Aug. 27, 2026
Clarifying Doubts About the Pure Land (II)
淨土釋疑(二)
Question 45: Although I myself have deep faith in the law of cause and effect, and often listen to your guidance, I have been developing a deeper faith concerning spiritual practice; the cultivation of the Way, and karmic cause and effect. Yet I often worry about my family members, especially since my mother is already in her nineties. I hope to dedicate the merit of my Amitabha-recitation to her.
However, a fellow practitioner believes that I should first dedicate the merit to overcoming my own karmic obstacles, establish my own spiritual attainment , and only afterward dedicate merit to other family members. May I ask the Master what is the correct way to understand this?
Answer: The reason your view differs from that of your fellow practitioner is that there is not yet a correct understanding of merit-dedication.
Merit-dedication does not mean that if you recite ten thousand times today, or recite however many times, those recitations can only be dedicated to one particular person, as though there would be no merit left to dedicate to anyone else. It is not like that at all.
Even a single recitation of Amitabha’s Name can be dedicated to hundreds, thousands, or millions of recipients. It can be dedicated to: our karmic creditors, those with whom we have karmic grievances, our ancestors, children, relatives, sentient beings with whom we have karmic connections, as well as those with whom we have no apparent connection.
When making the dedication, however, we should focus on the matters that are of particular concern to us. For example, in the case of your mother, you can speak specifically of your wish for her to have faith and aspire for rebirth. In the case of your children, you can express your wishes for their upbringing—whether they can conduct themselves uprightly and honorably, and whether they can inherit and carry on our religious faith.
There is no need to elaborate on everything. Simply mention the matters that are of special concern to you. Then, at the end, recite:
“May this merit be equally dedicated to all,
that they may awaken the Bodhi-mind,
and attain rebirth in the Land of Bliss.”
Everything is included within this dedication.
There is a saying: “When a person is sincere, the Buddha responds. When a person has a wholesome aspiration, Heaven will surely honor it.” Another saying goes: “Where there is a vow, there will be a karmic connection.”
As long as we have that sincere and earnest wish for the other person’s well-being, Amitabha knows it. He will do his utmost to fulfill our aspiration. If our wish cannot be fulfilled exactly as we hoped, then even so, a heavy karmic retribution may be lightened and borne in a milder form. Amitabha is working silently and invisibly within all of this.
Therefore, after making our dedication with sincerity and reverence, we should simply entrust everything to Amitabha—to Amitabha's arrangement and Amitabha’s working.
(to be continued tomorrow)
第45問：雖然自己也深信因果，也常聽聞上人的引導，朝修行、道業、因果上 建立較深的信心，但常為眷屬擔心，尤其母親已經九十幾歲了，我希望以念 佛的方式來迴向他，但有同修認為應該迴向自己本身的業障，自己的道業先 成，再來迴向其他眷屬。想請問上人應該怎樣才是正確的。
答45：(1 / 3)
妳和那位同修觀點不一樣，是因為對「迴向」沒有正確的了解。所謂「迴向」並 不是說，今天念的一萬聲佛號，或多少佛號，只能迴向某某人，沒有餘力可以 迴向其他人，並不是這樣。即使念一句佛號，也可以迴向百千萬的對象，既可 以迴向給自己的冤家債主，也可以迴向給自己的祖先、兒女、六親眷屬，以及 有緣、無緣的眾生。只是迴向的時候，要把握重點敘述，如對母親信仰以及往
生的心情，對兒女的教養，是不是能夠堂堂正正地做人，是不是能夠繼承我 們的宗教信仰，只要就我們所特別關心的列出來講就可以了，最後就以「願以 此功德，平等施一切，同發菩提心，往生安樂國。」就都包含在裏面了。「人有 誠心，佛有感應；人有善願，天必從之」。「有願就有緣」，只要我們有那一份真 誠、懇切的心想要為對方好，阿彌陀佛都知道，都會盡量滿我們的願，如果我 們的願不能達到，也會重報輕受，阿彌陀佛冥冥之中都在運作著，所以虔誠 迴向之後，就任憑彌陀的安排、任憑彌陀的運作。
Namo Amituofo!
