The Chinese Repository/Volume 15/Number 7/Article 4
Omito fuh (Amidha Budha) receives and leads those who worship Budha and are virtuous to go far away and be born in the western region.
In comparison with the repairing of great and small roads—with the rendering to others of various kinds of assistance—with whatever is most straight forward, rapid, comprehensive, and easy (in order to secure our future happiness) everything is inferior to the worship of Budha. The whole object of the worship of Budha, is to seek, for life in the western region and is to obtain a pure country. This means that the western region is an extremely happy world, and is the pure country of Budha. There are 12 Classical or sacred books of the Three Tsáng (a name of Budha) and each of these leads to the great happiness. There are 84,000 doctrines (or law gates) each of which exhorts us to go to the western region. But the doctrine which enjoins the worship of Budha is by far the best and most important; and than it, there is no doctrine more conducive to a benevolent life.
(The Budha) Kúteh says, he who attends to the other doctrines is like an ant ascending a lofty mountain, which in an hour only gets a single step in advance. But the doctrine which enjoins us to go to the western region, is like a vessel with full sails and favorable wind and tide, which in an instant advances 1000 miles. When we have once reached the western region, we are no more obliged to go out, or exposed to fall. The highest grade (of votaries) is able to ascend the Budha's ladder. The lowest grade is far superior in happiness to those who live in an emperor's palace. The worshiper of Budha's merits are very lofty, his duties are very easy. All, whether honorable or mean, talented or stupid, old or young, male or female, the eater of ordinary food, or he who restricts himself to vegetables, the man who has left his family (the bonze) or he who still remains in it,—all may discharge these duties.
I therefore exhort the virtuous males and believing females of the ten region (all the empire), into whose hands this may come, immediately to put forth a believing heart, and with the whole heart to worship Budha and seek for a life in the western region. If perchance you are involved in family affairs and endless worldly transactions, and cannot devote your whole mind to this, then you ought every day to recite Budha's name 3000 or 5000 times, and make a regular constant practice of this. If even this you cannot do, your recitation of this sheet will be reckoned as one degree of merit. Having recited this one hundred times, then dot one of the circles on the margin, and when the dots are all made they will amount to 150,000. Whether it is for yourself or for your father and mother that you are asking for life in the western region; or whether you are asking for your father and mother, protection from disease, peace, increased happiness, or protracted old age—in all such case, you must in the presence of Budha burn one of these sheets. If you pray for the happiness of your deceased parents or for your six orders of relations and their relations, you must, before the ancestral tablet, or over the graves, burn one of these sheets. Whether you worship the gods, or sacrifice to your ancestors, either at the festival of the tombs, the winter solstice, the middle of the seventh month, or the end of the year, you must recite this sheet, and then burn it on the tombs of orphans, or of those who are buried by charity, and thus provide for the happiness of destitute souls who have no relations to sacrifice to them. In doing all this you may rely on the strength of Budha to secure their translation to the pure country. You may do this once or many times, according to your ability; and the merit you will obtain is inconceivable.
I fervently desire that you may together put forth a believing heart, be together virtuous friends, together see Budha, and together arrive at the extreme of happiness.
Hwui Chau, the head priest of the Drum Mountain (Kú Shán,) monastery in Fuhkien has respectfully printed this, bows and exhorts.
Here follows a picture of a vessel in full sail. It is called, "The Compassionate vessel, Poh-joh" (a name of Budha).
The flags have inscribed on them, "For the exceedingly happy world." And, "Receive and lead to the western region."
On the sides of the cabin doors are the two following antithetical sentences:
"Man, if he wants to go on the road to heaven, ought first to think of securing happiness (by worshiping Budha)."
"Among the passages (or defiles) that lead to life or death the Worship of Budha is the chief."
On the sail the following is written.
The single phrase Mi-to (or Bi-to or Amidha) is a precious sword that can behead the herd of evil spirits, and can destroy the bravest general of hell; it is a clear light that can illumine the blackest darkness; it is a compassionate boat that can carry us across the bitterest seas; it is the road by which we obtain a new birth into the world; it is the excellent prescription by which we escape the evils whether of life or death; it is the infallible specific for enabling us to become genii; it is the divine medicine for changing our bones. The 84,000 doctrines are all comprehended in these six characters (O mi to Fuh tsieh yin). The 1700 tendrils of flax or rattan, (emblematic of life's miseries) by one stroke it can sever asunder. By uttering this phrase, Míto, without any other mental effort, or troubling you even to move a finger, you will arrive at the western region.
The blocks for printing this sheet are deposited in the monastery, Bubbling Fountain, on the Drum Mountain.
Chinese of the foregoing.
品猶勝天宮其功最高其行甚 方永無退墮上品即登佛階下 風帆行順水須臾千里一入西 上高山半時一步淨土修行似 門也古德云餘門學道如蟻子 門乃最勝弟一無上方便之法 千法門門門勸往西方念佛法 二部經經經導歸極樂八萬四 樂世界是清淨佛土故三藏十 西方又謂之修淨土言西方極 無如念佛念佛一法謂之求生 修行徑路方便多門直捷簡易 西方 阿彌陀佛接引念佛善人往生 千手千眼無礙大悲陀羅尼
别 不勞彈指到西方 板藏皷山湧泉寺 四千法門六字全收一千七百葛藤一刀斬斷一句丨丨無 方一句丨丨是成仙之秘訣一句丨丨是換骨之神丹八萬 慈航一句丨陀是出輪迴之徑路一句丨陀是脱生死之良 之猛將一句彌陀是照黑暗之明燈一句丨陀是渡苦海之 念佛第一一句彌陀是斬羣邪之寶劎一句彌陀是被地獄 刊拜勤極樂世界殷若慈航人天路上作福為先生死関頭 心同為善友同見彌陀同生極樂 福建皷山仹特慧周敬 一願或多願隨力所戌所獲功德不可思議矣普願同發信 焚化孤境義冢濟度無祀孤魂俱可丈乘佛力超生淨土或 祭祀宗祖或每年清明冬至七月十五臘月年夜念此佛圖 父母六親眷属靈前及墓上焚化佛前無可或酬謝神明或 方或為父母保病祈安增福延壽皆佛前焚化或追荐過去 圈點滿共計一十五萬或自身求生西方或為父母求生西 五千作為常課如再不能念此圖一張為一願念一百點一 方如或家務牽纏世緣未了不能一心者或每日持念三千 奉勸十方善男信女有緣遇此即發信心一心念佛求生西 易不論貴賤賢愚老幼男女喫葷喫素出家在家皆可行之