Rebirth of Song Man of the Sui Dynasty

Song Man, a native of Hengzhou (modern-day Zhengding County, Hebei), was born during the Sui dynasty. He was deeply committed to practicing the Pure Land dharma gate. Each time he chanted Amitabha Buddha's name, he used beans to count his recitations. Once he had accumulated a total of thirty shi [1] of beans with his recitations, he held a vegetarian feast to honour the Buddha. During the gathering, three monks arrived to request food. After the monks consumed the offerings, fragrant flowers suddenly filled the air, and the three monks ascended into the sky and left. Shortly afterwards, Song Man sat facing west and attained rebirth. (The Buddha’s Chronicle)

[1] Shi, ancient Chinese measurement, 1 Shi = 120kg.  

- Excerpt from ‘Records of the Pure Land Sages’