---
title: "重訂西方公據 · 書證"
description: "清代彭际清居士集辑的《重訂西方公據》是一部净土宗重要典籍。该书汇集历代往生者的传记、念佛方法及修行要诀，并配有插图，旨在为修行者提供往生西方净土的实证依据和实用指南。它成书于净土信仰盛行的清代，反映了当时佛教民间化的趋势。作为接引初机、坚定信愿的经典之作，在净土宗文献中占有独特地位，是研究明清佛教净土思想与实践的重要参考资料。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmcxgifse024tlc04ccisvrhb"
---

### 書證

> Evidence

知歸學人

> A student who has found their way home.

古之生西方者。或徵之於夢。或徵之於冥。或徵之於定。徵之夢者。如慧延之於智者。楊次公之於王仲回。荊王夫人之於其妾是也。徵之冥者。如閻羅之供永明雲棲遺像是也。徵之定者。如遠公之見同社諸賢。袁小修之見中郎是也。是三者皆不離於唯識。而僧史載之。學士大夫傳之。亦謂其理確然可信云爾。其理確然可信。則其事雖不經見。而不可謂罔。如以為罔。則凡脩多羅所載。其事苟不經見。皆將以為罔耶。近世飛鸞之化行。其言罪福升沈頗益悉。雖亦不離乎唯識。就其可信者論之。要亦不可謂罔。一斷之於理而已矣。予嘗作集驗篇。徵現今往生諸果。不越乎臨終一念。未有徵之於身後者也。已而得陶氏汪氏。陸生馬生。一徵之於夢。一徵之於冥。兩徵之於鸞。要皆確然可信者。何信乎爾。信其言如水之寒。火之熱。如春生而秋殺。世有不信斯言者。其亦不信水寒而火熱。春生而秋殺者也。而豈其然哉。復論次其事。為書證一篇。

> In ancient times, those who were born in the Western Pure Land were sometimes verified through dreams, sometimes through the realm of the dead, and sometimes through meditative absorption. Verifications through dreams include the cases of Huiyan and the Wise One, Yang Cigong and Wang Zhonghui, and Lady Jing of the Jing Prince and her concubine. Verifications through the realm of the dead include the cases of King Yama paying respects to the portraits of Yongming and Yunqi. Verifications through meditative absorption include the cases of Master Yuan seeing the various worthy beings of his community and Yuan Xiaoxiu seeing Zhonglang. All these three types of verification are inseparable from the principle of Consciousness-Only. The monastic histories record them, and scholars and officials transmit them, all saying that their principles are indeed reliable and credible. Since their principles are indeed reliable and credible, even though these events may not be commonly seen, they cannot be called false. If one were to call them false, then all the events recorded in the sutras that are not commonly seen would also have to be called false. In recent times, the practice of spirit-writing has become prevalent, and its words about blessings, retributions, rising and falling have become quite detailed. Although they too do not depart from Consciousness-Only, when considering what is credible about them, they also cannot be called false. Everything is ultimately decided by reason. I once wrote a collection of verified cases, which verified the various fruits of those born in the Pure Land in the present life, and they did not go beyond the single thought at the moment of death, with no verification from after death. Later, I obtained the cases of Lady Tao, Lady Wang, Scholar Lu, and Scholar Ma—one verified through dreams, one through the realm of the dead, and two through spirit-writing. In all cases, they were indeed reliable and credible. How can one believe them? One believes their words like water being cold, fire being hot, like spring bringing life and autumn bringing death. If there are people in the world who do not believe these words, they would also not believe that water is cold, fire is hot, spring brings life, and autumn brings death. But how could that be so? I have therefore compiled these events in order and composed a chapter titled "A Certificate of Proof."

乾隆四十九年春。有西方大士降於玉壇。為諸弟子宣揚淨土法門。其言平易切深。與大乘脩多羅合。一日予往造焉。問異時師友所生諸處。大士一一答之。其生淨土者四人。香山老人。旅亭誓願二師。沈居士敬孚也。生兜率者一人。王季子秉寧也。他如朱仲君羅臺山。俱歸福報中。最後問從子婦瓊樓陶氏。大士曰。陶氏已生西方邊地矣。未幾。陶氏至。題詩曰。雨歇閒階芳草多。五年消息等流梭。洞中深閉煙霞跡。一任熏風送客過。因語眾曰。子等歸向極樂。全須打得一副金鐵心腸。外不為六塵所染。內不為七情所錮。汙泥中便有蓮華出現也。一句佛號。便有一光。千句佛號。便有千光。光自內生。非從外得。以無相故。阿彌陀佛在爾諸人面前。隨處出現。才有絲毫隔礙。此光便不能發現矣。念佛心要時時覺照。方發得不退念頭。念佛聲要心心悲切。方發得無上願力。心聲互融。光明四徹。無處不是佛。無時不念佛。方為得手。佛號無量。要知智慧無量。神通無量。慈悲無量。攝受無量。苟不發無量心。安能親見本師頂相。悲哉眾生。欲念未除。道根日壞。佛之視爾。將何以堪。快快念佛。去也。其時予適不在。或傳以示予。踰月。予復往。致札瓊樓曰。聞卿得生淨土。不負生平志願。大善。但臺山仲君。清齋宏誓。甚為希有。尚羈福報。而卿戒品未全。工夫未熟。乃能直往無礙。此何故也。其往生時光景。既生後如何享用。如何進修。亦已見佛否。已登不退地否。試一一言之。俾聞者起欣慕心。起精進心。斯亦度人之本願也。其日大士降。報云。前月予適從西方邊地行化而來。故瓊樓亦得隨到。今日彼不能至矣。彼平日工夫戒力。雖不及臺山輩。然臨終正念。遠勝臺山。故感觀音接引。終時見金蓮華現前。即覺身變男子。已到西方七寶世界。衣食自然。雖不能見佛。每日諸大菩薩說法二會。精進者漸登九品。懈怠者壽五百歲。娑婆百年。邊地一日。瓊樓自往生以來。頗精進。將來可得上品下生。其時尚須娑婆二千年耳。大士者號寂根。無量壽維摩詰諸經。皆嘗與法會。其證果久如。未能詳也。瓊樓淨願甚堅。病中持佛名益切。臨終了無牽絓。唯曰大和尚來。吾去矣。所謂觀音接引者非耶。臺山之歿也。顧諸親屬。有不舍然者。予固疑其不能直往也。烏呼。情想分塗。臺山辨之早矣。而卒不能以自勝。此以知愛根難󳫠。而佛念不易純也。可不慎哉。

> In the spring of the 49th year of Qianlong's reign, a great master from the West descended at the Jade Altar to proclaim the Pure Land Dharma door to the disciples. His words were plain, sincere, and profound, in accord with the Mahayana sutras. One day I visited him and asked about the places where my teachers and friends had been reborn. The master answered each one. Four had been reborn in the Pure Land: the Elder of Xiangshan, the two masters Lütin and Shiyuan, and Layman Shen Jingfu. One had been reborn in Tuṣita: Wang Jizi Bingning. Others, like Zhu Zhongjun and Luo Taishan, had returned to the realm of blessings. Finally, I asked about my nephew's wife, Tao Qionglou. The master said, "Tao has already been reborn in the borderland of the West." Not long after, Tao appeared and wrote a poem: Rain ceased, moss grows thick on idle steps, Five years of news flow past like a shuttle. Deep in the cave, hidden in mist and clouds, Let the warm breeze carry the visitor away. She then told the assembly, "If you wish to be reborn in the Pure Land, you must forge a heart of iron and gold—untainted by the six sense objects without, unbound by the seven emotions within. In the midst of mud, a lotus will appear. One recitation of the Buddha's name brings one ray of light; a thousand recitations bring a thousand rays. This light arises from within, not from without. Because it is formless, Amitābha Buddha appears before each of you, everywhere. If there is the slightest obstruction, this light cannot manifest. When reciting the Buddha's name, the mind must be continuously aware and illuminating, only then can the thought of non-retrogression arise. The voice of recitation must come from a mind of deep compassion, only then can the supreme vow power arise. When mind and voice merge, light shines in all directions. Nowhere is not Buddha, no time is not reciting the Buddha's name—only then have you succeeded. The Buddha's name is limitless; know that wisdom is limitless, spiritual powers are limitless, compassion is limitless, and receptive power is limitless. If you do not arouse the limitless mind, how can you see the true features of the original teacher? How pitiful are sentient beings! With desires unremoved, the root of the Way decays daily. How can the Buddha bear to look upon you? Recite the Buddha's name quickly—go now!" At the time I happened to be away, and someone relayed this to me. A month later, I returned and sent a letter to Qionglou, saying, "I hear you have been reborn in the Pure Land, not betraying your lifelong aspiration—excellent. But Taishan and Zhongjun, with their pure precepts and great vows, so rare, are still bound to the realm of blessings. You, whose precepts were incomplete and whose practice was not yet mature, were able to go directly without hindrance—why is this? What were the circumstances of your death? After rebirth, what enjoyment, what progress? Have you seen the Buddha? Have you attained the stage of non-retrogression? Please tell me all, so that those who hear may arouse admiration and diligence—this, too, is the original vow of a deliverer." That day the great master descended and replied, "Last month I happened to be teaching in the borderland of the West, so Qionglou was able to come along. Today she cannot come. Her daily practice and precept strength, though not equal to Taishan and the others, her right mindfulness at death far surpassed Taishan's. Thus Avalokiteśvara came to guide her. At death she saw a golden lotus appear before her, and felt her body transform into a man. She arrived in the seven-jeweled world of the West, where food and clothing come naturally. Though she cannot yet see the Buddha, every day the great bodhisattvas give two sessions of teachings. The diligent gradually ascend through the nine grades; the lax live out five hundred years. One day in the borderland equals a hundred years in the Sahā world. Since her rebirth, Qionglou has been quite diligent, and in the future she may attain the upper grade of the lower birth—though that still requires two thousand years in the Sahā world." The great master was named Jijgen. He had attended the assemblies of the Immeasurable Life and Vimalakīrti sutras. How long ago he attained realization, I could not determine. Qionglou's pure vow was firm. In illness, she recited the Buddha's name even more earnestly. At death she had no attachments, only saying, "The great master has come—I am leaving now." Was this not the guidance of Avalokiteśvara? When Taishan died, he looked upon his relatives with attachment—I had suspected he could not go directly. Alas! The paths of emotion and thought diverge; Taishan discerned this early, yet could not overcome himself in the end. From this we know that the root of attachment is hard to sever, and the mindfulness of the Buddha is not easily purified. How can we not be careful?

寂根大士之降玉壇也。司鸞者為陸近堂。近堂名士詮。元和人。初在壇為友祈疾。有神教禮梁皇懺。近堂因禮懺發心。詣天寧菴受菩薩戒。及大士降鸞。先後十一會。近堂虔秉一心。宏揚至教。聞者往往發菩提心。退而持名修觀。誦法華經。如是一二年。尋得痬疾。漏下。臥牀不能起。將終。目光上矚。若有所見。口稱白蓮白鶴。及諸上善人。復連稱佛佛。右脅而逝。異香滿室中。已而諸友詣壇。叩近堂生處。神報曰。陸子已生西方邊地矣。事在乾隆五十二年。其明年五月朔。近堂降壇示諸子曰。有一件最切己事。人人不能逃。人人都忘却者。汝知之乎。現前爾等四大輕安。精神強健。曾不思一旦臥病於牀。魂魄離散。東西不辨。南北不分。前路茫茫。毫無把握。隨業輪轉。受苦無窮。唯有平生虔修淨業者。到時自見佛來接引。生蓮華中。受諸快樂。壽命無量。諸子有志斯道者。當講信行。願三端耳。信者。信西方之有淨土。猶此城之有閶胥。娑婆在東。猶此城之有婁葑。娑婆既實實是有。淨土豈不實實是有。同在圓明覺海之中。舉念可到。亦猶同處一城之內。舉足可到也。既信得淨土決定可到。又須信念佛法門。如穿衣喫飯一般。穿衣免凍。喫飯免飢。念佛免生死。今日信。明日不信。未為真信。終身信。一念忽然不信。未為真信。從今日去。直至命終。一信到底。更無纖毫疑惑。方為真信。既信有西方矣。又信有念佛法門矣。空言贊歎。何益生死。故凡發信心者。即當如教奉行。今日信。今日即行。明日信。明日即行。切不可曰。我今後生。且待耄年未晚。不見道青冢多埋紅粉骨。黃泉半是黑頭人。何耄年之可待也。又不可曰。我父母之事未完。兒女之債未了。且待閒暇無事時未晚。豈知無常迅速。鬼使臨門。不可向他道我父母之事未完。兒女之債未畢。且待閒暇無事時然後來也。又有勇猛一時。懈弛一時。是謂人而無恒。譬如雞之抱卵。必其息息不離於卵。俾熱氣相續。方能生育。若今日抱之。明日去之。未有能生者也。涵養蓮胎。亦復如是。至願之一字。尤為要緊。世間信佛念佛者。固不乏人。然或求現生專貴。或求來世福壽。得好人身。不至墮落。此為背佛意指。佛教你出生死。你偏要入生死。佛教你生極樂。你偏要住娑婆。一生信行。盡付東流。譬如種田者。下了稗子。而望其生苗也。有是理乎。故發真信者。當行真行。行真行者。當發真願。盡此一生。決定不生天上人間。決定要生西方淨土。如此念佛。方為隨順佛語。不至唐喪光陰。諸子勉之。其後四年中。嘗再隆黃敬敷家。勖勉同壇。語多切至。

> When the great master Jinggen descended to the altar, the one guiding the planchette was Lu Jintang. Jintang's given name was Shi Quan, a native of Yuanhe. At first, he came to the altar to pray for a friend's recovery from illness. A spirit instructed him to repent through the Liang Emperor's Repentance Ceremony. Moved by this practice, Jintang went to Tianning Nunnery to receive the Bodhisattva precepts. When the great master descended, there were eleven sessions in all. Jintang devoted himself wholeheartedly, spreading the supreme teaching. Those who heard him often awakened the Bodhi mind, and after retreating, they would recite the Buddha's name, cultivate contemplation, and chant the Lotus Sutra. After a year or two, he developed ulcers that would not heal. Bedridden and unable to rise, as death approached, his gaze lifted upward as if seeing something. He called out "white lotus" and "white cranes," then "all good people," and finally repeated "Buddha, Buddha." He passed away lying on his right side, and a rare fragrance filled the room. Later, his friends went to the altar to ask where Jintang had been reborn. The spirit replied, "Master Lu has already been born in the borderland of the Western Pure Land." This happened in the fifty-second year of the Qianlong reign. On the first day of the fifth month the following year, Jintang descended to the altar and said to his friends: "There is one matter of utmost personal importance that no one can escape, yet everyone forgets. Do you know what it is? You are now healthy and strong, with your four elements in harmony. But have you ever thought that one day you might lie sick in bed, your soul scattered, unable to tell east from west or north from south, the road ahead dark and uncertain, with no control over your fate, drifting with your karma and suffering endless pain? Only those who have sincerely cultivated the Pure Land practice in this life will, at that moment, see the Buddha come to guide them, be reborn in a lotus flower, and enjoy boundless bliss and immeasurable life. For those of you who aspire to this path, you must practice the three essentials: faith, action, and vow. Faith means believing that the West has a Pure Land, just as this city has its gates. The Saha world is in the east, just as this city has its eastern gates. Since the Saha world truly exists, how could the Pure Land not truly exist? Both are within the vast ocean of perfect enlightenment—one thought can reach them, just as one step can reach any place within the same city. Once you truly believe the Pure Land can be reached, you must also believe in the practice of reciting the Buddha's name, like wearing clothes and eating food. Clothes protect you from cold, food from hunger, and reciting the Buddha's name frees you from birth and death. To believe today but not tomorrow is not true faith. To believe all your life but suddenly doubt for a single thought is not true faith. From this day forward, until your last breath, maintain one continuous faith without the slightest hesitation—only then is it true faith. Now, you believe in the West and in the practice of reciting the Buddha's name. But what use are empty praises for escaping birth and death? Therefore, whoever develops faith should immediately practice accordingly. Believe today, practice today. Believe tomorrow, practice tomorrow. Never say, 'I am still young; I can wait until old age.' Have you not heard that among the green graves lie many rosy-cheeked maidens, and half of those in the underworld are young with dark hair? What old age can you wait for? Nor should you say, 'My duties to my parents are unfinished, my debts to my children not yet paid; I will wait until I have leisure.' Do you not know that impermanence is swift, and when the messenger of death comes to your door, you cannot tell him that your duties to your parents are unfinished, your debts to your children not yet paid, and he should come back when you have leisure? Some people are vigorous for a moment, then slack off the next—this is called lacking constancy. It is like a hen brooding over eggs: she must not leave them for a moment, keeping warmth continuous, before life can develop. If she sits on them one day and leaves the next, nothing will hatch. Nurturing the lotus womb is exactly the same. As for the word 'vow,' it is particularly essential. In this world, there are many who believe in the Buddha and recite his name, but some seek worldly wealth and honor, or pray for blessings and longevity in the next life, or hope to obtain a good human body to avoid falling into lower realms. These people go against the Buddha's intent. The Buddha teaches you to escape birth and death, but you insist on entering it. The Buddha teaches you to be born in Ultimate Bliss, but you insist on staying in the Saha world. A lifetime of faith and practice is utterly wasted, like a farmer who sows weed seeds yet hopes to grow grain. Is that reasonable? Therefore, those who develop true faith must practice true practice. Those who practice true practice must make true vows. For this entire life, firmly resolve not to be born in heaven or among humans, but to be born in the Western Pure Land. Reciting the Buddha's name in this way is to follow the Buddha's words, not to waste your time. My friends, strive on." In the four years that followed, he descended again at the home of Huang Jingfu, exhorting his fellow altar members with earnest and penetrating words.

自頃十餘年來。現優婆夷身。虔修淨業。悲願具足者。推南濠鏡智道人。道人汪姓。歸李景熹為繼室。年二十六而寡。發出世心。受菩薩戒。以佛法唱導鄉里。從而起信者百餘人。嘗刺舌血。寫法華經。阿彌陀經。梵網戒品。各一通。年三十八。病痢。一日起坐洗沐。合掌念佛而逝。事在乾隆四十九年。其後三年。同里有何氏女。病熱。見已故七叔父。赤體被髮。自言在生作孽。死後處黑暗中。日喫惡鬼鐵棒。經七八年。近因觀世音降臨。跪求慈拯。志得離暗而出。適有菩薩自西方來。在冥教化。為冥王師。家在萬年橋。即上年念佛坐逝者也。因與吾家有舊。乞暫放還。急為我作佛事。俾得生人道。幸矣。其兄子性三。為持佛名一萬。堂中迴向畢。仍許請僧薦󳫠。乃去。其夕初更。何氏女忽悶絕。至三更而蘇。言適有一班男女。執紅燈。以大轎舁我。去路迢遠。到一大廟。堂前出轎。趨進殿上。見青面王者。坐中央。左右小鬼。各執鋼叉銅鎚。王見我作色。便取鎚欲打我。慌惘之際。忽見金童玉女。各執旛幢。自內殿出。中擁一道人。離地可丈許。首戴青幞。身搭條衣。手握白拂。足躡雲履。端正嚴潔。世無與比。審視之。即萬年橋李家姆也。往時嘗一宿其家。彷彿可識。然而光彩迥絕矣。姆便聲言止止。王遽釋我。下跪曰。請如教。李家姆即垂手援我。引至內殿。光明洞然。几席靚整。案間多供佛經。令左右設茶果餉我。其果似蘋婆。香甚烈。云從西方來。茶畢。引我歷觀地獄。先見血河浩渺無涯。有諸女人。或倒浸河內。或髼髮上指。或側身橫睡。血流徧體。復見刀山。高接雲霞。百萬利刃互相撐住。中有罪人矗立刀上。既死復活。活而又死。更令左右執燈照我。入黑暗獄。見眾鬼皆盲。頭大如斗。或如栲栳。頸細似管。鼻液長尺許。若醉若寐。從黑獄出。見旋磨中。血肉下墜。雞鴨󲣅食。風吹餘肉。復變為人。便有鬼卒取肉寸磔。重磨作粉。化為蠅蚊蟻子。一一散去。我心酸淚下。問李家姆何不救之。答曰。罪大障深。安能即出。汝今怕否。人身難得。可勿持戒念佛。求生西方哉。汝能一念阿彌陀佛。吾當𢹂汝直往西方。汝意云何。我未及答。王聞言。復下跪。請菩薩且住。李家姆因語我言。因緣未到。姑俟異日。來此已久。恐家中驚惶。可速去。持齋念佛。一意西方。兼習經呪。時至迎汝。勉之勉之。仍命轎送我。蹶然而醒。翼日汗出。病良已。性三親聞其事。為書而傳之。詩云。鼓鐘于宮。聲聞于外。夫宮之為地也。邃矣阻矣。而鐘聲所及。洞然其無間也。浩然其莫禦也。故曰誠之不可揜如此。其鏡智道人之謂乎。

> For over ten years in recent times, among those who manifested as laywomen devoutly cultivating Pure Land practice with complete compassion and vows, the one most revered was Laywoman Jingzhi of Nanhao. The laywoman, nee Wang, married Li Jingxi as his second wife. She was widowed at twenty-six. She then awakened the mind of renunciation, received the Bodhisattva Precepts, and taught the Dharma to guide her village. Over a hundred people took up faith because of her. She once pricked her tongue to write out the Lotus Sutra, the Amitabha Sutra, and the Brahma Net Precepts, each one copy. At thirty-eight, she fell ill with dysentery. One day she sat up, bathed, pressed her palms together in mindfulness of the Buddha, and passed away. This happened in the forty-ninth year of the Qianlong reign. Three years later, a young woman surnamed He in the same village fell ill with fever. She saw her late seventh uncle, naked with disheveled hair, who said that he had committed wrongdoings in life and after death was confined to darkness, struck daily with iron clubs by vicious ghosts. After seven or eight years, because Guanyin descended, he knelt and begged for merciful rescue, hoping only to escape the darkness. Just then a Bodhisattva came from the West, teaching in the underworld as the teacher of the King of Hell. She lived at Wannian Bridge—this was the woman who had died the previous year while sitting in meditation and reciting the Buddha's name. Since she had an old connection with the family, the uncle begged for temporary release to urge the family to perform meritorious deeds for him, so he might be reborn as a human. His nephew Xing San then recited the Buddha's name ten thousand times, and after the dedication of merit in the hall, promised to invite monastics to offer further prayers. Only then did the uncle leave. That evening at the first watch, the young woman suddenly fainted. She revived at the third watch, saying that a group of men and women carrying red lanterns had borne her in a large sedan chair over a long road to a great temple. She stepped out before the hall and entered the main sanctuary, where she saw a blue-faced King seated in the center, with small ghosts on either side holding steel forks and bronze hammers. Seeing her, the King frowned and raised his hammer to strike. In her panic, suddenly a golden boy and jade girl appeared from the inner hall, each bearing banners, and in the middle they escorted a female cultivator who floated about ten feet above the ground. She wore a blue hood, draped robes, held a white whisk, and stepped in cloud-embroidered shoes. Her appearance was upright, pure, and unmatched in the world. Looking closely, the young woman realized it was Auntie Li from Wannian Bridge. She had once stayed at her home for a night and vaguely recognized her, though now her radiance was incomparably transformed. Auntie Li cried out, "Stop, stop." The King immediately released the young woman and knelt, saying, "As you instruct." Auntie Li reached down, took her hand, and led her into the inner hall, where light shone brilliantly and the furnishings were immaculate. Many Buddhist scriptures lay on the table. She had attendants serve tea and fruit. The fruit resembled apples and gave off a strong fragrance, said to have come from the West. After tea, she led the young woman to see the hells. First, they saw the Blood River, vast and boundless. Women were submerged upside down within it, some with hair streaming upward, others lying sideways, blood covering their bodies. Next came the Mountain of Knives, rising to the clouds. Millions of sharp blades interlocked, and sinners stood atop them, dying and reviving endlessly. She was then taken to the Dark Prison, where torches were held up for her to see. All the ghosts there were blind, with heads as large as bushels or baskets, necks as thin as tubes, and mucus dripping a foot long. They seemed drunk or asleep. Emerging from the Dark Prison, she saw a revolving mill, with flesh and blood falling down as chickens and ducks fed on them. When wind blew the remaining meat, it transformed back into human form. Ghosts then cut the flesh into inch-sized pieces, ground it again into powder, which became flies, mosquitoes, and ants that scattered one by one. Her heart ached and tears fell. She asked Auntie Li why she did not save them. The reply came: "Their offenses are heavy and obstacles deep—how could they escape at once? Do you now feel afraid? Human life is hard to obtain. How can you not uphold the precepts, recite the Buddha's name, and seek rebirth in the West? If you can recite Amitabha's name in a single thought, I will take you straight to the West. What do you think?" Before she could answer, the King heard this and knelt again, begging the Bodhisattva to stay. Auntie Li then said to her, "The conditions have not yet matured. Wait for another day. You have been here long—your family must be worried. You should go back quickly. Maintain vegetarian practice, recite the Buddha's name, keep your mind fixed on the West, and also study the sutras and mantras. When the time comes, I will come to welcome you. Strive on, strive on." She then ordered the sedan to send her back. The young woman woke with a start. The next day she perspired, and her illness was fully cured. Xing San personally witnessed this event and recorded it for its circulation. The Book of Odes says: "In the hall they strike the bell and drum; the sound reaches outside." The hall is indeed deep and secluding, yet the bell's sound pierces through without barrier and cannot be stopped. This is what is meant by "sincerity is thus irreconcilable." Does this not describe Laywoman Jingzhi?

秀水馬宁良。名榮祖。為諸生。課徒以食。年三十餘。得咯血疾。遇祥峯文師。勸令念佛。病良已。遂長齋受五戒。日課佛名三萬。如是十餘年。疾復作。臥牀月餘。自言三聖現前說法。日常在大光明中。臨終見佛來迎。連稱佛名。右脅而逝。事在乾隆五十六年。時文師方閉關吳門文星閣。修念佛三昧。其年冬。夜夢三人入室。南向坐。其一僧服。旁兩居士。神儀儼然。上有白光覆頂。文師禮足已。問三大德自何方來。僧服者曰。自西方來。文師曰。莫非阿彌陀佛國中人否。曰。然。因問三大德何名。三人同聲答曰。汝名甚麼。文師曰。弟子法名達文。僧服者曰。卻來妄語。文師曰。真也非妄。僧服者又問。汝名甚麼。文師曰。弟子法名達文。僧服者云。還要妄語。文師曰。弟子實非妄語。如何上座云我妄語。僧服者曰。一切眾生以妄為真。執假為實。故受輪轉。若有智者。知是虗妄。即無輪轉汝莫自迷。失本真心。當知真心無心。真知無知。覺知乃魔。佛無知覺。汝當信受。莫懷疑惑。文師言下開解。復進曰。如上座之說。的是佛法。不可思議。請問上座。既自阿彌陀佛國中來。可曾見過阿彌陀佛否。左一人答曰。我向汝說。汝終不信。汝須親見始得。三人齊起。各向文師頂上一拍。為說偈曰。應當勤精進。修諸清淨業。因深則果實。慎勿生疑惑。又曰。諸法從心生。諸法從心滅。心法本來空。取舍不可得。又曰。生佛心法等。譬如夢中境。如幻三摩提。汝已知少分。偈畢。忽見馬宁良嚴整威儀。頂禮三人。三人即騰空向西而去。空中樂音嘹亮。佛聲朗然。宁良更向文師三拜。曰。蒙師勸吾發心。歸依三寶。勤修淨業。今已生淨土。得大安樂。故求菩薩來演妙法。以報深恩。又向文師三拜。合掌念佛。向西而去。適晨鐘乍發。瞿然而覺。向晨書之為紀夢篇。予惟文師此夢。有三因緣。一令修淨業人。解第一義。無念而念。無生而生。不住中途。直趨寶所。二令豁達狂禪。斷滅外道。知有淨土一門。發無上菩提。修如幻三昧。三馬生之逝。一往杳然。縱入蓮胎。孰聞孰見。略通消息。公據灼然。是因是果。如影隨形。豈可誣也。傳其事作蓮宗眼目云。

> In Xiushui County, there lived a man named Ma Ningliang, also known as Rongzu. He was a scholar who supported himself by teaching students. In his early thirties, he contracted an illness that caused him to cough up blood. He happened to meet Master Wen, whose Dharma name was Xiangfeng, who urged him to recite the Buddha's name. His condition improved greatly, and he subsequently adopted a permanent vegetarian diet and took the Five Precepts. He made it his daily practice to recite the Buddha's name thirty thousand times. This continued for over ten years until his illness recurred. He lay in bed for over a month, saying that the Three Holy Ones appeared before him and preached the Dharma, and that he dwelt constantly in a great light. As his end approached, he saw the Buddha come to welcome him. He continuously recited the Buddha's name and passed away lying on his right side. This occurred in the fifty-sixth year of the Qianlong reign. At that time, Master Wen was in retreat at Wenxing Pavilion in Wumen, practicing the Samadhi of Recollection of the Buddha. That winter, one night, Master Wen dreamed of three people entering his room and sitting facing south. One was dressed in monastic robes, and two were lay practitioners beside him. Their appearance was solemn and dignified, and a white light shone above their heads. After Master Wen bowed to their feet, he asked, "Where do the three venerable ones come from?" The one in monastic robes replied, "From the West." Master Wen asked, "Could you be from the Land of Amitabha Buddha?" They answered, "Yes." He then asked the names of the three venerable ones. All three replied in unison, "What is your name?" Master Wen said, "This disciple's Dharma name is Dawen." The one in monastic robes said, "Now you are speaking falsely." Master Wen said, "It is true, not false." The one in monastic robes asked again, "What is your name?" Master Wen said, "This disciple's Dharma name is Dawen." The one in monastic robes said, "Still speaking falsely." Master Wen said, "This disciple is truly not lying. Why does the venerable one say I am lying?" The one in monastic robes said, "All beings mistake what is false for what is true, and cling to what is unreal as real, thus they undergo the cycle of rebirth. If there are wise ones who know these things to be illusory and false, then they will have no more rebirth. Do not be lost in self-deception and lose your original true mind. You should know that the true mind has no mind, and true knowledge has no knowledge. Awareness and perception are demonic. The Buddha has no awareness or perception. You should accept this with faith and harbor no doubt." At these words, Master Wen experienced a deep awakening. He then asked, "The venerable one's teaching is indeed the Buddhadharma, inconceivable. May I ask, since the venerable one has come from the Land of Amitabha Buddha, have you seen Amitabha Buddha?" The person on the left replied, "As I have been telling you, you ultimately will not believe. You must see for yourself." The three rose together and each tapped Master Wen on the crown of the head before delivering a verse: "One should diligently strive in practice, Cultivating all pure deeds. When the causes are deep, the fruits will be full, Take care not to give rise to doubt." Then they said: "All dharmas arise from the mind; all dharmas cease from the mind. Mind and dharmas are originally empty; grasping and rejecting cannot be obtained." Then they added: "Beings, Buddhas, mind, and dharmas are like scenes in a dream. The illusory Samadhi — you have already known a small portion of it." After the verses were spoken, Ma Ningliang suddenly appeared in dignified attire, paying homage to the three. The three then rose into the air and departed toward the West, with celestial music resounding clearly and the recitation of the Buddha's name ringing out distinctly. Ningliang then bowed three times to Master Wen and said, "Thanks to your guidance, I resolved my mind, took refuge in the Triple Gem, and diligently cultivated the pure practices. Now I have been born in the Pure Land and attained great peace and joy. Therefore, I invited the Bodhisattva to expound this wonderful Dharma to repay your deep kindness." He bowed three more times to Master Wen, pressed his palms together in prayer, recited the Buddha's name, and then departed toward the West. At that moment, the morning bell began to ring, and Master Wen woke with a start. In the early morning, he recorded this as "A Record of a Dream." I reflect that Master Wen's dream carries three profound meanings. First, it enables those who cultivate pure karma to understand the ultimate truth — that one recites without a reciter, and is born without a birth, never stopping midway but going straight to the jeweled realm. Second, it makes those with deluded, reckless insights and externalist views of annihilation realize that the Pure Land path truly exists, inspiring them to awaken the supreme Bodhi mind and cultivate the illusory Samadhi. Third, when Ma Ningliang passed away, his departure was silent and unseen. Even if he entered the lotus womb, who would know or witness it? But this brief communication gives us distinct evidence. Cause and effect follow like a shadow follows form — how could this be a falsehood? So I record this story as a guide and a standard for the Pure Land tradition.

予妻費孺人既逝。玉壇弟子黃敬敷。為叩之普門大士。大士示云。一念能回向。送心先到西。功修久已積。終不退菩提。現生懈慢國。將來可登九品。攷菩薩處胎經云。諸發意眾生。欲生阿彌陀佛國者。皆樂著懈慢國土。不能前進。袁小修記中郎語云。西方邊地。亦名懈慢國。信解未成。戒寶未全者。多生此。瓊樓近堂皆其侶也。費氏持戒之力。過彼二人。而慧解弗如。又未能精進。據因論果。邊地之生。理固然乎。并附論之。

> My wife, Lady Fei, has passed away. Her disciple Huang Jingfu, a member of the Jade Altar, sought guidance from Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion. The Bodhisattva revealed: "A single thought turned toward merit, the heart sent westward first. Merits long accumulated, never retreating from enlightenment. Now born in the Land of Indolence and Arrogance, in the future one may ascend to the Ninth Grade." Examining the Bodhisattva's Scripture of the Womb, it states: "All sentient beings who aspire to be born in Amitabha's Pure Land, if they become attached to the Land of Indolence and Arrogance, they cannot advance." Yuan Xiaoxiu recorded in his journal of Zhonglang's words: "The borderland of the West is also called the Land of Indolence and Arrogance. Those whose faith and understanding are not yet complete, whose precepts and treasures are not fully realized, are mostly born there. Elegant towers and nearby halls are the companions of such beings." Lady Fei's power of upholding precepts surpassed those two men, but her wisdom and understanding were not their equal, nor was she able to practice with diligence. Judging the fruit by the cause, birth in the borderland is only natural. I append this discussion here.

## 重訂西方公據卷下終

> Revised Western Documents, Volume Two <note>End</note>