Record 1
Yangchen from Hongyuan county (householder, 1925-1997)
Yangchen lived a life without committing serious non-virtue, and she devoted herself diligently to virtuous practices such as prostrations and recitations. In the final days before her passing, she experienced the sensations of walking in a garden filled with flowers and fruits, feeling satisfied after eating fruits. At the moment of her actual passing, she vividly saw Lord Amitabha Buddha and his entourage arriving. She said, "If you make sincere aspirations, they will come true." Subsequently, she peacefully passed away in the posture of a lion lying down.
Life Experience
She was born in the Tibetan 15th Rabjung Wood Ox year (1925) in the Hongyuan District Wache Mawa Serdi Rongta Town of Aba County in Sichuan Province (autonomous region of the Tibetans and Qiang Ethnic Group). Her father's name was Gye Trinley, and her mother's name was Orgyen Wangmo. She had four siblings, and she was the youngest daughter. From her childhood, she refrained from serious negative karma and was a person who joyfully practiced virtuous deeds. Throughout her life, she recited the Mani Mantra approximately two hundred million times, the mantra of Manjushri one hundred million times, the mantra of Amitabha Buddha one hundred million times, and the sacred name of Amitabha Buddha one million times. Though the exact number of prostrations she accumulated is unclear, she worn out about three prostration wooden boards in her life.
Manifestations at the Time of Death
(1) Eating fruits for several days
At the age of seventy-two, in the winter of the Tibetan fire ox year (1997), on the fifteenth day of the eleventh month, which was an auspicious day for Amitabha Buddha, she passed away in the evening. About three days before her passing, she repeatedly told her nephew, Gedra, and others that she felt she had been to a place with many white flowers or was on the way to such a place. Sometimes she felt she was in a place with many fruits or was heading there, saying to Gedra, "When we reach a place with many fruits, pick some and bring them to Kurutso." In her perception, the flowers and fruits became more and more abundant day by day, and in the place where flowers and fruits grew, there were rivers. She said, "My shoes got wet when I crossed the river just now, so I'm putting them in the sun to dry them a little." She only talked about these special experiences.
From those days onward, she refused to eat anything, no matter what food was offered to her. When her family said, "It's time to eat," she replied, "I am not eating; I have ate fruits, and I'm already full. Don't ask me to eat; I'm full, feed Kurutso." She did not feel hungry at all despite not eating anything and genuinely believed she had already eaten, experiencing a sense of fullness.
In general, dreaming of obtaining fruits and eating them is considered a symbol of meritorious deeds in one's lifetime. Buddha Shakyamuni also mentioned in the "Mahayana Sutra for Confessing and Eradicating Negativities and Attaining Buddhahood" that dreaming of obtaining and eating fruits signifies attaining the fruition of qualities in the present life.
(2) Clearly seeing Amitabha Buddha
On the morning of her day of passing, she said, "Kurutso, Lord Amitabha Buddha and his entourage have come to our house! Clean the house and offer incense! If you make sincere aspirations, they will come true." While saying this, she sometimes appeared to fall asleep, and when she seemed to wake up, she said, "Lord Amitabha Buddha and his entourage have come to our house! Offer incense! Can you clean the house a bit more thoroughly? Make the house very clean! Make sincere aspirations, Lord Amitabha Buddha and his entourage have come here already. It is very clear. Did you see them? Quickly look!" Since she kept saying such things, her daughter Kurutso and others around her could only respond, "Yes, we saw, we saw."
She then said to Kurutso, "Now, I am going to the Pure Land. Afterward, you do not need to perform any virtuous merits for me. If there is a need for a so-called 'virtue,' then I already have it. You have already repaid my kindness." She also said, "Kurutso, when I am dying, if there aren't many people present, would you be afraid? If not, there's no need to call many people." So, in the evening, apart from her daughter Kurutso, niece Pematso and two or three other family members, no one else was called. Later, she said, "Place my right hand under my head and my left hand on my body." After arranging herself in the lion-lying posture, she peacefully passed away, as if she had fallen asleep.
(On November 5, 2020, we (the editors) specifically visited the Rongta Village. After gathering the people directly related to this passing story, such as the deceased's daughter Kurutso and niece Pematso, we conducted a detailed interview. According to their accounts, we recorded their statements in a document and asked them to review it. They confirmed that the situation was true as reported, and we corroborated that everyone's statements were consistent. We also rigorously cross-verified the information from multiple sources in a very strict manner before including this account here.)
Notes:
1. Manjushri mantra : OM AH RA PA TSA NA DHIH
Amitabha mantra : OM AMI DEWA AYUR SIDDHI HUNG HRI
Amitabha name : CHOM DEN DAY DE ZHIN SHEG PA DRA CHOM PA YANG DAK PA DZOG PAY SANG GYE GON PO OD PAG TU MED PAG LA CHAG TSAL LO / CHO DO KYAB SU CHI O
(I prostrate, make offerings and take refuge in the Bhagavan, Tathagatha, Arhat, Perfectly Enlightened Buddha Protector Amitabha)
2. In the Mahayana Sutra for Confessing and Eradicating Negativities and Attaining Buddhahood, it is stated, “Dreaming of oneself obtaining and eating fruits, know that this person will attain the fruition.”
