法苑珠林 13.9

13.9

又譬喻經云。昔有國王。殺父自立。有阿羅漢。知此國王不久命終。計其餘命不過七日。若命終後必墮阿鼻地獄一劫受苦。此阿羅漢尋往化之。勸教至心稱南無佛。七日莫絕。臨去重告慎莫忘此。王便叉手一心稱說晝夜不廢。至七日頭便即命終。魂神趣向阿鼻地獄。乘前念佛。至地獄門知是地獄。即便大聲稱南無佛。獄中罪人聞稱佛聲。皆共一時稱南無佛。地獄猛火即時化滅。一切罪人皆得解脫出生人中。後阿羅漢重為說法得須陀洹。以是因緣。稱佛名號。所獲功德無量無邊不可為喻。

Furthermore, the Dṛṣṭānta-sūtra says: In the past, there was a king who killed his father and enthroned himself. There was an arhat who knew that this king would soon die, calculating that his remaining life did not exceed seven days, and that after his death he would inevitably fall into Avīci hell to suffer torment for a kalpa. This arhat went immediately to transform him, exhorting and instructing him to recite 'Namo Buddhāya' with a sincere mind without ceasing for seven days. Upon leaving, the arhat reminded him again: 'Be careful not to forget this.' The king clasped his hands and single-mindedly recited it day and night without interruption. At the end of the seventh day, he passed away, and his conscious spirit headed toward Avīci hell. Carried by his previous mindfulness of the Buddha, when he reached the gates of hell and realized it was hell, he immediately cried aloud, 'Namo Buddhāya!' The sinners in hell, hearing the sound of reciting the Buddha, all simultaneously recited 'Namo Buddhāya.' The fierce fires of hell were instantly extinguished, and all the sinners attained liberation and were reborn among humans. Later, the arhat preached the Dharma to them again, and they attained the fruit of srotāpanna. By this cause and condition, the merit obtained from reciting the name of the Buddha is immeasurable, boundless, and beyond metaphor.