Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa 马鸣尊者
生活在公元一至二世纪，出生于中印度舍卫国(Saketa)(今印度北方邦奥德)。因为他说法能让马感动到流泪嘶鸣而不思饮食，所以称为“马鸣”。著有《大乘起信论》，文章最后劝人求生净土，其文曰：“众生生长在这个浊恶的娑婆世界，自己恐怕不能常常遇到诸佛如来，亲自礼敬承事供养，畏惧自己对于大乘佛法的信心难以成就，想要退失菩提心的人，应当知道佛陀有最殊胜的方便法门，可以摄受护念众生对菩提道的信心。那就是以专一心意忆佛念佛的因缘，就可以随愿往生他方的佛土，可以常常得见诸佛如来，永远超离恶道的痛苦。如同经典所说，若人专念西方极乐世界阿弥陀佛，以往昔所修习的种种福德善根，回向发愿求生西方极乐世界，即得往生西方净土，并且由于时时见佛的缘故，终究可以不退转于菩提之道。若能观照彼阿弥陀佛的真如法身，常常精勤修习思惟，必定终究可以往生极乐世界，这是因为思惟真如法身住于决定不退转的缘故。”
Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa
Bodhisattva Aśvaghoṣa lived in the first to second centuries AD and was born in Saketa, Central India (now Ayodhyā, Uttar Pradesh, India). Because what he said can move the horse to the point of weeping and neighing without thinking about eating, so he is called Aśvaghoṣa (horse’s voice).
Life Story
According to the traditional biography of Aśvaghoṣa, which was translated into Chinese by Kumārajīva, and preserved in that language, he was originally a wandering ascetic who was able to defeat all-comers in debate. He challenged the Buddhist monks that if none could meet with him in debate, they should stop beating the woodblock which signalled to the people to bring offerings to them. No one there could meet the challenge, so they stopped beating the woodblock.
However, in the north, there was an elder bhikṣu named Pārśva at the time, who saw that if he could convert this ascetic, it would be a great asset to the propagation of the Dharma, so he travelled from northern India and had the woodblock sounded. The ascetic came to ask why it had been sounded. Though thinking the old monk would be unable to debate with him, he accepted the challenge. After seven days, the debate was held in front of the King, his Ministers, and many ascetics and Brahmans. The loser agreed to become the disciple of the other.
They agreed that the elder Pārśva should speak first. He asked: "How can the world be made peaceable, with a long-lived king, plentiful harvests, and joy throughout the land, with none of the myriad calamities?" to which the ascetic had no response and so was bound to become Pārśva's disciple, and he was given full ordination as a bhikṣu. Although he had to consent to this, he still was not convinced of the elder's virtues until he showed him he had mastered the Bases of Spiritual Power (ṛddhipāda), at which point he gained faith. Pārśva then taught him the 5 Faculties, the 5 Powers, the 7 Factors and the 8-fold Noble Path, and he eventually mastered the teaching.
Later, the central kingdom was besieged by the Kuṣāna King's army, who demanded 300,000 gold pieces in tribute. The King could not pay so much, as he had only 100,000. The Kuṣāna King, therefore, asked for the Buddha's begging bowl, the converted monk, and the 100,000 gold pieces for his tribute. Although the King of the central kingdom was unhappy, the monk persuaded him it would be for the good of the propagation of the Dharma, which would spread across the four continents if he went with the Kuṣāna King. He was therefore taken away.
However, the Kuṣāna's King's Ministers were unhappy, not thinking that the bhikṣu was priced correctly at 100,000 gold pieces. The King, who knew the worth of bhiksu, ordered that seven horses be starved for six days. The King then made an assembly and had the bhikṣu preach the Dharma. Even the horses, whose favourite food was placed in front of them, were entranced by the teaching of the monk and listened intently. Everybody was thereby convinced of his worth. He was then granted the name Aśvaghoṣa, Horse-Cry.
He travelled throughout northern India proclaiming the Dharma and guiding all through his wisdom and understanding, and he was held in great regard by the four-fold assembly, who knew him as The Sun of Merit and Virtue.
Encourage people to attain rebirth in the Pure Land
He was the author of "The Awakening of Faith in Mahayana". At the end of the article, it encourages people to seek rebirth in the Pure Land. The treatise says: "All living beings grow up in this filthy and evil Saha world should be afraid that they cannot meet the Buddha Tathāgatas often. They should pay homage and make offerings in person. Those who are worried that they cannot achieve confidence in Mahayana Buddhism, and may fall back on their bodhicitta, should know that the Buddha has an extraordinary Dharma gate of convenience which can save and protect sentient beings' faith on the Bodhi path, that is, the cause of single-mindedly being mindful of Amitābha Buddha. One can vow to be born in the Pure Land, often see the Buddha Tathāgatas, forever transcend and be away from the suffering of the evil paths. Like the sutra says, if there is someone who single-mindedly recites the name of Amitābha Buddha and also transfers the merit of all their blessings and good roots towards vowing to be reborn in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, then they can be reborn in the Western Pure Land. Because they can see the Buddha often, they will ultimately not regress on the path of Bodhi. If they can visualise the true Dharma body of Amitābha Buddha, to constantly cultivate and contemplate diligently, they will definitely be born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. This is because contemplating the true Dharma body is the reason for never regressing.
