【你問我答Round 1】Part 1/3
My last Feng Shui workshop was in January. Since then, I had been laden with never-ending work.
It struck my mind that it has been a long time, since I go to the ground and interact with more people, apart from my occasional Lives and writings. My Grandmaster, Living Buddha Lian Sheng, does it every week. So does my Shifu. Hence, I decided to do a AMA, Ask Me Anything, in my previous post.
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【生命最後的救度】
QUESTION 1: from Joan Toh-Lau
"Is there something small and simple to do everyday, to create merit that can be dedicated to someone else? Just thinking of someone who is at their end stage of life. May all beings be well, healthy and happy. Thank you for wanting to help all of us here with questions."
My answer:
For a dying person, repentance is key.
We spend a good deal of our lives planning how to live it up, and feeling deprived and dissatisfied when we don't. Only a few wise ones will live their lives according to how they want to die and where they want to go, after their time on Earth is up.
Nobody can say they live a life where they have done nothing wrong: Killing, Stealing, Sexual Misconduct, False Speech and Consumption of Intoxicants.
Repentance done from the heart will eradicate the sins we have committed from this and past lifetimes.
人，有業障，才會六道輪迴。懺悔才免業來攻。
Repentance enables the patient to die as pain-free and graceful as possible, and accumulates as much positive resources as possible for his rebirth to the Pureland, or at the very least, a more worthy reincarnation in a good family.
If the person has a lot of merits, and a lot of negative karma at the same time, the heavy blockades of negative karma can obstruct the merits from coming to fruition.
A person who does not believe in repentance will never receive the blessings of Buddha, or any virtuous god for that matter.
Of course it is best done by the person himself/herself. But the more people helping the dying, the better.
[Step 1: 懺悔偈 (Short Repentance Verse) in Buddhism ]
我昔所做諸罪業，皆有無始貪嗔癡，
從身語意之所生，一切李季謙今皆懺悔。
The 我 can be replaced by the person's name, when you are doing it on the patient's behalf.
e.g. 李季謙昔所做諸罪業，皆有無始貪嗔癡，
從身語意之所生，一切我今皆懺悔。
Recite 3 times.
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[Step 2: Supplement it with recitation of Buddha's or Bodhisattva's name or mantra. ]
e.g. 南無阿彌陀佛、南無觀世音菩薩、南無藥師琉璃光王佛 or 南無地藏王菩薩
21 times, 49 times or 108 times daily.
You can also choose to add on a recitation of a sutra.
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[Step 3: Dedicate the merits to the dying.]
e.g.
我，XXX，願以此功德迴向給我的父親，XXX（姓名），生於19XX年XX月XX日，目前住在......。祈願他能業消福增、減少病苦、將來壽終正寢、蒙佛接引、往生淨土。
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In《地藏王菩薩本願經》The Sutra of the Fundamental Vows of Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva, it clearly states that the person reciting it gains 70% of the merits, the recipient of the dedication gains 30% of the merits.
This is definitely a win-win solution.
There are of course other ways of generating merits like donations, sponsorships of temple-building, printing of virtuous books, giving away free medicine etc.
I consider this the most effective and simplest solution to Joan's question. Something that can be done daily. I have already simplified the repentance process. A more elaborate one will be more thorough and naturally eradicate more negative karma within a shorter period of time.
It's free. Small in effort needed, but big in power when done consistently with a sincere heart and steadfast belief. Even more powerful if you have taken refuge.
Please remember not to do your recitation in the bedroom. You can do it in your living room, study room, or in front of your altar, with your chanting beads.
If there is any merits from this writing, I dedicate it to your dying "someone".
May he or she be free from fear and pain.
May he or she let go of the attachments to this mortal world and be reborn in the Pureland. 🙏
Thank you for your belief in me to ask me this question, Joan.
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