往生集 1.94

1.94

唐少康。縉雲仙都人。十五通法華楞嚴。貞元中因詣洛陽白馬寺。見殿中文字放光。探之則善導和尚。西方化導文也。師祝曰。若於淨土有緣。當更放光。言已光明閃爍。師曰。劫石可磨。我願無易矣。遂至長安光明寺善導和尚影堂。瞻禮忽見遺像。升空謂曰。汝依吾教廣化有情。他日功成。必生安養。乃適新定。乞錢誘小兒念佛。念佛一聲與錢一文年餘。無少長貴賤。見師者皆稱阿彌陀佛。念佛之聲盈滿道路。又於烏龍山建淨土道場。每升座高聲唱佛。眾見一佛從其口出。十聲則有十佛。師曰。汝見佛者必得往生。時眾數千。有不見者。悲傷自責。因倍精進。後二十一年十月三日。囑道俗曰。當於淨土起欣樂心。於閻浮提起厭離心。汝曹此時。見我光明。真我弟子。遂放異光數道而逝。塔於臺子岩。號臺岩法師。

Shaokang of the Tang dynasty was a native of Xiandu in Jinyun. At the age of fifteen, he was thoroughly versed in the Lotus Sūtra and the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. During the Zhenyuan era, when he visited Baima Temple in Luoyang, he saw texts in the hall emitting light. Upon inspecting them, they were Preceptor Shandao’s Text on Transformation and Guidance toward the Western Direction. The Master prayed, saying, “If I have an affinity with the Pure Land, let it emit light once more.” Having spoken, the radiance flashed. The Master said, “A kalpa-stone may be worn away, but my vow shall never change.” He then went to the hall of the portrait of Preceptor Shandao at Guangming Temple in Chang’an. While gazing in veneration, he suddenly saw the preserved portrait rise into the air and say to him, “Rely on my teaching to widely transform sentient beings; when your merit is accomplished in the future, you will certainly be born in Peaceful Nourishment.” He then went to Xinding, where he begged for coins to entice small children into buddhamanasikāra. For every recitation of the Buddha’s name, he gave one coin. After more than a year, regardless of young or old, noble or base, anyone who saw the Master would chant “Amitābha Buddha”; the sound of buddhamanasikāra filled the roads. Furthermore, he established a Pure Land bodhimaṇḍa on Mount Wulong. Every time he ascended the seat and chanted the Buddha’s name in a loud voice, the assembly saw a buddha emerge from his mouth; for ten recitations, there were ten buddhas. The Master said, “You who see the buddhas will certainly attain rebirth.” At that time the assembly numbered several thousand; those who did not see them grieved and reproached themselves, and therefore redoubled their vigorous efforts. Later, on the third day of the tenth month in the twenty-first year, he exhorted the monastics and laity, saying, “You should arouse joyful longing for the Pure Land and arouse a mind of revulsion and detachment toward Jambudvīpa. If you now see my radiance, you are truly my disciples.” Thereupon he emitted several rays of extraordinary light and passed away. His stūpa was erected at Taizi Cliff, and he was known as Dharma Master of Taiyan.