A Ray of Coloured Lights is emitted from his chest

In the city of Tong, two men went on a trip together.

On the journey back one of them passed away.

So, his friend buried him on the way.

He brought back the money and handed it to the deceased’s wife.

But the wife became suspicious.

He was extremely angry and went back to the burial ground, crying over this matter, complaining about the wrong accusation.

The deceased could even talk to him as if he was alive.

The ghost agreed to accompany him back as a witness.

On the way back, something happened and he started to recite Namo Amitabha Buddha once.

The ghost looked at him and shouted loudly,

‘Why are you emitting lights? Are you trying to frighten me?’

He recited a few more times and the ghosts became so frightened.

It said,

‘When you recite Namo Amitabha Buddha once, a ray of five coloured lights more than a hundred feet high is emitted from your chest.

You make me feel dizzy.

I cannot stand by your side now!

Please go back and tell my wife to come here personally. I will tell her the truth.

I will resolve this wrong accusation for you.’

The friend listened to this and he had an awakening.

He decided to put down this matter and left the homelife to become a monk, a high Sanghan.

Just by reciting Namo Amitabha Buddha once, the wheel of the Buddha’s lights appears.

That is why Great Master Shouchang said,

‘The mind that recite the Buddha’s Name is the Buddha.

It is not the case that we recite the Buddha’s Name now and wait for another time to accomplish Buddhahood!

It is pitiful that the ghost with little good roots has not heard of the Buddha’s Name before.

He got so frightened instead.

If he is an Amitabha reciter, he will surely attain a rebirth in the World of Ultimate Bliss instantly relying on this supreme cause and condition.

(The 3^rd story in the sixth Roll of Shastra Sect on LingFeng- the preface on the exhortation of Amitabha recitation- by Great Master Ouyi)

〈勸念佛序〉

桐城有二人，結伴為客。一死，伴葬之，攜資還其婦。婦疑。伴憤甚，

往屍處陳祭、哭訴。鬼與伴問答如生前，乃同歸作證。

中途遇事，偶一念「阿彌陀佛！」鬼大喚：「何放光怖我！」更速轉數

念，鬼懼曰：「汝一念佛，胸輒［就］舒五色光十餘丈，眩我心目，不能

復近汝矣！歸語我婦，令自來，當為汝雪冤。」

伴因此醒悟，出家為高僧。

嗟嗟！甫舉一念，光輪便舒。故壽昌大師云：「『念佛心，即是佛』也，

豈今時念佛，他時成佛哉！」惜鬼不種善根，不聞佛名，故驚怖。倘本念

佛人，仗此良緣，寧不頓超樂土耶！

（藕益大師《靈峰宗論》第六卷之三

〈勸念佛序〉）