往生集 1.97

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.