往生集 1

English (machine translation) 1

Language: English

When the Bhagavat first attained samyaksaṃbodhi, he universally expounded the Buddhayāna for all sentient beings. Soon thereafter, because their capacities could hardly be fully accommodated, he revealed the teachings of the triyāna from within the Ekayāna, and furthermore brought forth the single gate of the Pure Land from within the triyāna. Today, we are daily farther removed from the Buddha, and emotional defilements flourish more each day. Advancing, one cannot produce spiritual understanding or transcend to the holy stages; retreating, one stumbles blindly amidst the danger of sinking into perdition. If one does not rely upon this gate, whence can one swiftly escape saṃsāra? How great it is! It may well be called an efficacious medicine that unfailingly cures the chronic afflictions of the final age. Yet, considering that efficacy was abundant in antiquity but is rare today, where does the fault lie? It is simply that people's mouths speak of the Pure Land while their minds dwell in Sahā, and in staunch courage, clear awakening, they do not equal their predecessors—that is all. I have heard that in the past there were biographies of rebirth, but with the passage of many years they vanished and can no longer be seen. Nevertheless, scattered excerpts and traces remain manifold, recorded variously in the books of the hundred inner and outer schools. As I encountered them, I immediately jotted them down; selecting those whose causes and effects were clearly evident, through daily accumulation they formed a compilation, though hardly one-tenth or one-hundredth has been preserved. Now, in this jiashen year, humbly likening myself to living in the marketplace like Zhongfeng, I shut myself away in retreat in the upper chambers. I have taken them and arranged them in chronological sequence according to their categories; I have verified them through the shared destination of the various sages, and supplemented them with sympathetic resonances during their lifetimes—amounting to one hundred and sixty-six entries in all. Here and there I have composed appreciations to bring forth their hidden meanings, entitling the work *Collection on Rebirth*. I have done so that when monastics and laity examine this book, they will point and say: "Such a one was reborn through such liberation; such a one was reborn through such single-mindedness; such a one was reborn through the resonance of extreme sincerity; such a one was reborn through such great compassion and great vows; such a one was reborn through reforming faults ungrudgingly and transforming karma just as they were about to fall. Such a one was reborn in the higher grade; such a one was reborn in the middle or lower grades." This may almost serve as an assured guarantee for practitioners of pure karma by examining the present against antiquity. Yet a visitor once called upon me, and before he had read through even a few biographies, he flared up and said: "The Pure Land is cittamātra; outside the mind there is no land. Rebirth in the Pure Land is an allegory. Do you take it to be an actual birth? Does this not contradict the principle of anutpāda?" I waited until his countenance settled, and slowly said to him: "How easily said! If it were merely anutpāda and nothing more, then with all things annihilated there should not still be cittamātra. If you have truly awakened to anutpāda, how can birth be an obstruction? Since birth is fundamentally non-existent, one may be born all day long without ever having been born. Furthermore, have you completely eliminated your mental outflows?" He replied: "I have not." "Alas! If your mental outflows are not yet exhausted, the conditions for birth have not ceased. If the conditions for birth have not ceased, your physical embodiment must take shelter somewhere. In the vast ocean of suffering of the trailokya, if you are not born into the Pure Land, into what land will you be born? Crawling in the six destinies or wandering at ease in the nine grades—the benefit and harm are as far apart as heaven and the abyss! Have you perhaps not considered this? To embellish empty theories and contend for intellectual height is something I could also do. The reason I do not do so is simply that I fear being born into intellectual dharma and acting merely on hearsay. If you truly do not regard my words as mistaken, then proceeding from the Pure Land to the Buddhayāna has never been separated by even the width of a hair; how could there be any contradiction?" The visitor rose from his seat in awe, and lost in thought, unconsciously began to weep copiously, sobbing with grief. Straightening his robes, he solemnly chanted through to the end of the fascicles, repeatedly bowing and urgently requesting that it be printed on woodblocks. Now that the printing is complete, I relate its origin and development in this way.

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A summer day in the twelfth year of the Wanli reign era [1584 CE], recorded by the śramaṇa Zhuhong of Hangzhou.

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Table of Contents of the Collection on Rebirth

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Fascicle One
Rebirth of Śramaṇas

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Fascicle Two
Rebirth of Kings and Ministers
Rebirth of Retired Scholars
Rebirth of Bhikṣuṇīs
Rebirth of Women
Rebirth of Evil Persons
Rebirth of Animals

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Fascicle Three
Shared Destination of the Various Sages
Sympathetic Resonances During Lifetime

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Compiled by the śramaṇa Zhuhong of Yunqi Monastery in ancient Hangzhou

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Rebirth of Śramaṇas

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Patriarch Yuan

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Huiyuan of the Jin was a native of Loufan in Yanmen. He broadly mastered the Six Classics and was particularly adept in Zhuangzi and Laozi. Hearing Master An lecture on the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, he had a grand awakening, whereupon he shaved his head, dyed his robes, and served him. In the sixth year of the Taiyuan era, passing through Xunyang, he saw that Mount Lu was tranquil and spacious, a place where one could pacify the mind. Thereupon he moved the mountain deity to appear in a dream; in a single night of thunder and rain, timber arrived of itself. The Inspector Huan Yi then built a hall for him, naming it "Divinely Transported". Because Huiyong had previously dwelled at Xilin, Yuan's residence was called Donglin. Yuan resided at Donglin for thirty years, his footsteps never entering secular society. Directing his resolve toward the Western Direction, eminent monks and great literati, numbering one hundred and twenty-three [or forty] persons in all, formed the Pure Society together. The lotus water-clock kept the six periods, and their meditation and chanting never ceased. With a purified mind and concentrated contemplation, he beheld the holy marks three times, yet in his gravity he did not speak of it. Later, nineteen years after, on the final evening of the seventh month, while at the Prajñā Terrace, just as he arose from samādhi, he saw the body of Amitābha filling empty space. In the midst of the circular nimbus were immeasurable nirmāṇabuddhas, with Avalokiteśvara and Mahāsthāmaprāpta attending and standing on the left and right. He also saw light flowing like water, dividing into fourteen streams, swirling and pouring up and down, expounding the wondrous Dharma. The Buddha said: "By the power of my pūrvapraṇidhāna, I have come to comfort you. After seven days, you shall be born in my land." He also saw Buddhabhadra, Huichi, Huiyong, and Liu Yimin at the Buddha's side. Bowing with hands clasped, they said: "Master, your aspiration came first; why have you arrived so late?" Knowing that his time had come, he said to his disciples: "When I first resided here, I beheld the holy marks three times. Now that I see them once again, I shall certainly be reborn in the Pure Land." When the time arrived, he sat upright and entered extinction; this was on the sixth day of the eighth month in the twelfth year of the Yixi era.

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The appreciation says: Prior to the Jin, although the purport of the Pure Land had been heard in China, its great propagation and vigorous practice so that every family and household knew of it began with Master Yuan. Therefore, for ten thousand generations thereafter, disciples of pure karma have revered the Master as the first patriarch. He may well be called Śākyamuni expounding the Western Direction once again, and Amitābha manifesting his body in the Eastern Land. Was his merit not indeed magnificent? Formerly, when I travelled to Mount Lu, drank from the spring of Tiger Creek, and gazed upon the Hall of Three Laughs, I lingered amidst the remaining traces of the Eighteen Worthies. I saw that its scale was grand and expansive, fully fit to be a dwelling for ten thousand monks. Yet the halls and pavilions were coated in dust, and the bells and drums were silent and desolate; forlornly, each door had a different lock, and each room a different hearth. The wise man has passed away, and his fragrant footsteps have no successor. Alas!

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Huiyong

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Huiyong of the Jin was a native of Henei. At the age of twelve he left the household. Thereafter, together with Master Yuan, he relied upon Master An. In the early Taiyuan era, he rested his staff at Mount Lu. The Inspector Tao Fan gave up his residence to make Xilin for him to dwell in. He severed his mind from worldly clamor and set his resolve upon Peaceful Nourishment. Later, in the tenth year of the Yixi era, he showed illness. Suddenly gathering his robes, he asked for his shoes, wishing to stand up. When the assembly asked in alarm, he replied: "The Buddha has come to welcome me." Having spoken, he transformed. An extraordinary fragrance ceased only after seven days. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang posthumously conferred upon him the title "Master Jueji".

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The appreciation says: When Yong first entered the Way, he was an elder brother or younger brother to Master Yuan, and in creating the Pure Society to serve as a model for ten thousand generations, Yuan was indeed the patriarch and Yong the master. As for the moment when their lives drew to a close, seeing the Buddha come to welcome them, earlier and later they were as if from a single track. As verifications of the auspicious signs of rebirth, these two masters should be taken as the standard.

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Tanshun

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Tanshun of the Jin was a native of Huanglong. In his youth he followed Master Kumārajīva, who lectured and explained the various sūtras. Kumārajīva sighed and said: "This child is an extraordinary vessel." Later he entered Mount Lu to cultivate pure karma. At that time, Liu Zunxiao, Colonel for the Pacification of the Man, founded a monastery in Jiangling and invited Shun to direct its construction, where he abundantly propagated buddhānusmṛti-samādhi. In the second year of the Yuanjia era of the Song, he took leave of the assembly and passed away seated. An extraordinary fragrance filled the room.

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Sengrui

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Sengrui of the Jin was a native of Jizhou. He travelled and studied in various regions, journeying afar to India. Returning to the Guanzhong region, he received the sūtra teachings from Master Kumārajīva. Later he took part in the Lotus Society on Mount Lu. In the sixteenth year of the Yuanjia era of the Song, he suddenly announced to the assembly: "I am about to depart." Facing the west with palms joined, he transformed. The assembly saw a golden lotus flower before Rui's couch, which abruptly vanished; five-colored fragrant smoke drifted out from his room.

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Tanheng

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Tanheng of the Jin was a native of Hedong. As a young child, he relied upon Master Yuan to leave the household. Of inner and outer texts, there were none he did not master thoroughly. From the time he entered Mount Lu, he concentrated his aspiration on buddhamanasikāra. In the fourteenth year of the Yixi era, sitting upright with joined palms, he chanted the Buddha's name in a loud voice and transformed.

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Daobing

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Daobing of the Jin was a native of Yingchuan. In his youth he took Master Yuan as his teacher, mastering the sūtras and vinaya; his speech corresponded with his actions. He investigated the mind without interruption in the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi. In the fourteenth year of the Yixi era, Wang Qian, the Governor of Yuzhang, entered the mountain to pay homage and invited him to succeed to Master Yuan's seat; the assembly all revered and followed him. In the twelfth year of the Yuanjia era, he gathered the assembly for buddhamanasikāra and passed away seated in his place.

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The appreciation says: Words and actions in unity—this is what is called recollecting the Buddha with both mind and mouth. If one listens to their words and they are right, but examines their conduct and it is false, yet they wish to hope for rebirth, whom will they deceive?

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Tanshen

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Tanshen of the Jin was a native of Guangling. In his youth he took Master Yuan as his teacher, diligently cultivating pure karma, and was also adept in lecturing. His commentary on the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa Sūtra circulated in the world. In the seventeenth year of the Yuanjia era, he passed away sitting cross-legged in buddhamanasikāra.

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Daojing

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Daojing of the Jin was a native of Langya. His grandfather Ningzhi was the Inspector of Jiangzhou; because of this, Daojing followed Master Yuan to leave the household at the age of seventeen. Broadly versed in sūtras and treatises, he recorded ten thousand words a day. With resolute aspiration he engaged in buddhamanasikāra, day and night without interruption. In the first year of the Yongchu era of the Song, he said to the assembly: "My late teacher is summoning me; I shall depart." Sitting upright and chanting the Buddha's name, he transformed. The assembly saw light filling the room, which extinguished only after an entire hour.

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The appreciation says: Those of tender years and high talent seldom do not rely upon themselves with pride; yet that he was resolute in his aspiration for buddhamanasikāra—was he not one who had planted pure causes in past lives? Nowadays, novice monks superficially touch upon the sūtras and treatises, becoming arrogant and remiss, growing white-haired without any refuge; only when they have no other choice do they speak of the Western Direction, which is already too late.

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Buddhabhadra

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Buddhabhadra of the Jin—here translated as Juexian ("Awakened Virtue")—was a native of Kapilavastu and a descendant of King Amṛtodana. At the age of sixteen he studied the various sūtras extensively, penetrating deeply into dhyāna and vinaya. When the śramaṇa Zhiyan of the Yao Qin went to the Western Regions, he invited the Master to reach Chang'an, where he expounded the Dharma in the Eastern Palace and debated high and low with Master Kumārajīva. Later, because of his divination concerning ships on the sea, he suffered expulsion. He entered Mount Lu, joined Master Yuan's Lotus Society, and translated various sūtras such as the Sūtra on the Samādhi of Contemplating the Buddha. In the sixth year of the Yuanjia era of the Song, he transformed while engaged in buddhamanasikāra.

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Sengji

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Sengji of the Jin entered Mount Lu to study under Master Yuan. Da'an sighed and said: "Will the succession and glorification of the great Dharma not rest with you?" Later, falling gravely ill, he sincerely aspired to the Pure Land. Yuan sent him a candle, saying: "You can direct your mind toward Peaceful Nourishment." Ji held the candle and leaned against a low table, steadying his thoughts without disturbance. He also assembled the community to recite the Pure Land sūtras. At the fifth watch, Ji handed the candle to his disciple Yuanbi, ordering him to follow the community in circumambulation. Shortly thereafter, he felt himself holding a candle and flying through empty space. He saw Amitābha Buddha receive him and place him in his palm, reaching everywhere throughout the ten directions. Abruptly he awoke, both sorrowful and comforted. Examining his four great elements, he was completely free of illness and suffering. The following evening, he suddenly stood up, gazing into empty space as if seeing something. In a moment he lay down again with a joyful countenance, saying to the people beside him: "I am departing." Lying on his right side, he passed away. It was then the heat of summer, yet for three days his body did not change, and an extraordinary fragrance was dense.

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The appreciation says: Ji achieved rebirth in the Pure Land through the guidance of a holy master; in that case, who can say that assisting in chanting at the approach of death has no efficacy? Moreover, though his casket was kept in the humid heat, his body emitted an extraordinary fragrance; the solid refinement of his pure conduct was thereby verified.

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Huigong

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Hui-gong of the Jin dynasty was a native of Fengcheng in Yuzhang. He was a fellow student with Hui-lan, Seng-guang, and others. Lan and Guang fixed their thoughts on the Pure Land, and both had extraordinary responses at the time of their deaths. Five years later, Gong became gravely ill. Shedding tears, he prostrated himself, pledging his heart to Peaceful Nourishment, without his contemplation letting up in the least. He saw Amitābha Buddha coming forward to welcome him with a golden dais. Gong mounted it, and also saw Lan and the others in the light atop the dais, who told him: "Elder, through the birth you have received, you already abide in the superior grade. We could not be more delighted and comforted! We only regret that, being detained by the five turbidities, our reunion has come so late." Rejoicing, Gong stirred himself vigorously and passed away.

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Huiqian

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Huiqian of the Jin dynasty took pravrajyā at a young age, and his observance of the precepts was rigorous and exact. During the Yixi era, he went to Jiaxiang Temple in Shanyin, mortifying his body and leading the assembly. Later, he took to his bed with illness; he directed his thoughts to Peaceful Nourishment and prayed with sincerity to Avalokiteśvara. At the northern temple there was a nun named Jingyan of mature virtue and earnest practice. At night she dreamt that Avalokiteśvara entered through the western outer city gate: radiant and wonderful in appearance, with a light outshining the sun and moon, adorned with banners, flags, canopies, and the seven jewels. The nun, astonished, bowed in veneration and asked the Mahāsattva, "Where are you going?" The response was: "I am going to Jiaxiang to welcome the Venerable Qian." Although Qian was exhausted by his illness, his spirit and expression remained as usual. His attendants all smelled an extraordinary fragrance, and he placidly passed away.

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In praise we say: When someone sees the Buddha on the brink of death, some may suspect it is entirely their own imagining mind. Now, why did someone else see it as well? One should know that sympathetic resonance and reciprocal communion are inconceivable. Be cautious indeed in your words!

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Sengxian

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Zhu Sengxian of the Jin dynasty traveled south to Jiangzuo. Falling ill, he attached his conditions to the Western Direction, his devout austerity never faltering. He saw Amitābha Buddha's light shine upon his body, and his ailments were all healed. He immediately rose, bathed, and recounted what he had seen to the bystanders, earnestly instructing them on cause and effect with impassioned words. The next morning, sitting upright, he passed away.

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In praise we say: When a slack monk meets with illness, he says, "My strength is exhausted; I will wait until I recover before engaging in buddhamanasikāra." He does not realize that buddhamanasikāra is for crossing over old age and sickness; to engage in buddhamanasikāra when ill is precisely the right time. Through the power of his contemplation, Xian both cured his illness and attained rebirth. How worthy!

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Huitong

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Huitong of the Jin dynasty studied under Dhyāna Master Huishao of Liangzhou, receiving instruction in the methods of dhyāna, and pledged his heart to Peaceful Nourishment. Falling slightly ill, he saw in dhyāna concentration a person of exceedingly dignified form, who said to Tong: "The auspicious time has arrived." Shortly thereafter, he saw Amitābha Buddha's light blazing brilliantly. Emerging from concentration, he informed his fellow students, and peacefully passed away. The extraordinary fragrance ceased only after three days.

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Falin

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Falin of the Jin dynasty was a native of Linqiong. Devoting himself strictly to the categories of precepts, he resided at Lingjian Temple in Chengdu to cultivate pure karma. He constantly recited the two sūtras of Amitābha and Avalokiteśvara. Whenever he recited them, he always saw a monk of imposing appearance standing towering before him. In the second year of Jianwu, he fell ill, focused his thoughts on the Western Direction, and ceaselessly practiced prostrations of repentance. He saw the sages and saints all gathering in mid-air, joined his palms, and passed away.

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In praise we say: A monk appeared before Lin as he chanted the sūtras simply because his sincerity evoked a response; there is nothing strange about it. His rebirth in the Western Direction did not depend on this. Those who cultivate pure karma should not cling to appearances and yearn for such things.

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Tanjian

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Tanjian of the Song dynasty dedicated even the slightest good deed throughout his life toward the Western Direction, vowing to see the Buddha. One day in concentration, he saw Amitābha Buddha sprinkling water on his face, saying: "I cleanse your defilements, wash your mental thoughts, and purify your body and speech, making them entirely adorned and clean." He also took a single lotus flower from a vase and conferred it upon him. Emerging from concentration, he bade farewell to the monks of the temple. As the night deepened, he walked alone under the corridor reciting the Buddha's name. By the fifth watch, his voice grew even more resonant. When morning came, his disciples went to pay their respects as usual; he was sitting cross-legged and motionless. Approaching to look at him, he had passed away.

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Sengrou

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Sengrou of the Qi dynasty studied the various Vaipulya sūtras, cherishing only pure karma in his mind. On the day of his death, he saw nirmāṇabuddhas numbering in the thousands; both inside and outside his room, an extraordinary fragrance was smelled. Turning westward, he bowed respectfully and passed away.

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Huiguang

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Huiguang of the Qi dynasty resided in Luoyang. He authored commentaries on the Avataṃsaka, the Mahāparinirvāṇa, and the Daśabhūmika, wondrously exhausting the meanings of the provisional and the real. One day, falling ill, he saw a heavenly host coming to welcome him. Guang said, "My wish is only to return to Peaceful Nourishment." Soon after, the Pure Land's nirmāṇabuddhas filled the empty sky. Guang said, "I only pray that my Buddha will embrace and receive me, fulfilling my pūrvapraṇidhāna." Thereupon he snapped his fingers and cleared his throat; his speech and breath ceased together.

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In praise we say: The heavens have many sensual pleasures and also have women; they are not places of liberation. The ancients said: "Even if one cultivates up to the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, it is not as good as returning to the Western Direction." Therefore, those who praise the Pure Land say that the superior grade departs directly for the other shore, while even birth in the inferior grade surpasses the heavenly palaces. Now Guang, at the end of his life, was discerning and firm, his vow resolute; he can be called both clear-sighted and brave!

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Huijin

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Huijin of the Qi dynasty resided at Gaozuo Temple. He vowed to recite the Lotus Sūtra and produced one hundred copies of the scripture, vowing to dedicate this karma to rebirth in Peaceful Nourishment. Later, he heard a voice in the sky say: "Your vow is already fulfilled; you will certainly attain rebirth." He died without illness.

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Daozhen

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Daozhen of the Liang dynasty lived on Mount Lu cultivating pure karma. He dreamt that someone was riding a boat in the ocean. When he asked about it, the person said they were going to Amitābha Buddha's land. Zhen begged to follow. The boatman said: "You have not yet constructed a bathhouse, nor have you recited the Amitābha Sūtra; you may not go yet." Waking up, he provided baths for the monks and recited the sūtra without interruption for years. Suddenly, atop the surface of the pond in his room, a white silver dais descended. He quietly recorded the matter and wrote it in a sūtra box. On the evening his life ended, from the mountainside up, it was like a thousand blazing torches shining together. The townspeople saw it from afar and thought princes were arriving for an audience; only at dawn did they hear that Zhen had passed away. Later, when they inspected the sūtra box, they learned of Zhen's auspicious omen; it was only natural that he had long since been reborn in the Pure Land.

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In praise we say: Venerable Yuan beheld the sacred signs three times without speaking; Venerable Zhen had a silver dais descend to his pond and recorded it in secret. The solid depth of ancient masters of virtue was usually like this. Those shallow fellows, as soon as they experience the slightest marvel, noisily proclaim it themselves; at least, they lose what they possessed, and at worst, they augment their demonic entanglements. How could one not be cautious?

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Shenluan

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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.

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In praise we say: The Yellow Turbans constantly say: "The Śākyan lineage has death, while divine immortals have long life." Now Master Ruci stated that the Buddha has long life, whereas immortals do not. This discourse is penetrating, concise, and fitting, surpassing a thousand ages. Master Luan discarded the false and returned to the true as though casting off worn sandals; was this not because he possessed correct causes from past lives?

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Great Master Zhizhe

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Zhiyi of the Sui dynasty was styled Great Master Zhizhe, a native of Yingchuan. In his childhood, whenever he saw an image he would bow, and whenever he met a monk he would pay homage. At eighteen he took pravrajyā at Guoyuan Temple, and later paid homage to Dhyāna Master Si of Nanyue. When his conditions for propagating the Dharma came to an end, while at Shicheng Temple east of Shan, on the point of entering extinction, he said to his disciples: "I know my destiny lies here; I will not proceed further. Today the axe is stopped and the string is broken." Having chanted the title of the Contemplation of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life Sūtra, he said further: "The forty-eight vows adorn the Pure Land; the lotus ponds and jeweled trees are easy to reach, yet no one goes. When the sign of the fire-cart appears, one who repents with a single thought still attains rebirth; how much more so for those who perfume and cultivate discipline and concentration, whose holy practices and spiritual power shall not have labored in vain!" Zhilang asked, "We do not yet know what stage the Great Master has realized, or where he will be born upon passing from here?" The master said: "Had I not led the assembly, I would certainly have purified the six sense faculties. Lessening myself to benefit others, I have only attained the five grades. You ask where I will be born: my teachers and friends, attending Avalokiteśvara, have all come to welcome me." Having spoken, he chanted the names of the Three Jewels and entered as if into samādhi.

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In praise we say: The Great Master's virtue was held in high esteem, and the doctrine and contemplation of his school have been venerated for myriad generations. Yet at the end of his life, his only destination was the Western Direction; indeed, he commented on the Contemplation Sūtra and composed the Treatise on the Ten Doubts, constantly and earnestly dwelling on this matter. His intention can well be understood! Someone might say: "The commentary states that mental contemplation is the central tenet; is the Pure Land then not actual?" Ah! The Great Master meant that one contemplates the Buddha through the mind, not that there is no Buddha. If there were no Buddha, how could mental contemplation be applied? As it is with the primary retribution, so it is with the dependent retribution. Let those who study the Tiantai teachings examine this carefully.

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Faxi

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Faxi of the Sui dynasty constantly practiced the Vaipulya repentance ritual. Suddenly a pheasant demanded his life. A spirit being scolded it, saying: "The Dharma Master is destined for rebirth in the Pure Land; how could he repay your life?" Later, during an illness, he vowed to dedicate the practices of his entire life toward the Western Direction, reciting the Buddha's name with utmost sincerity. He immediately saw the Buddha and bodhisattvas coming to welcome him, sat upright, and passed away.

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In praise we say: The sūtra states that even after hundreds of thousands of kalpas, the karma created is not forgotten; when causes and conditions converge, one must bear the retribution oneself. How could Xi be reborn in the Pure Land without repaying the pheasant's life? It is precisely because once reborn in the Pure Land, transmigration is severed forever; how could causes and conditions ever converge again? If, having patiently awakened to anutpāda, he enters the defilements to benefit sentient beings, even if there should be retribution to repay, it would be just as it is said: 'Facing the naked blade / Is like cutting through the spring breeze.' How could this be equal to ordinary beings in the six destinies?

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Zhang'an

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Guanding of the Sui dynasty was a native of Zhang'an, and a disciple of Great Master Zhizhe. He made buddhamanasikāra his daily practice. Near death, an extraordinary fragrance filled his room. Having concluded his final instructions to his disciples, he suddenly arose, joined his palms, and invoked the names of Amitābha and the two Mahāsattvas, then peacefully passed away.

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Huicheng

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Huicheng of the Sui dynasty resided in Zhijiang. He recited the Amitābha Sūtra and cultivated contemplation of the Western Direction for thirty years, constantly sitting without lying down. Whenever he entered concentration, he saw the lotus daises and jeweled trees of the Pure Land. On the evening of his death, people dreamt that Cheng, seated on a lotus flower, was fading into the distance toward the west.

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Daoyu

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Daoyu of the Sui dynasty lived at Kaijue Temple, reciting the name of Amitābha Buddha day and night without ceasing. He made an image only three inches tall. Later, in concentration, he saw the Buddha say to him, "Why did you make my image so small?" Yu said: "If the mind is large, it is large; if the mind is small, it is small." Having spoken, he saw the image's body fill all of space, and it told him: "You should bathe and cleanse yourself; when the bright star appears, I will come to welcome you." When the time arrived, he indeed saw the Buddha come, light filling the room; thereupon he sat and passed away.

1.75

In praise we say: "If the mind is large, it is large; if the mind is small, it is small." Thus, that when the mind is defiled, it is defiled, and when the mind is pure, it is pure, is certain. While Yu saw one Buddha fill the sky, previously Sengrou and Huiguang saw many Buddhas fill the sky. For the one is the many, and the many are the one; there is neither superior nor inferior.

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Zhishun

1.77

Zhishun of the Sui dynasty went to Mount Lu, following in Master Yuan's pure karma. At the beginning of the Daye era, after concluding an exposition on the Contemplation Sūtra, he showed illness. He saw parrots and peacocks uttering exquisite sounds that proclaimed the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. He said to his disciples, "Today I attain rebirth," and peacefully passed away.

1.78

Huihai

1.79

Huihai of the Sui dynasty lived at Anle Temple in Jiangdu. He was skilled in the sūtras and treatises, and practiced buddhamanasikāra with pure sincerity. There was a monk named Daoquan who arrived from Qizhou carrying an image of Amitābha Buddha that was exquisite and skillfully wrought, such as did not exist in the world. When asked about it, he said, “A bodhisattva of the five superknowledges from Kukkuṭārāma Temple in India traveled through the air to that Sukhāvatī world system, drew it, and returned.” Huihai felt blessed to have encountered it, and reverently and devoutly paid homage to it, whereupon he saw a divine light shining brilliantly. Thereupon he copied it with deep earnestness, aspiring to be reborn in that land. Later, he fell slightly ill. At night, he suddenly arose, and after paying homage facing west as was his custom, he sat cross-legged until dawn and passed away, looking dignified as though still alive.

1.80

The appraisal says: The Sukhāvatī world system lies beyond hundreds of thousands of koṭis of buddha-lands from here; it is also not somewhere that can be reached merely by traveling through the air. Huihai’s pure sincerity resonated with the Buddha; but as for that Daoquan, how do we know he was not a worthy or sage of the Pure Land?

1.81

Fazhi

1.82

Fazhi of the Sui dynasty undertook pravrajyā in his childhood. In his later years, he heard that among the direct gates, none surpasses buddhamanasikāra. He then said to others, “I have heard that the sūtras say committing a single duṣkṛta causes one to pass through an intermediate kalpa and enter hell, which is believable; but when they also say that chanting the name of Amitābha Buddha once eradicates the grave offenses of saṃsāra of eighty koṭis of kalpas, this I cannot believe.” A person of understanding instructed him, saying, “You have a great wrong view! Both are the words of the Buddha; how can you not believe them?” He thereupon practiced buddhamanasikāra day and night with diligence at the Tuṣita Terrace of Guoqing Temple. Suddenly, he took leave of monastics and laity, saying, “I am departing for rebirth in the Western Direction.” In the middle of the night, without illness, he was transformed. At that time, a golden radiance illuminated several hundred li. The fishermen on the river thought dawn had broken, but only after a long delay did it truly brighten; only then did they learn of Fazhi’s rebirth.

1.83

The appraisal says: The Buddha said, “My words are like honey: the center and the edges are all sweet; they should all be received with faith.” Therefore, believing that a slight evil leads into hell while not believing that a single thought brings rebirth in the Western Direction can truly be called a wrong view! In recent times, those who take pleasure in upholding dhāraṇīs eagerly believe them when they see that the merits spoken of in the dhāraṇīs can move mountains and oceans, command ghosts and spirits, and fulfill all kinds of wishes; yet when they see the merits spoken of in the Pure Land, which allow one to enter the stages of the noble directly and instantly transcend the trailokya, they remain indifferent and unconcerned. These are of the same kind of wrong view. How lamentable!

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Preceptor Shandao

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Shandao of the Tang dynasty, during the Zhenguan era, saw the nine-grades bodhimaṇḍa of Chan Master Daochuo of Xihe, and rejoiced, saying, “This is truly the essential crossing for entering Buddhahood. Cultivating other practices is circuitous, deviated, and difficult to accomplish; only this Dharma gate allows one to swiftly transcend saṃsāra.” Thereupon, with diligent devotion and arduous asceticism, he paid homage and recited day and night, inspiring the fourfold assembly. Whenever he entered his chamber, he would kneel on both knees and practice buddhamanasikāra, never resting until his strength was exhausted; when he went out, he expounded the Pure Land for others. For more than thirty years he never slept even for a moment. He sent fine food to the kitchen and provided only coarse and poor food for himself. Whenever he received donations, he used them to copy one hundred thousand scrolls of the Amitābha Sūtra, paint three hundred wall murals of the Pure Land transformation tableau, repair what was dilapidated, and light lamps to keep the brightness burning continuously. He did not permit anyone to carry his three robes, water bottle, or alms-bowl. When walking, he did not accompany the multitude, fearing they would converse about worldly affairs. Those who followed his transformation were extremely numerous: there were those who recited the Amitābha Sūtra from one hundred thousand to five hundred thousand times; there were those whose daily quota of buddhamanasikāra was ten thousand to one hundred thousand recitations; and those who attained the buddhānusmṛti-samādhi and achieved rebirth in the Pure Land could not be recorded in full. Someone once asked, “Does practicing buddhamanasikāra indeed bring rebirth in the Pure Land?” The Master said, “As you practice mindfulness, so will your wish be fulfilled.” He then recited once himself, and a ray of light emerged from his mouth; when he recited ten to a hundred times, the lights were also like this. His verse admonishing the world says: “Gradually comes chicken-skin and crane-white hair; / Behold how one’s gait becomes tottering and frail. / Even if gold and jade fill the hall, / How can one escape decline, decrepitude, and the pain of sickness? / Let yourself have a thousand kinds of pleasure, / Impermanence will arrive in the end. / There is only the direct path of cultivation: / Merely be mindful of Amitābha Buddha.” Suddenly he said to people, “This body is loathsome; I am going to return to the West.” He then climbed a willow tree, faced the west, and prayed, saying, “May the Buddha receive me and the bodhisattvas assist me, so that I do not lose right mindfulness and obtain rebirth in the Pure Land.” Having spoken, he cast himself down and passed away. When Emperor Gaozong learned of this affair, he bestowed upon the temple the plaque inscribed “Guangming” (Radiance).

1.86

The appraisal says: Preceptor Shandao is traditionally transmitted in the world as an incarnation of Amitābha. Observing the strictness and purity of his own practice and the breadth of his benefit to sentient beings, even after ten thousand generations he can still evoke and awaken people’s faithful minds. If he were not Amitābha, he must certainly be of the peerage of Avalokiteśvara or Samantabhadra! Ah, how great he was!

1.87

Zhiqin

1.88

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.

1.89

The appraisal says: Burning the body and burning the arm are repeatedly permitted in the Mahāyāna sūtras; however, these are deeds of great beings who have attained forbearance, not the realm of the initial mind. Those who seek the Western Direction should emulate Master Qin’s practice of Chan and homage to the buddhas; they need not imitate his burning of an arm. If one can use the pure devotion and courageous vigor of burning an arm to subdue one’s evil habits, then what is burned will also be vast. The ancients said, “Be good at learning from Liuxia Hui.” Is this not indeed so?

1.90

Dharma Master Wuhui

1.91

Fazhao of the Tang dynasty stayed at Yunfeng Temple in Hengzhou in the second year of the Dali era. For his loving-kindness, forbearance, precepts, and concentration, he was revered by his contemporaries. He once saw five-colored clouds inside his alms-bowl, within which was an Indian monastery named the Great Sage Bamboo Grove Temple. Later, he went to Mount Wutai and saw an extraordinary light, and indeed found the Bamboo Grove Temple. Entering the lecture hall, Mañjuśrī was in the west and Samantabhadra was in the east, surrounded by a multitude of ten thousand as they expounded the Dharma. Zhao paid homage and asked, “For ordinary beings of the final age, it is not yet known which Dharma gate should be cultivated?” Mañjuśrī told him, “Among all the gates of practice, none surpasses buddhamanasikāra. Through buddhamanasikāra, I attained the knowledge of all aspects.” He asked again, “How should one practice mindfulness?” [Mañjuśrī] replied, “West of this world, there is Amitābha Buddha. That Buddha’s power of vows is inconceivable. You should maintain continuous mindfulness without letting it be severed, and you are certain to obtain rebirth.” Later, on the first day of the twelfth month, while in the pure karma bodhimaṇḍa of the Huayan Cloister, he had just recalled the prediction of rebirth given to him by the two great beings and was practicing buddhamanasikāra with single-minded devotion. Suddenly he saw the Indian monk Buddhapāla, who said to him, “Your lotus terrace is already prepared; after three years, the flower will open.” When the time arrived, he said to the assembly, “I am departing,” and sitting upright, he passed away. The Master had once established the Five-Assembly Buddhamanasikāra at Hudong Temple, which evoked auspicious clouds and jeweled pavilions, and Amitābha Buddha and the two bodhisattvas were seen filling the sky with their bodies. He also practiced the Five-Assembly Buddhamanasikāra in Bingzhou, which evoked the sound of buddhamanasikāra to be heard within the palace of Emperor Daizong. The Emperor dispatched envoys to trace it, and thus witnessed the flourishing of the Master’s preaching and transformation. He thereupon summoned him to enter the capital to teach the palace attendants buddhamanasikāra also in five assemblies, and he was named Dharma Master of the Five Assemblies.

1.92

The appraisal says: First having a resonant dream, and later beholding the actual scene—that it is worthy of trust is obvious! Thus, that “among all the gates of practice, none surpasses buddhamanasikāra” was personally spoken by Mañjuśrī; could it still be unworthy of faith? Three years beforehand, the flower terrace was prepared in advance. It is as the saying goes: the moment the faithful mind arises, one’s name is inscribed on the lotus calyx, which becomes either fresh or withered according to one’s diligence or indolence—is this also not worthy of faith? Ah! In the unseen world miraculous traces appeared, beforehand tallying with the noble prediction; his transformation was carried out in five assemblies, and its sound reached the ninth tier of the imperial palace. How could he not have been one born on the carriage of compassionate vows?

1.93

Dharma Master Kang of Taiyan

1.94

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.

1.95

The appraisal says: Some might suspect that buddhas emerging from the mouth seems to border on the bizarre. Ah! When the Bhagavat encountered the drunken elephant, golden-rayed lions emerged from the tips of his five fingers. His words were, “How could I have had any intention to ward off the elephant? It is because through my cultivation of the power of loving-kindness and forbearance over immeasurable kalpas, lions naturally appeared. I myself did not know it either.” Now, Master Kang’s manifestation of buddhas was likewise brought about by his taking refuge and paying homage over immeasurable kalpas. What is bizarre about it? In the world there are demonic teachers who instruct people to sit in the dark night and fix their gaze upon incense smoke to see a buddha appear, taking this to be sympathetic resonance. Compared to this, the difference between the heterodox and the orthodox is truly like that between heaven and earth! Cultivators of pure karma cannot fail to discern this.

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Zijue

1.97

Zijue of the Tang dynasty lived in Zhenzhou. He constantly made vows, wishing that through Avalokiteśvara he might see Amitābha Buddha. Thereupon he cast an image of Avalokiteśvara forty-nine feet tall. When it was completed, he made a prayer. In the third watch of the night, there suddenly appeared two rays of golden light, and Amitābha Buddha descended from within the light, with the two great beings following on his left and right. The Buddha lowered his hand, stroked Jue’s head, and said, “Guard your vows and do not alter them; place benefiting sentient beings foremost. In the place of rebirth in the jeweled pond, what would not be according to your wish?” Later, on the evening of the full moon of the seventh month eleven years afterward, he saw a person resembling a heavenly king manifest in the midst of clouds, who said to Jue, “The time for Peaceful Nourishment has arrived.” He immediately sat cross-legged before the image of Avalokiteśvara and was transformed.

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Shanzhou

1.99

Shanzhou of the Tang dynasty was a native of Yingzhou. In the third year of the Wude era, when his illness became critical, he said to his disciples, “Throughout my entire life I have held right faith; I have no anxiety about not being born in the Pure Land.” He then ordered them to sweep and clean the room and burn incense to prepare with solemnity. Having been ill for a long time, he was lying down weakly; suddenly he sat up, joined his palms, and said to the attendants, “Provide a seat for the Bhagavat to sit.” He also stated his repentance himself. After a long while, he said, “The Bhagavat has departed.” He bowed his body as if seeing someone off, and then lay down, saying, “Just now Amitābha Buddha came; did you see him or not? Before long, I shall depart.” Shortly afterward, he passed away.

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Shensu

1.101

Shensu of the Tang dynasty was a native of Mingtiao in Anyi. His profession was lecturing, and his renown was equal to that of Daojie. His lifetime activities were directed in thought toward the Western Direction. In the second year of the Zhenguan era, the assembly invited him to preside over Qiyan. On the twenty-third day of the second month in the seventeenth year, he gathered the great assembly to bid them farewell. Sitting cross-legged with a dignified countenance, he had them recite the Universal Gate Chapter of Avalokiteśvara twice. He himself chanted “Amitābha Buddha” and also had one person lead while the rest joined in harmony. In the middle of the night, sitting upright and dignified, he passed away. Although his flesh was completely exhausted, his bones remained seated as before.

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Huixuan

1.103

Huixuan of the Tang dynasty undertook pravrajyā in Xiangchuan. He once propagated the great sūtras of the Three Wheels. On the eighth day of the fourth month in the twenty-third year of the Zhenguan era, he saw a mountain deity at night who told him, “The Dharma Master’s dwelling will before long be reborn in the Western Direction.” On the fourteenth day of the seventh month, having finished lecturing on the Ullambana Sūtra, he folded his hands and said, “In life I have received offerings from the faithful; now they must be completely distributed. Every single item down to a single hair or more shall be given to the poor, solitary beggars, and all heterodox paths throughout the ten directions.” Having spoken, he passed away upon the Dharma seat.

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往生集 — Classical Chinese