三寶感應要略錄 3.87

3.87

釋道詮。不知何處人。少有義學嘉譽。以智度論為心要。以龍樹為師宗。發願云。大士龍樹。蒙佛誠言。證歡喜地。往安樂國。補彌陀化。十方攝生。願垂哀愍。得生彼國。更造三尺形像。香花供養。專心祈願。夢感一沙門云。汝淨土業。必定無疑。却後三年。方往生安樂國。詮云。我有師友。豈先捨壽。此事如何。沙門曰。須白阿彌陀佛還來告其實。夢覺彌祈請。我及師友捨壽。先後經三日後。又復夢沙門來告詮曰。以汝言白阿彌陀佛。佛言。汝師却後十二年卒。汝却後十七年方卒。汝母二十年方卒。但汝願微妙。須延三年壽加二十年。却後二十三年方生此國。佛教如斯。復問。我父母師友。生淨土否。答同心發願。必生無疑。詮歡喜復問。君何人。答我是龍樹付法藏中第十三。汝造我像。頻來告之。其後二十三年。正月十五日而卒。其父母師友。皆同佛記。明知。同生淨土。詮臨終時。紫雲蓋菴。音樂聞空。奇瑞非一。見聞在實矣。

The monk Daoquan's place of origin is unknown. In his youth, he had a fine reputation for doctrinal learning; he took the Dazhidulun as his core essential and revered Nāgārjuna as his ancestral master. He made this vow: "Great Being Nāgārjuna, who received the Buddha's true words, realized the Stage of Joy, went to Sukhāvatī, and assists Amitābha's conversion to gather sentient beings from the ten directions: I pray that you will deign to look upon me with pity, so that I may be born in that realm." He further made a three-foot image, making offerings of incense and flowers, and prayed single-mindedly. In a dream he was moved to see a śramaṇa who said: "Your Pure Land karma is certain beyond doubt. After three years have passed, you will be born in Sukhāvatī." Quan said, "I have teachers and friends; how could I be the first to renounce my life? How should this be?" The śramaṇa said, "I must report this to Amitābha Buddha and return to tell you the reality." Waking from his dream, he prayed even more fervently regarding the order in which he, his teachers, and his friends would renounce their lives. Three days later, the śramaṇa came again in a dream to tell Quan: "I reported your words to Amitābha Buddha. The Buddha said: 'Your master will pass away after twelve years. You will pass away after seventeen years. Your mother will pass away in twenty years. However, because your vow is subtle and wondrous, your lifespan should be extended by three years, adding to the twenty years; only after twenty-three years will you be born in this realm.' Such is the Buddha's instruction." Quan asked again, "Will my parents, teachers, and friends be born in the Pure Land?" He replied: "If you make vows with one heart, you will certainly be born there without doubt." Joyful, Quan asked again, "Who are you, sir?" He replied: "I am the thirteenth [patriarch] in the transmission of the Dharma repository, Nāgārjuna. Because you made my image, I have repeatedly come to tell you this." Twenty-three years later, he passed away on the fifteenth day of the first month. His parents, teachers, and friends were all in accord with the Buddha's prediction. From this one clearly knows that they were all born in the Pure Land. At the time of Quan's passing, purple clouds covered his hut, music was heard in the sky, and extraordinary portents were not singular; those who witnessed it knew its reality.