English
English version: Now, (people) endure what should not be endured, and burn what should not be burned. He further told the assembly: 'In the degenerate age, people are frivolous and ignorant. They see a Buddha image as just a piece of wood, and hear the sutras as wind passing through a horse's ears.' (Some) burn their fingers and sacrifice their bodies, wanting to make people believe in and value the Buddha's teachings. He told his disciples: 'After my Nirvana, take good care of the sick, the ugly, and even animals. All these beings are mostly manifestations of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas for the sake of expedient teaching. If one does not have great compassion and equanimity, how can one be respectful to all beings?' (Someone) saw celestial flowers and the monk Sengyai (name), wearing patched robes and carrying a staff, going west into the sky with six hundred monks. Fifth: Chan Master Huiming Chan Master Huiming of the Later Zhou Dynasty was from Taiyuan. He and Chan Master Nanyue Si were Dharma friends. Together they practiced the Fangdeng Repentance. Under the pine trees, they looked at each other and wept, saying: 'We can end our lives in these two places.' Before ten days had passed, he fell ill, sat in the lotus position facing west, and chanted 'The Buddha is coming,' joining his palms together and passing away. Both were eighty-three years old. At that time, people dreamed of celestial beings holding banners, chanting 'Excellent, excellent,' coming to welcome the two masters to depart. Sixth: Chan Master Jing'ai Chan Master Jing'ai of the Later Zhou Dynasty, when he was a layman, entered a temple and saw a depiction of the hell realms. He said to his companions: 'If the judgment of karma is truly like this, who can escape this suffering?' Thereupon, he told his mother that he wanted to leave home. He often lived in forests and fields. Monks asked him: 'You should be in the world guiding and teaching beings, but now you are losing the opportunity to cultivate in the forest of virtue.' Chan Master Jing'ai said: 'The Way values practice and application; is it only about me? I observe the times, choose to advance or retreat, and am temporarily living in seclusion.' It happened that Emperor Wu of the Zhou Dynasty was destroying the Buddha's teachings. Chan Master Jing'ai regretted that he had no power to protect the Dharma, and told his disciples: 'I am of no benefit to the world; I should give up my own body.' Thereupon, he sat in the lotus position on a flat rock, covered his body with a patched robe, then tore his clothes, placing pieces of cloth from his hands and feet on the stone, pulled out his intestines and hung them on tree branches, and then cut open his heart with a knife, holding it in his hands until he died. He left a letter saying: 'All those who have affinity, do not generate thoughts of retreat from the Buddha's teachings, and be sure to support good deeds and benefits. I am giving up this life with three causes: first, I see many faults in myself; second, I cannot protect the Dharma; third, I want to see the Buddha quickly.' Thereupon, he composed a verse saying: 'May all sentient beings, hearing of my giving up my body, achieve heavenly ears and ultimately attain Bodhi. This body is unclean, below is a bag of excrement and urine, nine orifices flowing with filth, like a pond with overflowing banks.' --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
舍身秽形。愿生净土。一念花开。弥陀佛所。 顗禅师第七 隋朝天台顗禅师颖川人。陈代讲净名经次。忽见三道宝阶从空而下。数十梵僧执炉。入堂绕顗三币。顗遂告曰。吾从生已来。坐向西方。念阿弥陀佛摩诃般若观音势至。威神之力不过此也。吾多请观音忏悔。从染疾来。西方之念弥切。吾应随去。有送药者。答曰。病不与身合。年不与心合。药岂能遣病乎。吾生劳毒器。死脱休归。观音势至今来迎我。令唱法花经题。赞曰。法门父母。慧解由生。微妙难测。绝于今日。又唱无量寿经。赞曰。四十八愿。庄严净土。花池宝树。易往无人。又命维那曰。临终闻钟。增其正念。且各默然。吾将去矣。言讫而终。年六十。开皇十七年十一月二十四日迁化。造寺四十五所。度僧四千人。写经十五藏。造金银旃檀像十万余体。即智者法空大师也。 僧道喻第八 隋朝僧道喻于开觉寺念阿弥陀佛。造栴檀像长三寸。后道喻忽死。经七日却稣曰。初见一贤者往生至宝池边。贤者绕花三币。花便开敷。遂入而坐。喻绕花三币。花不为开。以手拨花。花随萎落。阿弥陀佛告言。汝且还彼国。忏悔众罪。香汤沐浴。明星出时。我来迎汝。汝造我像。因何太小。喻白言。心大即大。心小即小。言讫像遍于虚空 现代汉语译本：舍弃这污秽的肉身，愿往生清净的佛国净土。一旦心中生起一念向佛之心，莲花便会盛开，而我便能到达阿弥陀佛的居所。 顗禅师第七 隋朝的天台宗顗禅师是颖川人。在陈朝讲《净名经》时，忽然看见三道宝阶从空中降下，几十位梵僧手持香炉，进入佛堂绕着顗禅师转了三圈。顗禅师于是说：‘我从出生以来，一直面向西方，念诵阿弥陀佛、摩诃般若、观音菩萨、势至菩萨的名号。仰仗他们的威神之力，才能有此景象。我多次祈请观音菩萨忏悔。自从染病以来，往生西方的念头更加迫切。我应该要随他们去了。’有人送药来，顗禅师回答说：‘病与身体不相合，寿命与心念不相合，药物怎么能治好我的病呢？我活着是劳累的毒器，死了就能解脱回归。观音菩萨和势至菩萨现在来迎接我，让我唱诵《法华经》的题目。’赞叹说：‘法门是父母，智慧和理解由此而生。微妙深奥难以测度，今日之后就告别了。’又唱诵《无量寿经》，赞叹说：‘四十八大愿，庄严了极乐净土。莲花池和珍宝树，容易前往却没有人去。’又命令维那说：‘临终听到钟声，要增加我的正念。大家都保持沉默，我就要走了。’说完就圆寂了，享年六十岁。开皇十七年十一月二十四日迁化。他建造了四十五所寺庙，度化了四千名僧人，抄写了十五藏经，建造了金银旃檀佛像十万多尊。他就是智者法空大师。 僧道喻第八 隋朝的僧人道喻在开觉寺念诵阿弥陀佛的名号，并制造了一尊三寸长的栴檀佛像。后来道喻忽然去世，经过七天后又苏醒过来说：‘起初我看见一位贤者往生到宝池边。贤者绕着莲花转了三圈，莲花便盛开，于是进入其中坐下。我绕着莲花转了三圈，莲花却没有打开。我用手拨开莲花，莲花随即凋谢。阿弥陀佛告诉我：‘你先回到你的世界，忏悔各种罪过，用香汤沐浴，等到启明星出现的时候，我来迎接你。你造我的佛像，为什么造得这么小？’道喻回答说：‘心大佛就大，心小佛就小。’说完，佛像就遍布了虚空。
English
English version: Abandoning this defiled and impure body, I vow to be reborn in the pure land of the Buddha. The moment a thought of devotion arises in my mind, a lotus flower will bloom, and I will reach the abode of Amitabha Buddha (Amituofo, Buddha of Infinite Light). Chan Master Yi the Seventh Chan Master Yi of the Tiantai school (Tiantai, a major school of Chinese Buddhism) of the Sui Dynasty was a native of Yingchuan. During the Chen Dynasty, while lecturing on the Vimalakirti Sutra (Jingming Jing, a Mahayana Buddhist text), he suddenly saw three jeweled stairways descending from the sky. Dozens of Brahma monks (fanseng, monks from India) holding censers entered the hall and circled Yi three times. Yi then said, 'Since my birth, I have always faced the West, reciting the names of Amitabha Buddha (Amituofo, Buddha of Infinite Light), Maha Prajna (Mohe Bore, Great Wisdom), Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (Guanyin Pusa, Bodhisattva of Compassion), and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva (Shizhi Pusa, Bodhisattva of Great Strength). It is only through their divine power that I am witnessing this scene. I have repeatedly prayed to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (Guanyin Pusa, Bodhisattva of Compassion) for repentance. Since falling ill, my desire to be reborn in the West has become even more urgent. I should go with them.' Someone brought medicine, and Yi replied, 'Illness is not in harmony with the body, and lifespan is not in harmony with the mind. How can medicine cure my illness? My life is a vessel of toil and poison; death will bring liberation and return. Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva (Guanyin Pusa, Bodhisattva of Compassion) and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva (Shizhi Pusa, Bodhisattva of Great Strength) have come to welcome me, asking me to chant the title of the Lotus Sutra (Fahua Jing, one of the most important sutras in Mahayana Buddhism).' He praised, 'The Dharma is the parent, from which wisdom and understanding arise. Its subtlety is immeasurable, and today marks its end.' He then chanted the Infinite Life Sutra (Wuliangshou Jing, the principal sutra of Pure Land Buddhism), praising, 'The forty-eight vows adorn the Pure Land. The lotus ponds and jeweled trees are easy to reach, yet no one goes.' He then instructed the director of monks, 'When you hear the bell at my death, increase my mindfulness. Everyone remain silent, for I am about to depart.' After saying this, he passed away at the age of sixty. He passed away on the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month of the seventeenth year of the Kaihuang era. He built forty-five temples, ordained four thousand monks, copied fifteen collections of scriptures, and created over one hundred thousand gold, silver, and sandalwood images of the Buddha. He was the Great Master Zhizhe Fakong. Monk Daoyu the Eighth During the Sui Dynasty, the monk Daoyu recited the name of Amitabha Buddha (Amituofo, Buddha of Infinite Light) at Kaijue Temple and made a three-inch-long sandalwood statue of the Buddha. Later, Daoyu suddenly died, but after seven days, he revived and said, 'At first, I saw a virtuous person reborn by the jeweled pond. The virtuous person circled the lotus flower three times, and the lotus flower bloomed, and he entered and sat down. I circled the lotus flower three times, but the lotus flower did not open. I tried to open the lotus flower with my hand, but the lotus flower withered. Amitabha Buddha (Amituofo, Buddha of Infinite Light) told me, 'You should return to your world first, repent of your sins, bathe in fragrant water, and when the morning star appears, I will come to welcome you. Why did you make my statue so small?' Daoyu replied, 'If the heart is big, the Buddha is big; if the heart is small, the Buddha is small.' After he said this, the statue filled the void. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
。即依香汤沐浴。一心忏悔。白众人曰。为喻念佛。明星出时。化佛来迎。光明众皆闻见。即便命终。时开皇八年矣。 登法师第九 隋朝登法师于并州兴国寺讲涅槃经。道俗来听。若长若幼。口授阿弥陀佛名。劝共往生。至开皇十二年。异香迎接。殡送之日。香云遍一切聚落。 洪法师第十 隋朝洪法师并州人。一生精进不执钱宝。常念西方。期弥陀佛。临终时。见兜率天童男童女来迎。法师曰。我期西方。不生天上。令徒众念佛。口曰西方佛来迎也。言讫命终。当仁寿四年矣。 道绰禅师第十一 唐朝绰禅师并州人。玄忠寺讲观经二百遍。三昧七岁并解念佛。自穿楼珠。劝人念佛。语常含笑。不曾面背西语善导曰。道绰恐不往生。愿师入定为佛得否。善导入定。见佛百余尺曰。道绰现修念佛三昧。不知舍此报身得往生否。又问。何年月得生。答曰。伐树连下斧。无缘莫共语。还家莫辞苦。又令绰忏悔。一者安居经像于浅处。自居安稳房中。二者作功德使出家人。对十方僧忏悔。三者因修建伤损含生。对众生忏悔。又问。终时有何瑞相令人见闻。答曰。亡日我放白毫。远照东方。此光现时。来生我国。果至亡日。三道光白毫照于房内。又见昙鸾法师光。七宝池中语曰。净土已 现代汉语译本：于是用香汤沐浴，一心忏悔，告诉众人说：‘因为念佛的缘故，当明星出现的时候，化佛前来迎接，光明大众都听闻看见。’说完就去世了。那时是开皇八年。 登法师第九 隋朝的登法师在并州兴国寺讲解《涅槃经》。僧俗前来听讲，无论年长年幼，都口授阿弥陀佛（Amitabha Buddha）的名号，劝导大家共同往生西方极乐世界。到开皇十二年，有奇异的香气前来迎接，殡葬那天，香云遍布所有的村落。 洪法师第十 隋朝的洪法师是并州人，一生精进修行，不执着于钱财宝物，常常念诵西方极乐世界，期望往生到阿弥陀佛（Amitabha Buddha）的净土。临终时，看见兜率天（Tushita Heaven）的童男童女前来迎接。法师说：‘我期望往生西方极乐世界，不生到天上。’让弟子们念佛，口中说西方极乐世界的佛来迎接我了。说完就去世了。那时是仁寿四年。 道绰禅师第十一 唐朝的道绰禅师是并州人，在玄忠寺讲解《观经》二百遍，七岁时就精通三昧（Samadhi）并且理解念佛的法门。自己穿楼珠，劝人念佛。说话时常带着笑容，不曾背对着西方。他问善导大师说：‘道绰恐怕不能往生，希望师父入定观察我能否往生佛国。’善导入定后，看见佛身百余尺，说：‘道绰现在修行念佛三昧（Samadhi），不知道舍弃这个报身后能否往生。’又问：‘什么时候能够往生？’回答说：‘伐树连下斧，无缘莫共语，还家莫辞苦。’又让道绰禅师忏悔：一是将经书佛像安放在浅显易见的地方，自己住在安稳的房间中；二是做功德供养出家人，对着十方僧众忏悔；三是因为修建寺庙而伤损了含灵众生，对着众生忏悔。又问：‘临终时有什么瑞相让人见闻？’回答说：‘去世那天我放出白毫光，远远照耀东方。这光出现的时候，就来生到我的国土。’果然到了去世那天，三道光芒从白毫中射出，照耀在房间内。又看见昙鸾法师（Tanluan）在七宝池中说：‘净土已