English
English version: A Lay Master Monk came from the west and was about to go east, as if attending a monastic meal invitation. He also told his child, 'Tomorrow there will be light shining on me, do not be surprised.' The next day arrived, and indeed, as he had said, light came and shone throughout the house. The old man faced west, as if about to ascend something, and then he passed away. It is said that there was a person, whose name was unknown, whose nature was treacherous and dangerous, and who did not believe in karma and retribution. He often made a living by killing and hunting. When he became seriously ill and was dying, he clearly saw the various instruments of torture in hell, and the many beings he had killed came to demand their lives. This person repented and said, 'I have never believed the words of monks and nuns in my life. What I see today is indeed as the scriptures say.' So he told his family, 'Save me!' His wife and children replied, 'How can we save you?' The man said, 'If you cannot save me, quickly send someone to the temple to invite a monk to save me!' The family followed his words and invited a monk. When the man saw the monk, he wept sadly and said, 'May the master be compassionate and quickly save this disciple!' The monk replied, 'Lay devotee, you have never believed in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha) in your life. Now that you are dying, it is difficult to suddenly save you.' The man said, 'That is indeed the case. Master, if you recite the Buddhist scriptures, is there a way to save a sinner like me at the time of death?' The monk replied, 'There is a passage in the Contemplation Sutra.' The man suddenly jumped up with joy and said, 'The Buddha said there is hell, and if he said there is, then there is; the Buddha said one can be reborn in the Pure Land, and this disciple will surely be reborn!' So he told his family, 'Bring incense and fire.' The family lit the fire and handed him the incense burner. The man said, 'I am about to go to hell, and what use is an incense burner in the hellish griddle? Bring the fire and put it in my hand.' So he held the fire in his left hand and the incense in his right hand, faced west, and sincerely recited the Buddha's name. Before he had finished reciting ten times, he told the crowd, 'The Buddha is coming from the west, with many disciples and followers, and emitting light, granting me a lotus throne.' After saying this, he passed away (this is rebirth through ten recitations). Five Upasikas (female lay practitioners) attained rebirth in the Pure Land. The wife of County Commandant Wen Jingwen, whose surname is unknown, was from Jinyang in Bingzhou. She suffered from hemiplegia (paralysis of one side of the body) at an early age and had been bedridden ever since. Her husband told her, 'Lying in bed all day, --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
地。何不念佛。妇谓夫曰。念何佛耶。夫曰。念弥陀佛。二年之中。口恒念佛。忽尔罪障消除。现见弥陀佛国。庆谢夫言。长病多时。甚相恼乱。今蒙教念阿般陀佛。后日即去。请告父母兄弟。设一斋取别。夫曰。岂有凡夫得见佛国。非是风邪狂见不。妇曰。决然非是风也。遂告父母眷属。设斋时到。令于凡僧之上铺五领[贾*毛]。拟圣众坐。至时。遥见圣众在空不下。即言嫌僧杂秽不肯同坐。遂遣将[贾*毛]。于平头屋上。铺设令坐。又将食就献。总僧食竟。催合家集。说法示诲。我今倍从圣后。往生西方。志愿耶。娘眷属等。悉皆念佛。于后生来。西方净土不可思议。正面向西。合众念佛。即便寿终。如此之流。实不可攀及。 又隋大业内。并洲汶水县絇山有村。村有老翁老婆两人。更无男女。家人三五口。恒有兼年粮食。以自存养。识达苦空。每月二十九日。请山僧二人。一宿行道。合村六十许家。并来随喜听法受戒。月尽日设斋。寻常如此。凡造斋时者。老母洁净。自手营作。老父谓老婆曰。身力劣弱。但用口教。何假手为。母对父曰。恐朝夕亡不能更作。若用口教。但是他福。凡所营斋。必恒自作。二三年间。相续不断。所修功德。念诵业行。回向净土。临终之日。村人普共同者。初夜以去。忽 现代汉语译本： 地。为什么不念佛呢？妻子对丈夫说：‘念什么佛呢？’丈夫说：‘念阿弥陀佛（Amitabha，西方极乐世界的教主）。’两年之中，口中 постоянно念佛。忽然罪业消除，亲眼见到了阿弥陀佛的佛国。她感谢丈夫说：‘长久生病，非常烦恼。现在蒙你教我念阿弥陀佛，后天就要走了。请告诉父母兄弟，设一斋饭告别。’丈夫说：‘哪有凡夫能见到佛国的？这一定是得了风病，胡说八道。’妻子说：‘绝对不是风病。’于是告诉父母亲属，设斋饭的时候到了，让人在凡僧之上铺五领毛毯，准备给圣众坐。到时候，远远看见圣众在空中不下来，就说嫌僧人杂乱污秽，不肯同坐。于是派人把毛毯拿到平顶屋上，铺设好让他们坐。又把食物拿去供献。等众僧吃完饭，催促全家集合，说法开示：‘我现在跟随圣众之后，往生西方极乐世界。你们愿意吗？’母亲和亲属等，都念佛。以后往生西方净土，真是不可思议。她正面向西，合众念佛，就去世了。像这样的人，实在无法赶上。 又隋朝大业年间，并州汶水县絇山有个村庄。村里有一对老翁老婆，没有儿女，只有三五口家人。家里常年有粮食，用来维持生活。他们通达苦空的道理，每月二十九日，请两位山僧来，住一宿修行。全村六十多户人家，都来随喜听法受戒。每月最后一天设斋饭，一直如此。凡是做斋饭的时候，老母亲都亲自打扫干净，亲手操办。老父亲对老伴说：‘身体虚弱，只用嘴说就行了，何必亲自动手呢？’老母亲对老父亲说：‘恐怕早晚去世就不能再做了。如果用嘴说，那只是别人的福报。’凡是操办斋饭，必定亲自去做。两三年间，相续不断。所修的功德，念诵修行，都回向净土。临终的时候，全村人都共同看到，从初夜开始，忽然……
English
English version: She said: 'Why not recite the Buddha's name?' The wife asked her husband: 'Which Buddha should I recite?' The husband said: 'Recite Amitabha Buddha (Amitabha, the principal Buddha of the Western Pure Land).' For two years, she constantly recited the Buddha's name. Suddenly, her karmic obstacles were eliminated, and she personally saw Amitabha Buddha's Buddha-land. She thanked her husband, saying: 'I have been sick for a long time, causing much trouble. Now, thanks to your teaching me to recite Amitabha Buddha, I will be leaving the day after tomorrow. Please inform my parents and siblings, and prepare a vegetarian meal for farewell.' The husband said: 'How can a mortal see the Buddha-land? This must be a wind-related illness, causing you to speak nonsense.' The wife said: 'It is definitely not a wind-related illness.' So, she informed her parents and relatives. When the time for the vegetarian meal arrived, she had five woolen blankets spread above the ordinary monks, preparing seats for the holy assembly. When the time came, she saw the holy assembly in the sky, not descending, and said that she disliked the monks being mixed and impure, and refused to sit with them. So, she sent people to take the blankets to the flat-roofed house, and arranged for them to sit there. She also brought food to offer. After the monks finished eating, she urged the whole family to gather, and gave a Dharma talk, saying: 'I am now following the holy assembly, going to be reborn in the Western Pure Land. Are you willing?' Her mother and relatives, etc., all recited the Buddha's name. Afterwards, being reborn in the Western Pure Land is truly inconceivable. She faced west, and with everyone reciting the Buddha's name, she passed away. Such people are truly unattainable. Also, during the Daye era of the Sui Dynasty, there was a village in Qushan, WenShui County, Bing Prefecture. In the village, there was an old man and an old woman, with no children, only three to five family members. They always had enough grain to sustain themselves. Understanding the principles of suffering and emptiness, they invited two mountain monks every month on the 29th to stay overnight and practice. More than sixty families in the whole village came to rejoice, listen to the Dharma, and receive precepts. They prepared a vegetarian meal on the last day of each month, and it was always like this. Whenever preparing the vegetarian meal, the old mother would clean everything herself and do it personally. The old father said to his wife: 'Your body is weak, just use your mouth to instruct, why do you need to do it yourself?' The old mother replied to the old father: 'I am afraid that I will die sooner or later and will not be able to do it anymore. If I just use my mouth to instruct, that is only someone else's merit.' Whenever preparing the vegetarian meal, she would always do it herself. For two or three years, it continued without interruption. The merits she cultivated, the recitations and practices, were all dedicated to the Pure Land. On the day of her death, everyone in the village saw together, starting from the beginning of the night, suddenly... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
有光入屋。灯火不现。犹如白日。齐声念佛。寻后即见众多。菩萨捧一宝盖。庄严微妙。遍覆中庭。婆即舍寿。有此胜相。 又大唐贞观已来。不记年月。洛洲永安县东八里有村。名曰般龙村。内有盲老母。姓梁。因师劝念阿弥陀佛。其老母宿有善根。一教以后。相续念佛。三年之后。双眼得开。既得眼已。倍加诵念。更满四年。阎浮报尽。舍命之时。合村共见诸佛菩萨幢幡宝盖下来迎之。便即寿终。合村敬仰。将用非凡。遂不许令葬。于村西共为起塔。塔今现在路露。塔前村人往来。莫不致敬。合村大小皆称诵佛。 妇女裴婆者。并洲晋阳人也。去贞观已来。逢师教用小豆为数。念弥陀佛得十三石小豆。报尽。自知生处。遍辞道俗。告称大别。后日斋时。语家内人。取火烧香。阿弥陀佛将二莲花台来至。与吾一个花台。语讫即便寿终。 妇女姚婆者。雍洲醴泉县人也。蒙师教念阿弥陀佛为业。去贞观二十二年七月二十日无常时。阿弥陀佛与观世音大势至无量菩萨来迎。为不得与本善知识范婆取别。请佛暂时相待。佛便许之。须臾范婆到来。向范婆说已。取别而卒。 第七将西方兜率。相对挍量优劣 问曰。兜率天宫。弥陀净土。此之二处。俱是佛所赞经。未知此二何优何劣。 现代汉语译本：有光进入房屋，灯火的光芒便不再显现，如同白昼一般。大家齐声念诵佛号，随即就看见许多菩萨捧着一个宝盖，庄严而又微妙，遍覆整个庭院。裴婆随即舍弃寿命，呈现出这种殊胜的景象。 又，自大唐贞观年间以来，具体年月已不可考。洛洲永安县东八里有个村庄，名叫般龙村。村里有一位盲人老母，姓梁。因为受到僧人的劝导而念诵阿弥陀佛（Amitabha Buddha）的名号。这位老母宿世具有善根，一经教导之后，便持续不断地念佛。三年之后，双眼得以重见光明。既然眼睛已经复明，就更加倍地诵念佛号。又过了四年，阎浮提（Jambudvipa，指我们所居住的这个世界）的寿命终尽，舍弃生命的时候，全村人都共同看见诸佛菩萨带着幢幡宝盖降临迎接她。她随即寿终正寝。全村人都敬仰她，认为她不是凡人，于是就不允许将她安葬，而是在村西共同为她建造了一座塔。塔现在依然在路边显露着，塔前的村民往来，没有不向她致敬的。全村老少都称念佛号。 妇女裴婆，是并洲晋阳人。自贞观年间以来，她跟随僧人学习用小豆计数，念诵阿弥陀佛的名号，总共念了十三石（一种容量单位）的小豆。寿命将尽时，她预知自己将往生之处，于是遍辞道俗，告知大家即将永别。临终前一天斋戒的时候，她告诉家人，取火焚香。阿弥陀佛带着两个莲花台降临，赐予她一个莲花台。说完这些话，她就舍弃了寿命。 妇女姚婆，是雍洲醴泉县人。她接受僧人的教导，以念诵阿弥陀佛的名号为修行。在贞观二十二年七月二十日临终之时，阿弥陀佛与观世音（Avalokiteśvara）菩萨、大势至（Mahāsthāmaprāpta）菩萨以及无量菩萨前来迎接她。因为没能与自己的善知识范婆告别，她请求佛暂时等待。佛便应允了她。不久之后，范婆到来，姚婆向范婆说明情况之后，告别而去世。 第七，将西方净土与兜率天（Tuṣita Heaven）相对比，衡量其优劣。 问道：兜率天宫和弥陀净土，这两个地方都是佛所赞叹的。不知道这两者之间，哪个更殊胜，哪个更逊色？