三寶感應要略錄 1.51

1.51

聞有一人不識姓名。其性麁險。不信因果。常以殺獵為業。遇疾臨終。備見地獄苦具。及所殺眾生。並來債命。其人悔曰。我平生不信師僧語。今日所見。果如經說。遂告家中人曰。汝等教我。兒等報云。若為相救。其人告曰。汝若不能救我者。急遣一人。就寺請一師。來救我也。即依其言。請得一僧。其人見僧。悲泣而言。願師。慈悲急救弟子。僧報云。旦越平生不信三寶。今日垂終。卒救難得也。其人云。實爾。師讀佛經。如弟子罪人。命終之時有救法不。僧答曰。觀經有文。其文云云。忽然踊躍歡喜。云佛言有地獄。如言即有者。佛言十念得往生。弟子定得往生也。即告家人曰。可持火來。家人莊火香爐授其人。語曰。我今小時。即入地獄。在爐鑊中。何用香爐。可將火來著我手中。遂左手莊火。右手握香。面向西方。至心念佛。未滿十念。即告眾云。佛從西來。大有徒眾。并放光明。授我花座。言畢即卒。此是十念往生也。

It is said that there was a person whose name is unknown. His nature was crude and wicked, and he did not believe in karma, regularly making his living by killing and hunting. He fell ill, and as his end approached, he saw all the instruments of torture of the hells, as well as the sentient beings he had killed, all coming to demand his life. The man repented, saying, “Throughout my life I did not believe the words of teachers and monks. What I see today is indeed as the sūtras say!” He then said to the people in his household, “Save me!” His children replied, “How can we save you?” The man said, “If you cannot save me, quickly send someone to a monastery to invite a teacher to come and save me!” Following his words, they invited a monk. When the man saw the monk, he wept sorrowfully and said, “I pray that you, master, in your compassion will quickly save your disciple!” The monk replied, “Dan Yue, throughout your life you did not believe in the Three Jewels; today, as your end approaches, sudden deliverance is difficult to obtain.” The man said, “Indeed it is so. You read the Buddha's sūtras, master—is there a method of deliverance at the end of life for a sinner such as your disciple?” The monk answered, “The Contemplation Sūtra has a passage; its passage says thus-and-so.” Suddenly leaping up with joy, [the man] said, “The Buddha said that there are hells, and just as he said, they are there; the Buddha said that through ten recitations one attains rebirth [in the Pure Land], so your disciple will surely attain rebirth!” He then said to his family, “Bring fire!” His family prepared a fire in an incense burner and handed it to him. He said, “In a short time I will enter hell and be in a cauldron over a furnace. What use is an incense burner? Bring the fire and place it in my hand!” Thereupon, with fire arranged in his left hand and grasping incense in his right hand, facing west, with a devoted mind he recollected the Buddha. Before completing ten recitations, he told the assembly, “The Buddha has come from the west with a great retinue, radiating light, and has presented me with a lotus seat!” As soon as he finished speaking, he died. This is rebirth through ten recitations.