(Extracted from the Shorter Sūtra of Immeasurable Life)
Retranslated by the Tripiṭaka Master Guṇabhadra of the Liu Song Dynasty by Imperial Command
namo amitābhāya tathāgatāya / tadyathā / amṛtodbhave / amṛta siddaṃbhave / amṛta vikrānte / amṛta vikrānta / gāmine gagana kīrtakare svāhā
If any virtuous men and virtuous women are able to recite this incantation, Amitābha Buddha will always abide upon the crowns of their heads. He will protect and guard them day and night, never allowing any enemies to take advantage of them. In this present life, they will constantly attain peaceful tranquility, and when they reach the end of their lives, they will naturally achieve rebirth in the Pure Land.
The Account of the Inconceivable Spiritual Power of the Amitābha Sūtra
(Appended to the Sui Dynasty Catalogue of Scriptures; author unknown)
In former times, in Chang’an, the Dharma Master Sengrui, Huichong, Sengxian, Huitong, and in more recent generations up to the Later Zhou period, the Dhyāna Master Shi, the Dhyāna Master Jing, and the Dharma Master Luan of Xihe, together with several hundred others, all attained rebirth in the Western Pure Land. The Dhyāna Master Chuo of Xihe and others, upon seeing that the Dharma Master Luan had attained rebirth in the Pure Land, each led those with karmic affinity to specialize in the Pure Land Dharma Gate. Moreover, the Dhyāna Master Chuo composed a record of miraculous responses concerning the Western Pure Land, entitled Collection on Peace and Bliss, which has circulated in the world.
Furthermore, the Dharma Master Huiyuan of the Jin dynasty entered Mount Lu and, for thirty years, did not leave the mountain. He led a community of monks and laypeople numbering one hundred twenty-three, who together made a vow to seek rebirth in the Western Land, carving inscriptions upon stone to record their vow. By the Tianjia period of the Chen dynasty, the Dhyāna Master Zhen of Mount Lu, while seated in meditation, saw several hundred people together boarding a magnificent vessel made of the seven precious substances, proceeding toward the West. The Dhyāna Master Zhen requested to accompany them. Those on the vessel said: “Although the Dharma Master expounds the Nirvāṇa Sūtra, which is indeed a most inconceivable cause and condition, yet the Dharma Master has not recited and upheld the Amitābha Sūtra and the mantra for rebirth; therefore, he cannot go together with us.”
Thereupon, the Dhyāna Master Zhen ceased his lecturing activities and devoted himself day and night to reciting and upholding the Amitābha Sūtra and the divine mantra, until he had completed the required count of twenty thousand recitations. Twenty-eight days before his death, at the fourth watch of the night, a divine being came from the West, bringing a white silver lotus pedestal that hovered in the air, its radiance surpassing the light of the sun, and said: “When the Dharma Master’s lifespan comes to an end, he shall ride upon this pedestal and be reborn in the land of Amitābha Buddha. I have come in advance to make this known, so that he may know with certainty that rebirth will be attained.”
At the time of his passing, both monastics and laypeople heard, in the air, sounds like celestial music being played, and also perceived a wondrous fragrance that spread and did not dissipate for several months. On that night, the monks of the summit monastery all saw in the valleys dozens of torches as large as carriage wheels.
Examining past and present, those who have attained rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss are not limited to one person. Many have witnessed manifestations of Buddhas and assemblies of noble beings coming to welcome them, as is detailed in the records of rebirth, too numerous to recount fully. Because the Dhyāna Master Zhen, through reciting this Sūtra, obtained such extraordinary responses, this single account is briefly recorded in order to awaken later virtuous ones and assist in bringing forth the aspiration for rebirth in the Pure Land.
What is called “The Divine Incantation for Uprooting the Source of All Karmic Hindrances and Attaining Rebirth in the Pure Land” was retranslated under imperial command by Guṇabhadra at the end of the Yuanjia period of the Liu Song dynasty. It consists of fifty-nine characters in total, arranged in fifteen phrases. The Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna, having vowed to be reborn in the Western Pure Land, received this mantra through a dream. The Tripiṭaka Master Yaśas recited and upheld this mantra, and the Dharma Master Xiu of Tianping Monastery personally received it orally from the Tripiṭaka Master Yaśas. He said:
“The text of this scripture originally exists in foreign lands and has not yet been transmitted here. If one wishes to receive and uphold this mantra method, one should cleanse the mouth with a willow twig, wash with cleansing beans, rinse the mouth, burn incense, kneel on one knee before the Buddha image with palms joined, and recite it twenty-one times during each of the six periods of day and night. Then one will be able to eradicate the four grave offenses, the five heinous transgressions, the ten unwholesome actions, and all karmic obstructions such as slandering the Mahāyāna Sūtras. All that is sought in the present life will be fulfilled, and one will not be confused or disturbed by evil spirits or malevolent beings. If one recites it to the full count of two hundred thousand times, the sprout of Bodhi will arise; if one reaches three hundred thousand recitations, one will personally behold Amitābha Buddha.”
Dharma Torch 