儒家子如何自在往生净土
[116] How A Confucian Scholar Reached Pure Land With Ease
一个恐怖的鬼魂如何’成’了一位大激励者
How A Terrifying Ghost ‘Became’ A Great Motivator
王孟邻 [与贞生]
[17] Wáng Mènglín [And Zhēnshēng]
[王孟邻]
[Wáng Mènglín]
王孟邻，昆山儒家子也，一生授徒，诚实无伪。生一子，号湘臣，事亲甚孝。
Wáng Mènglín [was] Kūnshān’s Confucian scholar, [with his] whole life accepting students, sincerely [and] truthfully, without falsehood. [He] gave birth [to] one son, named Xiāngchén, [who] attended [to his] parents extremely filially.
孟邻日间惟以念佛为事。康熙四十一年，已七旬外。
Mènglín [in] daytime [was] only with mindfulness [of] Buddha [i.e. Āmítuófó (阿弥陀佛)] as [his] practice. [In] Kāngxī’s forty-first year [i.e. 1702 C.E.], [he was] already more than seventy [years old].
初冬，有微疾。余于十一月初旬问之，孟邻曰：「十七，世俗所谓弥陀圣诞也，予于是日行矣。」
[At the] beginning [of] winter, [he] had [a] minor sickness. [When] I, on [the] eleventh month’s tenth day enquired [after] him, Mènglín said, ‘[As the] seventeenth, [is the] worldly so-called [Ā]mítuó[fó’s] sacred birthday, I [will] thereupon [on] this day depart.’
[Note 1: The origin of Āmítuófó’s birthday can be seen at https://purelanders.com/2019/12/13/how-did-amitabha-buddhas-sacred-birthday-arise.]
余曰：「届期，某当来送先生。」至十七，清晨往候。虽卧病，神色怡然。
I said, ‘[On the] arranged date, I will come [to] send [off] sir.’ Reaching [the] seventeenth, [at] dawn, [I] went [to] wait. Although lying down [with] sickness, [his] facial expression [was] joyful.
余曰：「先生当发菩提心。」经云：「修行不发菩提心，譬如耕田不下种。」因以四弘誓愿，与之细论。孟邻首肯。
I said, ‘Sir, [you] should give rise [to the] Bodhi Mind.’ [A] sūtra says, ‘Cultivating practices without giving rise [to the] Bodhi Mind, for example, [is] like tilling fields without sowing seeds.’ Therefore with [the] Four Great Vows, with those finely discussing [them]. Mènglín [nodded his] head [in] agreement.
[Note 2: Giving rise to Faith (信) and Aspiration (愿) for reaching Pure Land (净土) is already giving rise to the Bodhi Mind (菩提心) in essence, as can be seen at https://purelanders.com/2019/06/30/why-is-upholding-amituofos-name-with-faith-aspiration-the-main-practice-and-bodhicitta. Likewise is this giving rise to the Four Great Vows (四弘誓愿) in essence, as can be seen at https://purelanders.com/2024/05/28/how-giving-rise-to-aspiration-for-birth-in-pure-land-aligns-with-the-four-noble-truths-and-four-great-vows.]
余曰：「某暂别，少停再来。」
I said, ‘I [will] temporarily leave, [with a] little rest again come.’
因密嘱其子湘臣曰：「尊人倘谢世缘，切莫呼唤啼哭。」
Therefore, secretly instructing his son Xiāngchén, saying, ‘[Your] honourable father, if passing [away from] worldly conditions, [you] must not call out [and] weep aloud.’
[Note 3: The reasons for not (touching or moving and) crying can be seen at https://purelanders.com/2015/12/30/the-third-great-essential-%e7%ac%ac%e4%b8%89%e5%a4%a7%e8%a6%81-pure-land-passport-section-3d.]
迨饭后，复往，孟邻已念佛脱化矣。
Until after eating, again coming, Mènglín [was] already, [with] mindfulness [of] Buddha, [with] departure manifested.
[Note 4: This is the auspicious sign (瑞相) of ‘in advance knowing the time of reaching’ (预知时至) Pure Land, which is possible when there such great proficiency in mindfulness of Buddha, that there can be connection with the Buddha with ease, whenever wished.]
[贞生]
[Zhēnshēng]
孟邻族中，有贞生者，余内戚也。其父彦敷，为昆庠善友，崇奉三宝。
Within Mènglín’s clan, was that Zhēnshēng, my palace-dwelling relative. His father Yànfū was Kūnxiáng’s good friend, [who] made offerings [to the] Triple Gem.
贞生美少年，能书，多习气，不甚信奉。
Zhēnshēng [was a] handsome youth, [who was] able [to] write [calligraphy, but had] many bad habits, neither [having] much faith [in the Triple Gem nor] making offerings.
一日得病，见有长大黑鬼，谓是前世怨仇。
One day, [he] got sick, [and] saw [that there] was [a] tall [and] big black ghost, [who] said [that he] is [his] past life’s enemy [with a] grudge.
贞生怖甚，遂勇猛念佛，求生西方。
Zhēnshēng, extremely terrified, thereupon [had] bold [and] powerful mindfulness [of] Buddha [i.e. Āmítuófó (阿弥陀佛)], [and] sought birth [in the] Western [Pure Land Of Ultimate Bliss (极乐世界)].
[Note 5: This is the transformation of fear to be motivation for more sincere and diligent mindfulness of Buddha.]
念佛稍懈，鬼形遂现。
[When his] mindfulness [of] Buddha [became] slightly lax, [the] ghost’s form [would] thereupon appear.
[Note 6: In many, if not most cases, unless with unrelenting enmity, evil ghosts will back off and/or depart within one or more faithful recitations of the Buddha’s name, as there will be protective light of blessings extended.]
临没时，气竭力尽，其声渐低，隐隐向西去。
When approaching death, [with his] breathing exhausting [and] strength ending, his voice gradually lowered. [When] barely audible, towards [the] West [he] departed.
据理断之，虽无异香天乐，必定生于安养。
According [to] reason judging this, although without extraordinary fragrance [or] heavenly music, [he] definitely [was] born in [the Land Of] Peaceful Nurturing.
[Note 7: With clear expression of the Three Provisions (三资粮) of Faith, Aspiration and Practice (信愿行) all the way towards the end of life with continual sincere mindfulness of Buddha, there is no reason for not being able to reach Pure Land (净土).]
[Extra Note: See more about this case with more notes at https://purelanders.com/2021/01/07/record-of-how-a-karmic-creditor-became-a-good-friend.]
玉峰怀西居士周梦颜安士氏汇辑
[By] Yùfēng’s Layperson Huáixī, Zhōu Mèngyán And Ānshì’s Clan Collected [And] Compiled
《安士全书》：西归直指：卷四：往生事略：居士往生类
Ānshì’s Complete Book: Western [Pure Land’s] Return’s Direct Pointers: Scroll Four: Rebirth Matters [In] Brief: Laypersons’ Rebirths’ Category
Namo Amituofo : Translation and notes by Shen Shi’an
相关感应录
Related Testimony:
冤亲债主‘成’善友记
[29] Record Of How A Karmic Creditor ‘Became’ A Good Friend
https://purelanders.com/2021/01/07/record-of-how-a-karmic-creditor-became-a-good-friend
