Venerable Shengyuan, Awakened to the Impermanence of Life, Practiced Austere Cultivation in Seclusion, Cultivated Himself While Teaching Others, and Solely Relied on Buddha Recitation

Venerable Shengyuan. His secular surname was He, and he was from Penglai, Shandong. In his youth, he enrolled in the county school as a student receiving a stipend. Later, while arranging funeral rites for a deceased friend, he suddenly realized the impermanence of human life, and arose the aspiration to leave the secular world and pursue the spiritual path.

He therefore crossed the sea to Liaoning, Korea, and other regions to visit and seek guidance from eminent masters. After traveling far and wide on his quest, he eventually returned to Zhonghui Temple on Mount Qianshan in Liaoyang County, Liaoning, where he bowed to Chan Master Sigong and received the tonsure, officially joining the monastic order. He then proceeded to Haiguang Temple in Tianjin to receive full monastic ordination. Later, he departed from the pass region and returned to Zhonghui Temple, paying respects to the temple patriarchs and Chan Master Sigong. He subsequently moved to Shangfang Mountain to live in quiet, dedicated practice. He later relocated to Yunti Hermitage, where he lived alone in seclusion, practicing austere cultivation, and attained deep insight into the fundamental principles of Chan Buddhism.

During the Gengzi upheaval in the 26th year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1900), throngs of refugees gathered in the mountains. Venerable Shengyuan instructed them to recite Amitabha Buddha single-mindedly, and all of them were spared from harm. After a few years, Venerable Shengyuan came to Beijing. In 1918, he met Venerable Quanlang of Nianhua Temple, and the two felt an immediate karmic connection and bonded deeply. In 1920, he moved to reside at Nianhua Temple, and Venerable Quanlang promptly promised to support him for the rest of his life. Venerable Shengyuan then entered two separate closed retreats, for a total of nine years.

After he emerged from retreat, disciples from the fourfold Buddhist assemblies (monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen) gathered to request Dharma instruction from him. Venerable Shengyuan said: "Scriptural wisdom and mere verbal claims of samadhi are of no use whatsoever. Only by solely focusing on the recitation of Amitabha Buddha's name in all four daily postures—walking, standing, sitting, and lying down—uttering each word clearly and distinctly, maintaining constant mindful awareness, and uniting this with sincere faith and earnest aspiration to be reborn in the Western Pure Land without fail, will one gain true, tangible spiritual benefit!" From then on, he cultivated himself while teaching others, taking the Western Pure Land as his sole refuge. Venerable Quanlang also came to respect him even more deeply. When Venerable Liangyuan succeeded Venerable Quanlang as abbot of the temple, he honored Venerable Shengyuan with even greater deference.

Venerable Shengyuan often told those around him: "Here at Nianhua Temple, I have all three requisites for rebirth fulfilled: a supportive community, a proper practice setting, and sufficient sustenance. I will attain rebirth in the Western Pure Land right from this place!" At that time, there was also Master Xiaguang, who arrived at Nianhua Temple two years after Venerable Shengyuan. The two shared the same spiritual aspirations and practiced the Pure Land Dharma path together, so they made a pact to guide each other to rebirth when the time came.

On the 24th day of the ninth lunar month in 1932, he went about his daily routine as usual, though his food intake decreased slightly and his physical strength gradually waned. He continued to recite Amitabha Buddha diligently and single-mindedly. That day, Master Xiaguang joked with him: "Are you getting ready to depart for rebirth now?" Venerable Shengyuan replied: "When the time comes for my rebirth, will you be there to escort me?" Master Xiaguang said: "I will most certainly be there in person to escort you to the Western Pure Land."

Venerable Liangyuan, seeing that Venerable Shengyuan appeared fatigued, immediately sent for a doctor to attend to him, but the treatment yielded no improvement. When Venerable Liangyuan intended to summon another physician, Venerable Shengyuan said: "The time for my rebirth has come. What need is there to call a doctor?"

By the 26th, he was frequently asking about the time. When someone present realized what he meant, Venerable Shengyuan said: "I will depart for the Western Pure Land at midnight." That evening, Master Xiaguang said: "This is the most critical moment. Please gather your focus and recite Amitabha Buddha." Venerable Shengyuan said: "This old monk loves reciting Amitabha Buddha above all else." At this point, both the monastic and lay assemblies also gathered to recite Amitabha Buddha to support his rebirth. Not long after, he sat up and assumed a cross-legged meditative posture.

Master Xiaguang asked: "Is your mind clear and lucid?" Venerable Shengyuan replied: "Why would I not be clear?" He then lifted his head and gazed toward the west several times. The assembly continued to recite Amitabha Buddha together to support him, and Venerable Shengyuan then passed away with a gentle smile. It was midnight on the 27th; he was 72 years old, and had been ordained for 37 years. True to his promise, Master Xiaguang was there in person to escort him back to the Pure Land.

After Venerable Shengyuan passed away, a wondrous fragrance filled the room and lingered for more than ten days without dissipating. Some people who did not believe in the Buddha Dharma claimed: "This is just a fake scent made with perfume." But the more they spoke, the stronger the wondrous fragrance grew, far surpassing any ordinary scent. This left the non-believers with no way to slander or refute the phenomenon, and made them realize that Venerable Shengyuan had indeed been reborn in the Western Pure Land.

Three days after his cremation, the monastic and lay assemblies gathered to collect his cremated remains. Qu Yingguang, a lay Buddhist and one of Venerable Shengyuan's disciples who had taken refuge in the Triple Gem, knew the master's cultivation was genuine, so he was certain sacred sarira (Buddhist relics) would be present. Qu Yingguang arrived later than the rest that day, and asked those present: "Have any sarira been found?" The assembly replied: "None have been found yet." After Qu Yingguang finished paying his respects, the sarira suddenly appeared, glowing with brilliant, multicolored light. There were as many as a thousand of them, and every member of the assembly received a share. Ten days later, Qu Yingguang and a few others returned to the cremation grounds, and each collected several additional pieces of sarira.

(This account was compiled by Ding Guiqiao based on a letter from Qu Yingguang. When Qu Yingguang wrote to Ding Guiqiao, the handling of Venerable Shengyuan's remains had not yet been concluded. Later, in accordance with the master's final instructions, his cremated remains were ground into powder, mixed with flour to form pills, placed in bags, and shipped to Qingdao to be cast into the sea. At that time, the bone pills spontaneously heated up and softened, and after they were scattered into the sea, more sarira were found in the bags. After this book was printed using traditional woodblock printing, Ding Guiqiao, Xu Weiru and others sent follow-up letters asking for this supplementary account to be included.)