諸經要集 1.17

1.17

Furthermore, the Avadāna-sūtra says: In the past, there was a king who killed his father and set himself upon the throne. An arhat knew that this king would soon die, reckoning that his remaining life did not exceed seven days, and that after his death he would inevitably fall into the Avīci Hell to suffer torment for a kalpa. This arhat went immediately to transform him, urging and instructing him to recite "Namo Buddhāya" with an utmost mind for seven days without ceasing. When about to depart, he warned him again, "Take care not to forget this!" The king then clasped his hands and with single-minded devotion recited it day and night without abandoning it. When the seven days ended, he immediately died, and his consciousness sped toward the Avīci Hell. Riding upon his prior mindfulness of the Buddha, he reached the gates of the hell; knowing that this was hell, he immediately cried aloud, "Namo Buddhāya!" When the sinners in the hell heard the sound of reciting the Buddha's name, they all together at once cried, "Namo Buddhāya!" The fierce fires of the hell were instantly transformed and extinguished, and all the sinners were liberated and reborn among humans. Later, the arhat expounded the Dharma to them again, and they attained srotāpanna. By this causal condition, the merit obtained from reciting the Buddha's name is immeasurable and boundless, beyond all comparison.