智欽。專習禪業。又禮念萬五千佛名。乃至百遍。後於柳州阿育王塔前。燃一臂求生淨土。弟子僧護。夜半見庭前光照異常。因問。何人秉炬。凡三問。空中聲曰。來迎欽禪師耳。護急啟窓。見佛身光明。旛華寶蓋滿虛空中。欽隨佛冉冉而去。

Zhiqin of the Tang dynasty focused his practice on Chan activities, and also prostrated to and recited the names of the fifteen thousand buddhas up to a hundred times. Later, before the King Aśoka Stūpa in Liuzhou, he burned one arm to seek rebirth in the Pure Land. At midnight, his disciple Senghu saw an extraordinary light illuminating the courtyard. He therefore asked, “Who is holding a torch?” He asked a total of three times, and a voice in the sky said, “We have come to welcome Chan Master Qin.” Hu hurriedly opened the window and saw the radiance of the Buddha’s body, with banners, flowers, and jeweled canopies filling the sky. Qin followed the Buddha, floating gently away.