Testimonies

[108] Record Of A King’s Rebirth In Pure Land 国王往生净土记

国王往生净土记
Record Of A King’s Rebirth In Pure Land

◎ 乌苌国王
Udyāna Country’s King

乌苌国王,雅好佛法。

Udyāna [or Uḍḍāyāna; Uḍḍiyāna; Oḍḍiyāna] country’s King, [was] always fond [of the] Buddha’s Dharma.

尝谓侍臣曰:「我为国王,虽享福乐,不免无常。闻西方净土,可以栖神,我当发愿求生彼国。」

[He] once called [his] attending ministers [and] said, ‘I as [the] country’s King, although enjoying blessings [and] joy, [I] cannot avoid impermanence. [As I have] heard [that the] Western Pure Land, can [be] for dwelling [of my] consciousness, I will give rise [to the] Aspiration, [to] seek birth [in] that land.’

于是六时行道念佛。

Thereupon, [in the] six periods, [he] practised [the] path [of] mindfulness [of the] Buddha.

每供佛饭僧,王及夫人,躬自行膳,三十年不废。

Very often making offerings [to the] Buddha [and offering] alms [to the] monastics, [the] King and [his] wife, personally practised [offering [of] meals, [for] thirty years without termination.

临终,容色愉悦,现诸瑞应。(往生集)

[When] approaching [life’s] end, his countenance [was] joyful, [with the] appearing [of] many auspicious responses. (Rebirth Collection)

论曰,自佛教东来,有国之君,深心宏护者,代不乏人。而往生瑞应,纪载罕闻,不可得而详也。昔尧治天下之民,平海内之政,往见四子藐姑射之山,窅然丧其天下焉。夫诚能以净土为归者,其于天下,亦若是而已矣。  

[A] commentary says, since [the] Buddha’s teachings [to the] East came, [there] were rulers [of] countries, those [with] profoundly [faithful] minds protecting [them, for] generations not lacking [such] people. Yet, [of those] reborn [with] auspicious responses, [as] records carrying [them are] rarely heard, [they] cannot [be] attained then [with] details. [In the] past, [when Emperor] Yáo ruled [the] people under heaven, equally governing within [the four] seas, [when he went] to see [the] four masters [i.e. Wáng Ní (王倪), Niè Quē (啮缺), Bèi Yī (被衣) and Xǔ Yóu (许由)] [at the] distant mountain [of] Gūshè, [his throne became] remote [and] obscure [to] those under heaven. [Of] those [rulers] sincerely able [to be] with [the] Pure Land for ‘return’, [of] those under heaven, [they are] then also [with] this [record] only.

《净土圣贤录》
(Record [Of] Pure Land’s Noble Sages):
卷七 • 往生人王第五
Seventh Scroll: Fifth [Section On] Reborn Human Kings
彭希涑撰
Compiled [By] Péng Xīsù

Namo Amituofo : Translation by Shen Shi’an

Please be mindful of your speech, Amituofo!

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