Biography of Master Shan Dao 善導大師 ** You may click wordings in blue for more information **
Master Shan Dao 善導大師 of the Tang Dynasty (613 - 681), the founder and Harmonizer of Pureland tradition. He was born in Shandong province in northeast China, Linzi county 临淄县 (another record has it that he was born in Anhui province in central China, Sixian county泗县), and inherited the family name Zhu 朱. He was ordained as a monk at a very young age and studied under the tutelage of Master Ming Sheng 明勝, and devoted himself to the study of Mahayana sutras such as Lotus Sutra and Vimalakirti Sutra. Later, he beheld illustrations of Amitabha Buddha's Western Land of Bliss 西方變相圖 and Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra 觀無量壽佛經, and was filled with tremendous joy and admiration.
In the year 641, at the age of 29, he visited Xuanzhong temple 玄中寺 of the famous Pureland Master Dao Chuo, who happened to be giving a discourse on the Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra. This sutra ultimately inspired him to follow, and then propagate the Pureland teachings. He was overjoyed and spoke these words : "This is the key location into the true intent and works of Amitabha Buddha. All extraneous practices, literal pedantic understanding that deviates from this core will unlikely bear fruit. This is the one and only Dharma path that instantly ends and transcends endless rebirth in the 3 realms". Thus, he recited "Namo Amituofo" earnestly for days and nights till his very last bit of energy knowing the dire emergency. During the icy and chilly periods whenever Master Shan Dao entered recitation, he would not stop until his clothes were drenched with sweat and when he came out of recitation, he expounded the Pureland Dharma for more than 30 years without sleep. He severed all thoughts of wealth and fame, kept his sight away from the female gender, observed precepts with uncompromising determination, treated others with compassion and gentleness, lived on poor meals and gave the finer food to others. He kept the oil lamp at the Buddha altar constantly lit and did his own washings with deference, never spoke about worldly matters, avoided all circumstances that might delay his journey towards the Pureland. His skill in reciting "Namo Amituofo" was deep and penetrating. What magnificent achievement! Each recitation would send a ray of light out of his mouth while millions of recitation would send millions of rays. Such achievement is unimaginable.
Master Shan Dao's Pureland's practice had its weights on being focus, i.e., practice the one and only pristine path as he knew by then that birth in the Land of Bliss depends on how focus a practitioner was. He explained : "10 Out of 10 recitations of "Namo Amituofo", aspirants are born 10 times in the Land of Bliss, and so are 100 recitations. Why? The reason is, reciting "Namo Amituofo" alone is right thought. This thought does not contradict but accords with Amitabha Buddha's primal vow and Buddha's words. For aspirants who forgo this pristine method and prefer the heterogeneous methods, perhaps a rare 1 or 2 out of 100 aspirants could attain birth in the Land of Bliss, and 3 or 5 out of thousands. Why? The heterogeneous practices are mixed with extraneous elements or methods that puts aspirants' minds in constant state to find focus and this in itself is not correct mindfulness, it is an unrepentant mind, with little aspiration to be born in the Land of Bliss, a distracted mind filled with greed and attachment. Such methods do not concert with Amitabha Buddha's primal vow, it is inconsistent with the actual instructions, and do not accord with Buddha's words. What was supposed to be continuous mindfulness has unknowingly turned into a disturbed mind of broken concentration. Seen in Master Shan Dao's works "Commentary on Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra“ are his earnest words and kind intentions : "Come home to the Land of Bliss, do not remain in the endless wave of Samsara, we have reincarnated endlessly since time in memorial, experienced the suffering of reincarnation in the 6 realms, not a single haven to be sought but sighs of dejection and sorrows heard, recite "Namo Amituofo" in resolute faith with aspiration to be born in the Land of Bliss and at the end of this life time, we will be born in Amitabha Buddha's Land of Bliss (Land of Nirvana)".
Master Shan Dao's resolute faith in Pureland Dharma and his extraordinary virtues inspired uncountable numbers of disciples (four groups consisting of monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen) who sought Pureland. Among his disciples, the numbers who chanted Amitabha Sutra 100000 to 500000 times, recited "Namo Amituofo" 10000 to 100000 times and those among them who were born in the Land of Bliss were just too many to be recorded. Master Shan Dao's attainment and his compassion for sentient beings spurred him to expound Pureland Dharma. All offerings that were received at the time were channeled into writing as many as 100000 scrolls of Amitabha Sutra, and painting illustrations of Pureland in over 300 locations, sharing Pureland Dharma with others and helping others achieved what he had achieved. At that time, he knew well enough the influential qualities and penetrative strength of the Arts, as a result, devoted himself to propagating Pureland Dharma by way of the Arts. The establishment of ManChaLuo, the illustration depicting the "Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra" in the Dunhuang's Cave of thousands Buddhas came from the hands of Master Shan Dao himself. A legacy to benefit the later generations. Collected evidence also shows that the making of the widely respected Gigantic Vairocana Buddha 卢舍那大佛 statue in Luoyang Longmen monastery was supervised by Master Shan Dao as well.
Master Shan Dao passed away in the year 681, March 14. He was 69 years old. Master Shan Dao's surviving work today is Five works in Nine Fascicles 五部九卷 consisting of : Commentary on Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra 觀經疏, Dharma school of Contemplation and Recitation 觀念法門, In Praise of Dharma Practice 法事讚, In Praise of the Rite of Rebirth in the Land of Bliss 往生禮讚 and In Praise of Pratyutpanna 般舟讚. Among them, Commentary on Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra is regarded by high monastics of the past and present as the conclusive Pureland commentary, the golden rules and precious precepts, comparable to scriptures spoken by the Buddha. Master Ying Guang had high praise : "Such words the directional guide to the Land of Bliss for Pureland practitioners".
There are 6 crucial points to explain why practitioners should abide by Master Shan Dao's teaching.
Master Shan Dao 善導大師 of the Tang Dynasty (613 - 681), the founder and Harmonizer of Pureland tradition. He was born in Shandong province in northeast China, Linzi county 临淄县 (another record has it that he was born in Anhui province in central China, Sixian county泗县), and inherited the family name Zhu 朱. He was ordained as a monk at a very young age and studied under the tutelage of Master Ming Sheng 明勝, and devoted himself to the study of Mahayana sutras such as Lotus Sutra and Vimalakirti Sutra. Later, he beheld illustrations of Amitabha Buddha's Western Land of Bliss 西方變相圖 and Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra 觀無量壽佛經, and was filled with tremendous joy and admiration.
In the year 641, at the age of 29, he visited Xuanzhong temple 玄中寺 of the famous Pureland Master Dao Chuo, who happened to be giving a discourse on the Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra. This sutra ultimately inspired him to follow, and then propagate the Pureland teachings. He was overjoyed and spoke these words : "This is the key location into the true intent and works of Amitabha Buddha. All extraneous practices, literal pedantic understanding that deviates from this core will unlikely bear fruit. This is the one and only Dharma path that instantly ends and transcends endless rebirth in the 3 realms". Thus, he recited "Namo Amituofo" earnestly for days and nights till his very last bit of energy knowing the dire emergency. During the icy and chilly periods whenever Master Shan Dao entered recitation, he would not stop until his clothes were drenched with sweat and when he came out of recitation, he expounded the Pureland Dharma for more than 30 years without sleep. He severed all thoughts of wealth and fame, kept his sight away from the female gender, observed precepts with uncompromising determination, treated others with compassion and gentleness, lived on poor meals and gave the finer food to others. He kept the oil lamp at the Buddha altar constantly lit and did his own washings with deference, never spoke about worldly matters, avoided all circumstances that might delay his journey towards the Pureland. His skill in reciting "Namo Amituofo" was deep and penetrating. What magnificent achievement! Each recitation would send a ray of light out of his mouth while millions of recitation would send millions of rays. Such achievement is unimaginable.
Master Shan Dao's Pureland's practice had its weights on being focus, i.e., practice the one and only pristine path as he knew by then that birth in the Land of Bliss depends on how focus a practitioner was. He explained : "10 Out of 10 recitations of "Namo Amituofo", aspirants are born 10 times in the Land of Bliss, and so are 100 recitations. Why? The reason is, reciting "Namo Amituofo" alone is right thought. This thought does not contradict but accords with Amitabha Buddha's primal vow and Buddha's words. For aspirants who forgo this pristine method and prefer the heterogeneous methods, perhaps a rare 1 or 2 out of 100 aspirants could attain birth in the Land of Bliss, and 3 or 5 out of thousands. Why? The heterogeneous practices are mixed with extraneous elements or methods that puts aspirants' minds in constant state to find focus and this in itself is not correct mindfulness, it is an unrepentant mind, with little aspiration to be born in the Land of Bliss, a distracted mind filled with greed and attachment. Such methods do not concert with Amitabha Buddha's primal vow, it is inconsistent with the actual instructions, and do not accord with Buddha's words. What was supposed to be continuous mindfulness has unknowingly turned into a disturbed mind of broken concentration. Seen in Master Shan Dao's works "Commentary on Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra“ are his earnest words and kind intentions : "Come home to the Land of Bliss, do not remain in the endless wave of Samsara, we have reincarnated endlessly since time in memorial, experienced the suffering of reincarnation in the 6 realms, not a single haven to be sought but sighs of dejection and sorrows heard, recite "Namo Amituofo" in resolute faith with aspiration to be born in the Land of Bliss and at the end of this life time, we will be born in Amitabha Buddha's Land of Bliss (Land of Nirvana)".
Master Shan Dao's resolute faith in Pureland Dharma and his extraordinary virtues inspired uncountable numbers of disciples (four groups consisting of monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen) who sought Pureland. Among his disciples, the numbers who chanted Amitabha Sutra 100000 to 500000 times, recited "Namo Amituofo" 10000 to 100000 times and those among them who were born in the Land of Bliss were just too many to be recorded. Master Shan Dao's attainment and his compassion for sentient beings spurred him to expound Pureland Dharma. All offerings that were received at the time were channeled into writing as many as 100000 scrolls of Amitabha Sutra, and painting illustrations of Pureland in over 300 locations, sharing Pureland Dharma with others and helping others achieved what he had achieved. At that time, he knew well enough the influential qualities and penetrative strength of the Arts, as a result, devoted himself to propagating Pureland Dharma by way of the Arts. The establishment of ManChaLuo, the illustration depicting the "Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra" in the Dunhuang's Cave of thousands Buddhas came from the hands of Master Shan Dao himself. A legacy to benefit the later generations. Collected evidence also shows that the making of the widely respected Gigantic Vairocana Buddha 卢舍那大佛 statue in Luoyang Longmen monastery was supervised by Master Shan Dao as well.
Master Shan Dao passed away in the year 681, March 14. He was 69 years old. Master Shan Dao's surviving work today is Five works in Nine Fascicles 五部九卷 consisting of : Commentary on Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra 觀經疏, Dharma school of Contemplation and Recitation 觀念法門, In Praise of Dharma Practice 法事讚, In Praise of the Rite of Rebirth in the Land of Bliss 往生禮讚 and In Praise of Pratyutpanna 般舟讚. Among them, Commentary on Contemplation of Infinite Life Sutra is regarded by high monastics of the past and present as the conclusive Pureland commentary, the golden rules and precious precepts, comparable to scriptures spoken by the Buddha. Master Ying Guang had high praise : "Such words the directional guide to the Land of Bliss for Pureland practitioners".
There are 6 crucial points to explain why practitioners should abide by Master Shan Dao's teaching.
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