Master Wang Xianglu | 2022-12-06 | Download | AI assisted translation
| 甲戌十一月 | Eleventh Month of the Jiaxu Year |
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| 此书专方便在家修持人用之 | This book is designed especially for lay practitioners to use in their cultivation. |
| 一使初学者可借此了解佛理洞明因果断除烦恼用以度生 | First, it enables beginners to understand Buddhist principles, clearly comprehend cause and effect, eliminate afflictions, and thereby liberate living beings. |
| 一使孝友者可自己荐度先亡安净家宅消除夙怨用以度亡 | Second, it enables those devoted to filial piety and friendship to personally guide their departed forebears across, bring peace and purity to their homes, dispel longstanding grievances, and thereby assist the deceased. |
| 一使精进者可由是参究密乘观证禅定导归西方用以融通 | Third, it enables diligent practitioners to investigate and realize the Esoteric Vehicle, contemplate and realize meditative absorption, turn toward the Western Pure Land, and thereby attain integration. |
| 千偈瑜珈焰口用法说明 | Instructions for the Thousand-Verse Yoga Flaming-Mouth Ritual |
| 经云：天下未乱，鬼神先乱。安鬼神，即所以安家宅、定人心。年来社会不安景象，如疯狂走失自杀，虽业由自作，亦鬼神隐为之祟。故荐度安灵，实可减劫消灾、去病延寿、启发孝心、增长善念，功德不可思议。兹以浅显文字，演说佛理，共千二百五十偈，中有瑜珈施食等仪，参用密宗施饿鬼法，名曰“千偈瑜珈焰口”。 | A sūtra says: “Before disorder arises in the world, disorder first arises among ghosts and spirits.” To bring peace to ghosts and spirits is therefore to bring peace to the household and settle people’s minds. In recent years, society has displayed much unrest—madness, disappearances, and suicide. Although such karma is created by people themselves, ghosts and spirits may also secretly cause such disturbances. Therefore, guiding the departed across and settling their spirits can indeed lessen calamities, avert disasters, dispel illness, prolong life, awaken filial devotion, and increase wholesome thoughts; its merit and virtue are inconceivable. Here Buddhist principles are explained in simple language in a total of 1,250 verses, including such rites as the Yoga Offering of Food, with reference to the Esoteric Buddhist method of offering food to hungry ghosts. It is called the “Thousand-Verse Yoga Flaming-Mouth Ritual.” |
| 在家人男女老幼，人人可读。由此可稍明佛理，通达因果。若欲度亡，或逢家忌，则加上立位设供持咒，即可超度。如未学密法印咒者，可用大悲咒往生咒，念佛号读经等代之。或用蒙山仪，可方便也。又如愿求咒及施食仪者，可向本会灌顶行者请求。 | Laymen and laywomen, young and old alike, may all read it. Through it, they may gain some understanding of Buddhist principles and comprehend cause and effect. If one wishes to assist the deceased, or if a family memorial day occurs, one need only set up a memorial tablet, make offerings, and recite mantras in order to guide the deceased across. If one has not learned Esoteric Buddhist mudrās and mantras, one may substitute the Great Compassion Mantra, the Rebirth Mantra, recitation of the Buddha’s name, and sūtra reading. Alternatively, the Mengshan rite may conveniently be used. Those wishing to obtain mantras and the food-offering ritual may request them from the empowerment practitioners of this association. |
| 荐度亡灵，以通神为主。使自己心神，与亡魂相接，我如是，彼亦如是，欢喜自在，彼皆随我而转，即转念超生矣。但自己不明佛理，何由通神？故以浅文引入深义，先使生者读之，顿然开悟，即以此圆妙明心，上臻顶天，下及风轮，遍法界一切精灵，无不应声得度，功德岂可量哉。 | In guiding departed spirits across, communion with spirits is primary. One’s own mind and spirit must connect with the departed soul: as I am, so are they; joyful and at ease, they follow my guidance, and by turning their thoughts they are reborn beyond. But if one does not understand Buddhist principles, how can one commune with spirits? Therefore, simple language is used to introduce profound meaning. Let the living first read it and suddenly awaken; then, with this perfect, wondrous, luminous mind, one reaches above to the summit of heaven and below to the wind wheel. Throughout the dharma realm, every spirit responds to the call and is liberated. How could such merit and virtue be measured? |
| 观想法至为重要。故读时宜慢，宜老实，宜净心，一字一罄，或加木鱼，徐徐唱念。 | Visualization is of the utmost importance. Therefore, read slowly, sincerely, and with a purified mind. Strike the chime once for each word, or add a wooden fish, chanting and reciting gradually. |
| 设供可照图办理。五如来七如来皆可，因密宗甘露王即弥陀，多宝即宝胜也。故广博身如来居中，即大日如来也；妙色身如来居东，即阿閦如来也；多宝如来居南，即宝胜如来也；甘露王如来居西，即阿弥陀如来也；离怖畏如来居北，即不空成就如来也。持诸佛名者，皆可得度，如西方不二也。 | Offerings may be arranged according to the illustration. Either the Five Tathāgatas or the Seven Tathāgatas may be used, for in Esoteric Buddhism the Nectar King is Amitābha, and Much Treasure is Ratnasaṃbhava. Thus, the Tathāgata of Vast Body occupies the center and is Mahāvairocana; the Tathāgata of Wondrous Form occupies the east and is Akṣobhya; the Tathāgata of Much Treasure occupies the south and is Ratnasaṃbhava; the Tathāgata Nectar King occupies the west and is Amitābha; and the Tathāgata Free from Fear occupies the north and is Amoghasiddhi. All who uphold the names of these Buddhas may be liberated, for they are nondual with the Western Pure Land. |
| 一、净坛 | I. Purifying the Altar |
| （上香）（念香赞）（手涂香粉） | (Offer incense) (Recite the incense praise) (Apply scented powder to the hands) |
| 1、升座 2、供曼达 3、戴毗卢冠 4、结印持净三业咒（三通）观空咒（七通） 5、加持法器 | 1. Ascend the seat 2. Offer the maṇḍala 3. Put on the Vairocana crown 4. Form mudrās and recite the mantra for purifying the three karmas (three times) and the emptiness-visualization mantra (seven times) 5. Bless the ritual implements |
| 如无咒印者以观想代之， 无冠戴法器者亦以观想代之（抚尺） | If one does not have mantras or mudrās, use visualization in their place. If one has no crown or ritual implements, use visualization in their place as well. (Strike the clapper.) |
| 瑜珈会启 甘露门开 为度人天 觉皇垂范 教演真乘 密咒宏宣 | The Yoga Assembly opens; the gate of nectar is opened. To liberate humans and devas, the Enlightened Sovereign sets the model. The teaching expounds the true vehicle; the esoteric mantras are widely proclaimed. |
| （作此身光明如佛想） | (Visualize this body as radiant as a Buddha.) |
| 漫漫长夜 业海无边 救苦大士 化示面燃 兴慈济物 为解倒悬 | The long night is vast; the ocean of karma is boundless. The Great Being Who Relieves Suffering manifested as the Flaming-Mouth Spirit, compassionately aiding beings to release them from hanging upside down. |
| 地狱粉碎 幽冥洞开 我今迎请 十方诸佛 释迦世尊 观音大士 | The hells are shattered; the hidden realms are thrown open. I now welcome the Buddhas of the ten directions: World-Honored Śākyamuni and Great Being Avalokiteśvara. |
| （作诸佛菩萨即将来临想） | (Visualize all Buddhas and bodhisattvas as about to arrive.) |
| 地藏愿王 阿难尊者 护法韦驮 四大天尊 一切神祗 阎罗冥君 | Kṣitigarbha, King of Vows; Venerable Ānanda; Dharma Protector Skanda; the Four Great Heavenly Kings; all spirits and deities; and King Yama, Lord of the Underworld. |
| 乃至鬼王 土地诸灵 云来集会 为作护持 而此道场 忽如须弥 | As well as the kings of ghosts, local earth deities, and every kind of spirit: gather here like clouds to offer protection. May this place of practice suddenly become like Mount Sumeru. |
| (作此道场广大无边想) | (Visualize this place of practice as vast and boundless.) |
| 其大无量 妙难思议 乃爇香云 法界普薰 而此香者 不自天降 | Its greatness is immeasurable; its wonder is inconceivable. Incense clouds now arise, pervading and perfuming the dharma realm. Yet this incense does not descend from heaven, |
| （作此心如香云遍法界想） | (Visualize this mind as incense clouds pervading the dharma realm.) |
| 不由地生 放充三界 收若微尘 日月光华 山川秀明 不及其精 | Nor does it grow from the earth. It fills the three realms, yet when gathered it is as minute as a mote of dust. The radiance of sun and moon, the splendor of mountains and rivers, cannot equal its refinement. |
| （作此道场已变为七宝壮严想） | (Visualize this place of practice as transformed into a magnificent adornment of the seven treasures.) |
| 不比其灵 是乃心香 耑伸供养 诸供养中 法供养最 法供养者 | Nothing compares with its numinous efficacy. This is the incense of the mind, respectfully offered. Of all offerings, the offering of Dharma is supreme. The offering of Dharma is |
| 慈悲喜舍 四无量心 是故有形 终不名大 而心无相 乃名为真 | Loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity—the four immeasurable minds. Therefore, what has form can never be called great; only mind, being without form, may be called true. |
| 戒定慧三 一体清净 今来清众 同见同行 各肃尔仪 各净尔心 | The three of precepts, samādhi, and wisdom are purified as one body. Now the pure assembly comes together in shared vision and practice. Each should compose their bearing and purify their mind. |
| 随我迎请 和我同声 荡涤坛场 香花水灯 十方刹那 诸佛来临 | Join me in welcome and unite your voices with mine. Cleanse the altar grounds with incense, flowers, water, and lamps. In an instant, the Buddhas of the ten directions arrive. |
| 六种动震 魔不来侵 皆大欢喜 花雨缤纷 | The six kinds of trembling occur; Māra cannot intrude. All rejoice greatly, and a rain of flowers falls in profusion. |
| （作天雨散花想） | (Visualize flowers falling from the heavens.) |
| 二、请佛 | II. Inviting the Buddhas |
| 念佛部三昧耶咒（三通）结请佛印 | Recite the Samaya Mantra of the Buddha Family (three times), and form the mudrā for inviting the Buddhas. |
| 念莲花部三昧耶咒（三通）结请菩萨印 | Recite the Samaya Mantra of the Lotus Family (three times), and form the mudrā for inviting the bodhisattvas. |
| 念金刚部三昧耶咒（三通）结请金刚印 | Recite the Samaya Mantra of the Vajra Family (three times), and form the mudrā for inviting the vajras. |
| 如无咒印者则用香花迎请如下： | If one does not have these mantras and mudrās, use incense and flowers to extend the invitations as follows: |
| 香花迎 香花请 一心奉请（每一佛菩萨三称三请） | Welcome with incense and flowers; invite with incense and flowers. With one mind, we respectfully invite you. (For each Buddha or bodhisattva, recite and invite three times.) |
| 南无娑婆教主本师释迦牟尼佛 | Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha, the Fundamental Teacher, Lord of the Sahā World. |
| 南无（一）广博身如来（二）妙色身如来（三）多宝如来（四）甘露王如来 （五）离怖畏如来 | Homage to: (1) Tathāgata of Vast Body; (2) Tathāgata of Wondrous Form; (3) Tathāgata of Much Treasure; (4) Tathāgata Nectar King; and (5) Tathāgata Free from Fear. |
| 南无救苦救难广大灵感观世音菩萨 | Homage to Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva, of vast spiritual responsiveness, who saves from suffering and delivers from distress. |
| 南无冥阳救苦幽冥教主本尊地藏王菩萨 | Homage to Kṣitigarbha King Bodhisattva, the fundamental deity and lord of the underworld teaching, who relieves the suffering of both the living and the dead. |
| 南无启教阿难陀尊者 | Homage to Venerable Ānanda, who initiated the teaching. |
| 南无护法韦驮尊者 | Homage to Venerable Skanda, Dharma Protector. |
| 南无四天王诸天护法尊者 | Homage to the Four Heavenly Kings and all heavenly Dharma-protecting venerables. |
| 南无寒林会上诸菩萨尊者 | Homage to all bodhisattvas and venerables of the Cold Grove Assembly. |
| 一心奉请（不用香花） | With one mind, we respectfully invite you. (Do not use incense and flowers.) |
| 寒林会上一切鬼王神祇土地诸神 | All ghost kings, spirits and deities, local earth deities, and all other deities of the Cold Grove Assembly. |
| 本坛护坛诸神 | All deities who protect this altar. |
| 尔诸清众 各敬执事 至心而迎 诸佛已临 诸菩萨众 其集如云 | All of you in this pure assembly, respectfully take up your respective duties. Welcome them with utmost sincerity. The Buddhas have arrived; the assembly of bodhisattvas gathers like clouds. |
| （作佛菩萨已云集想） | (Visualize the Buddhas and bodhisattvas as already gathered like clouds.) |
| 慈悲加持 智水灌顶 毗卢冠上 下及群灵 懿欤盛哉 恩难报称 | They bless us with compassion and empower us with the water of wisdom. From the Vairocana crown above down to all the spirits below—how magnificent! Such grace is difficult to repay. |
| （作甘露如雨灌无量众生想） | (Visualize nectar falling like rain to empower immeasurable sentient beings.) |
| 今施普荐 慈心平等 不动不变 魔自远引 三毒四害 乃至波旬 | Now we bestow universal offerings for the departed. With impartial compassion, unmoving and unchanging, Māra withdraws of itself. The three poisons and four hindrances, even Pāpīyas himself— |
| （供杵） | (Offer the vajra.) |
| 杵光所指 咸发慈心 魍魉魑魅 咒诅无灵 低首降伏 同聆梵音 | Wherever the vajra’s light points, all give rise to compassionate minds. Ghosts, goblins, and demons, along with spells and curses, lose their power. They bow their heads in submission and together hear the Brahma sound. |
| （作心光普照大千想） | (Visualize the light of mind illuminating the great trichiliocosm.) |
| 嗟彼魔众 佛性平等 积习所染 枉失本性 今我至诚 阐扬佛事 | Alas, you hosts of Māra: your Buddha-nature is equal. Yet stained by accumulated habits, you have vainly lost your original nature. I now, with utmost sincerity, proclaim the Buddha’s work. |
| 罗列华坛 上穷顶天 下及风轮 乐奏妙法 曲唱无生 度尽万类 | Adorning this flower altar, reaching above to the summit of heaven and below to the wind wheel, music performs the wondrous Dharma and songs proclaim the unborn, liberating all kinds of beings. |
| 入于上乘 使彼焰口 化作清凉 贪嗔与痴 火炕变池 从此地狱 | May they enter the supreme vehicle. May those flaming mouths become cool and pure; may the pit of fire of greed, anger, and ignorance become a pool. From this point, the hells |
| 即是道场 平等愿力 般若威光 伏求我佛 十方圣众 赐垂加护 | Are themselves places of practice. By the power of impartial vows and the majestic radiance of prajñā, we humbly beseech our Buddha and the noble assembly of the ten directions to bestow protection and blessing. |
| （合掌而请） | (Join the palms and make the invitation.) |
| 悯此娑婆 于此时中 若建盂兰 胜会道场 佛天欢喜 恒大吉祥 | Have compassion for this Sahā world. At this time, if an Ullambana assembly and place of practice are established, Buddhas and devas rejoice, and there is constant great auspiciousness. |
| 建曼达拉 立诸旙幢 万象森罗 壮严香光 一切法施 设备且周 | Establish the maṇḍala and erect the banners and canopies. The myriad forms stand in splendid array, adorning the fragrance and light. Every Dharma offering is prepared, fully and completely. |
| 乃以香花 再申诚求 地藏大士 引魂尊者 愿垂哀悯 地狱门开 | Then, with incense and flowers, we again make our sincere request: Great Being Kṣitigarbha and Venerable Guide of Souls, may you compassionately open the gates of hell. |
| （作地藏大士垂允想） | (Visualize Great Being Kṣitigarbha as granting this request.) |
| 手擎幡盖 身挂花幔 摄彼众生 同来法会 我则方便 现身金刚 | Holding banners and canopies aloft and wearing garlands, gather these sentient beings and bring them together to the Dharma assembly. I shall expediently manifest as a vajra. |
| （至此披甲举旙招引） | (At this point, don the armor, raise the banner, and summon them.) |
| 披甲振铃 肃以威光 一心召请 古之侯王 将军健儿 宰官才郎 | Don the armor and shake the bell, solemnly displaying majestic radiance. With one mind summon the rulers and kings of old, generals and valiant soldiers, ministers and talented gentlemen, |
| 少年学者 羽客仙流 缁衣释子 客贾行商 产难母子 喑哑聋盲 | Young scholars, Daoist adepts and immortals, monastics in black robes, traveling merchants and traders, mothers and children who died in childbirth, and the mute, deaf, and blind, |
| 伤生妾婢 怨女姣娘 刑丐囚徒 十类孤魂 依草附木 各类精灵 | Maidservants and concubines who died from injury, aggrieved women and fair maidens, criminals, beggars, and prisoners—the ten kinds of solitary spirits; spirits abiding in grass or clinging to trees, and spirits of every kind. |
| 今日此时 同临法会 来受甘露 广结胜缘 转其定业 诸罪消灭 | Today, at this time, all come to this Dharma assembly. Receive the nectar, form extensive and excellent affinities, transform your fixed karma, and let all offenses be extinguished. |
| 而诸神魂 以佛力故 顿发光明 渴仰于法 忧怖勿生 佛为证盟 | By the Buddha’s power, may all these spirits suddenly emit light, thirst for and revere the Dharma, give rise to no sorrow or fear, and take the Buddha as witness and pledge. |
| 慈悲摄受 至心召请 即说咒曰 | Compassionately receive them. With utmost sincerity, we summon them and now recite the mantra: |
| 三、召请 | III. Summoning |
| 被甲护身咒（七通） （结印作自身威光无比想） | Armor-Wearing Body-Protection Mantra (seven times). (Form the mudrā and visualize one’s own body as incomparably majestic and radiant.) |
| 军荼利明王咒（七通）结金刚拳印 | Kuṇḍalī Wisdom King Mantra (seven times); form the Vajra-Fist Mudrā. |
| 开地狱咒（七通） （作地狱门开想） | Hell-Opening Mantra (seven times). (Visualize the gates of hell opening.) |
| 云集召请咒 （七通） 结普集印 （作鬼魂无量数已经云集想） | Cloud-Assembly Summoning Mantra (seven times); form the Universal Gathering Mudrā. (Visualize innumerable ghostly spirits as having already gathered like clouds.) |
| 如无此法即用蒙山施食召请仪代之 | If one does not have this method, use the Mengshan food-offering summoning rite instead. |
| 抚尺 （作本坛受荐之主魂已到想） | Strike the clapper. (Visualize the principal spirit for whom this altar is being conducted as having arrived.) |
| 甘露法门 普利群生 本坛受供 诸神魂等 召闻来临 各各至心 顶礼坛下 | The Dharma gate of nectar universally benefits all beings. All spirits receiving offerings at this altar, having heard the summons, come here. Each of you, with utmost sincerity, bow at the foot of the altar. |
| 男女两分 勿得笑语 切忌粗心 威仪整肃 安详若定 左右侍立 合掌而听 | Men and women should stand separately. Do not laugh or chatter. Strictly avoid carelessness. Maintain solemn deportment, stand calmly and steadily on either side, join your palms, and listen. |
| （作鬼魂皆恭敬安定想） | (Imagine that all the ghosts are reverently settled and composed.) |
| 金刚上师 一一宣扬 敬为尔等 重重忏悔 今日法会 良属有缘 法王座上 | The Vajra Master proclaims each phrase, respectfully repenting again and again on your behalf. Today’s Dharma assembly is indeed due to favorable affinities. From the Dharma King’s seat: |
| 无党无偏 无男无女 无贵无贱 直下承当 本体是佛 佛者觉也 迷乃众生 | There is neither partiality nor bias, neither male nor female, neither high nor low. Directly take this up: your fundamental nature is Buddha. Buddha means awakening; delusion is what makes one a sentient being. |
| 我今细说 尔各谛听 敬维如来 释迦世尊 说法度生 四十九年 告示轮回 | I shall now explain in detail; each of you, listen carefully. The Tathāgata, World-Honored Śākyamuni, taught the Dharma and liberated beings for forty-nine years, revealing saṃsāra. |
| 共有六道 曰天曰人 曰阿修罗 曰鬼曰畜 曰地狱道 受苦千万 惨不忍睹 | There are altogether six realms: the realms of devas, humans, asuras, ghosts, animals, and hell beings. The sufferings endured there are countless and too terrible to behold. |
| （作众生苦痛而我过去之父母眷属皆同受苦难渴望得度想） | (Imagine the suffering and pain of sentient beings, and that your own parents and family members of past lives are likewise undergoing such suffering and longing for liberation.) |
| 或升或降 弥有已时 虽生天道 如箭射空 力尽还堕 报尽仍来 忽苦忽乐 | One may rise or fall, without end. Even if one is born in the deva realm, it is like an arrow shot into the sky: when its force is spent, it falls again. When recompense is exhausted, one returns, now suffering, now enjoying happiness. |
| 乐不究竟 故曰轮回 入轮回者 名曰生死 尔等诸魂 或来鬼道 或出地狱 | Happiness is not ultimate; therefore it is called saṃsāra. Those who enter saṃsāra undergo birth and death. You departed spirits may have come into the ghost realm or emerged from the hells. |
| 无量劫来 生死千万 非闻佛法 不得脱离 故说三宝 使尔解脱 佛之相好 | Throughout immeasurable kalpas, you have undergone countless births and deaths. Without hearing the Buddhadharma, you cannot be liberated. Therefore I speak of the Three Jewels, so that you may attain liberation. The Buddha’s marks and attributes, |
| 光明无比 是曰佛宝 佛之言说 载诸三藏 云何三藏 佛说经律 菩萨造论 | are radiantly incomparable; this is called the Buddha Jewel. The Buddha’s words are contained in the three collections. What are the three collections? The Buddha taught the sūtras and vinaya; bodhisattvas composed the treatises. |
| 经律论三 是名法宝 然非上师 我则不知 师为宣扬 而作仪规 是名僧宝 | The three—the sūtras, vinaya, and treatises—are called the Dharma Jewel. Yet without a master, we would not understand them. The master expounds them and establishes the ritual forms; this is called the Saṅgha Jewel. |
| 故名三宝 皈依三宝 乃称佛子 因彼三宝 内明自心 我之本体 原同诸佛 | These are called the Three Jewels. Taking refuge in the Three Jewels, one may be called a child of the Buddha. Through the Three Jewels, inwardly illuminate your own mind: my fundamental nature is originally the same as that of all Buddhas. |
| 顿然觉照 自性三宝 只因一误 遂造十恶 戒除十恶 转凡入圣 即名上善 | Awaken at once to the Three Jewels of your own nature. Because of a single error, you have committed the ten evil acts. Refrain from the ten evil acts, transform from ordinary beings into sages, and this is called supreme goodness. |
| 利己利人 是名菩萨 我故说戒 使汝自觉 | Benefiting oneself and benefiting others is called being a bodhisattva. Therefore I teach the precepts, so that you may awaken on your own. |
| 四、说戒 | IV. Teaching the Precepts |
| （作鬼魂敬听想） | (Imagine that the ghosts listen respectfully.) |
| 夫戒焉者 有戒心也 恶由心起 业从意生 意有三业 曰贪嗔痴 | As for precepts, they are the mind that upholds precepts. Evil arises from the mind, and karma is produced by intention. Intention has three kinds of karma: greed, anger, and ignorance. |
| 贪者无厌 瞋者恼怨 痴者迷惘 诸见不正 认妄为真 名大颠倒 | Greed is insatiable; anger is resentment and hostility; ignorance is delusion and confusion. When all views are incorrect and one mistakes the false for the true, this is called great inversion. |
| 口有四业 两舌恶口 妄言绮语 初为利己 遂以损人 罪归于我 | Speech has four kinds of karma: divisive speech, harsh speech, false speech, and frivolous speech. At first one acts for one’s own benefit, but eventually harms others; the guilt returns to oneself. |
| 还及自身 身有三恶 曰杀盗淫 杀必有报 虽至千世 不能幸免 | It also affects one’s own body. The body has three evils: killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. Killing must bring retribution; even after a thousand lifetimes, one cannot escape it. |
| 负命还命 不分贵贱 盗亦如是 淫则更险 报及自身 更累妻室 | A life owed must be repaid with a life, without distinction of high or low. Stealing is the same. Sexual misconduct is even more perilous: its retribution reaches oneself and further burdens one’s spouse, |
| 儿女随之 祸害循牵 是名十恶 戒十恶者 入德之门 是为根本 | and one’s children follow along as calamities continue in their wake. These are called the ten evil acts. Refraining from the ten evil acts is the gateway to virtue and its foundation. |
| 勿以恶小 轻而为之 勿以善小 鄙而勿为 种如是因 成如是缘 | Do not commit an evil merely because it seems small; do not neglect a good merely because it seems small. Plant such causes, form such conditions, |
| 得如是果 受如是苦 因小果大 果又为因 因因果果 不可穷尽 | obtain such results, and undergo such suffering. A small cause may have a great result; the result in turn becomes a cause. Cause after cause, result after result, cannot be exhausted. |
| （作鬼魂已悟因果可怕想） | (Imagine that the ghosts have awakened to the terrifying nature of cause and effect.) |
| 由上而推 必有初因 向下而思 必有后果 试一观之 无戒之祸 | Reasoning upward, there must be an initial cause; considering downward, there must be a later result. Just observe: the calamity of having no precepts |
| 不寒而慄 可胜痛哉 是故世尊 悲悯众生 婆心苦口 示我迷津 | makes one tremble without feeling cold. How painful it is! Therefore the World-Honored One, compassionate toward sentient beings, painstakingly showed us the path out of delusion. |
| 念言苦哉 末法已至 如何能救 非佛可救 而况菩萨 乃至金刚 | Reflecting, he said: “Alas! The Dharma-ending age has arrived. How can beings be saved? Even the Buddha cannot save them on their behalf, much less bodhisattvas or even vajra deities.” |
| 子有病苦 父母难代 夫妻之恩 安得替罪 自作自受 自解自脱 | When children suffer illness and pain, their parents can scarcely bear it for them. Though spouses share deep affection, how could one bear another’s guilt? What one does, one receives; one must free oneself and liberate oneself. |
| 当自修戒 斯真自救 自求多福 君子自求 自求者何 曰惟自修 | One should cultivate the precepts oneself; this is truly self-rescue. Seek abundant blessings for yourself. A noble person seeks for himself. What does such seeking mean? It means solely cultivating oneself. |
| （作自救想） | (Imagine saving yourself.) |
| 自修之法 惟依佛法 佛示法门 八万四千 门门第一 法法无边 | The method of self-cultivation relies only on the Buddhadharma. The Buddha taught eighty-four thousand Dharma gates; every gate is supreme, and every dharma is boundless. |
| （作诸鬼魂恍然有此光明之路即可解脱想） | (Imagine that all the ghosts suddenly realize that this luminous path exists and that they can thereby attain liberation.) |
| 法无定法 随病施药 众生者何 烦恼之称 烦恼若尽 众生度尽 | Dharma has no fixed dharma; medicine is given according to the illness. What are sentient beings? They are another name for afflictions. When afflictions are exhausted, sentient beings are all liberated. |
| 我方成佛 菩萨大愿 我人平等 平等修持 金刚般若 般若自有 | Then I become a Buddha. This is the great vow of bodhisattvas. We and others are equal; cultivate equally. Vajra prajñā is inherent in itself; |
| 非佛付予 圣人不增 凡夫不减 有如二灯 一明一暗 灯有明暗 | it is not bestowed by the Buddha. Sages do not have more of it, and ordinary beings do not have less. It is like two lamps, one bright and one dark. Though the lamps differ in brightness, |
| 火岂有别 及至缘足 去其障遮 放大光明 遂同诸佛 故敬三宝 | how could their fire differ? When conditions are complete and the obscurations are removed, great light shines forth, and one becomes the same as all Buddhas. Therefore, revere the Three Jewels. |
| （作众生与佛不二想） | (Imagine that sentient beings and Buddhas are nondual.) |
| 还戒自身 父母生我 而具人身 自有福田 何不耕耘 耕耘者何 | Return the precepts to your own body. Your parents gave you birth and endowed you with a human body. You possess your own field of blessings; why not cultivate it? What does cultivating it mean? |
| （作孝顺想） | (Imagine filial devotion.) |
| 种诸善根 种瓜得瓜 因果分明 今之法会 如种福田 无量善根 | Plant all wholesome roots. Plant melons and reap melons: cause and effect are distinct. This Dharma assembly is like planting a field of blessings, with immeasurable wholesome roots. |
| 惟汝自植 自植自得 非人可夺 常生欢喜 如遇大赦 往昔种种 | Only you can plant them yourself; planting them yourself, you gain them yourself, and no one can take them away. Ever abide in joy, as though granted a great amnesty. As for all the past acts |
| 杀盗淫妄 不先忏悔 罪如何销 我今告汝 忏悔有法 一闻于耳 | of killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, and false speech, if you do not first repent, how can their karmic offenses be extinguished? I now tell you: there is a method of repentance. Once it enters the ear, |
| 诸罪即灭 其各谛听 学忏悔焉 | all offenses are immediately extinguished. Each of you, listen carefully and learn repentance. |
| （作鬼魂大欢喜想） | (Imagine that the ghosts are filled with great joy.) |
| 五、忏悔 | V. Repentance |
| 夫诸恶者 皆由心造 身为之奴 作杀盗淫 而起心者 又因外境 | All evils are created by the mind. The body is its slave and commits killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct. Yet the mind that gives rise to these acts is itself caused by external circumstances. |
| 境本是幻 心亦本空 认妄为真 心复为奴 重重牵摄 故云业力 | Circumstances are originally illusory, and the mind is originally empty. Mistaking the false for the true, the mind again becomes a slave, drawn and bound layer upon layer. Thus it is called karmic force. |
| 譬如一梦 梦中非无 及至梦醒 了不可得 知其本空 非有实体 | It is like a dream: within the dream, things are not absent; but when one awakens, they cannot be found at all. Know that they are fundamentally empty and have no real substance. |
| （作一切如梦想） | (Imagine that everything is like a dream.) |
| 是名曰忏 一忏即空 不复再作 忏其前愆 悔其后过 如掌中垢 | This is called repentance. With one repentance, it is empty; do not do it again. Repent former faults and regret later transgressions. It is like dirt on the palm: |
| 或油或胶 动辄得咎 非关外物 而分善恶 我掌若净 一切无碍 | whether oil or glue, any movement may incur blame. Good and evil do not arise from external things. If my palm is clean, nothing obstructs it. |
| 去掌中垢 是名曰忏 不使再污 永得清净 是名曰悔 尔等诸魂 | Removing the dirt from the palm is called repentance; not allowing it to be soiled again, and remaining forever pure, is called regret. You departed spirits, |
| 既忏悔已 各已清净 当说皈依 以资救拔 | having repented, are each already purified. I shall now speak of taking refuge, to aid your deliverance. |
| （作鬼魂皆已忏悔清净想） | (Imagine that all the ghosts have repented and are purified.) |
| 六、皈依 | VI. Taking Refuge |
| （作鬼魂皆愿皈依想） | (Imagine that all the ghosts are willing to take refuge.) |
| 夫皈依者 有四皈依 第一皈依 金刚上师 使汝登堂 得闻佛法 | Taking refuge has four refuges. First, take refuge in the Vajra Master, so that you may enter the hall and hear the Buddhadharma. |
| 次即皈依 曰佛法僧 皈依佛者 不入地狱 皈依法者 不入畜类 | Next, take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṅgha. Those who take refuge in the Buddha do not enter the hells; those who take refuge in the Dharma do not enter the animal realm; |
| 皈依僧者 不入鬼趣 身有所皈 心有所依 如子依母 须臾不离 | those who take refuge in the Saṅgha do not enter the ghost realm. When the body has a refuge, the mind has something to rely on, like a child relying on its mother and not leaving her even for an instant. |
| 尔今至心 合掌同声 神变加持 诸罪消灭 如汤融雪 复化为水 | Now, with utmost sincerity, join your palms and speak in unison. Through miraculous blessings, all offenses are extinguished, like snow melting in hot water and becoming water again. |
| 刹那成佛 入我神光 听我说法 音同佛音 无边神力 得此加持 | In an instant, become a Buddha. Enter my spiritual light and listen to my teaching; its sound is the same as the Buddha’s sound. Boundless spiritual power grants this blessing, |
| 顿然超脱 仗此佛力 瑜珈三密 随我皈依 即说咒曰 | and you are immediately liberated. Relying on this Buddha-power and the three mysteries of yoga, take refuge with me. I now recite the mantra: |
| 札吽榜呵 | Ja Hum Bang Ha |
| 四皈依咒（二十一通） | Four-Refuge Mantra (twenty-one repetitions) |
| 如无咒印者，则念皈依金刚上师皈依佛皈依法皈依僧，亦二十一通。 | If there is no mantra or mudrā, recite instead: “I take refuge in the Vajra Master; I take refuge in the Buddha; I take refuge in the Dharma; I take refuge in the Saṅgha,” also twenty-one times. |
| 七、教授 | VII. Instructions |
| 尔等佛子 既皈依已 当各欢喜 今再教授 发至诚心 随我誓曰 | You children of the Buddha, having taken refuge, should each rejoice. I shall now give further instruction. With utmost sincerity, follow me in making this vow: |
| （作诸鬼魂皆已皈依成佛子想） | (Imagine that all the ghosts have taken refuge and become children of the Buddha.) |
| 我等众生 或男或女 或老或幼 临终忽迷 枉堕此道 伤哉痛哉 | We sentient beings, whether male or female, old or young, may suddenly become confused at the end of life and fall in vain into this realm. How grievous, how painful! |
| （作诸佛子同声誓言想） | (Imagine that all the children of the Buddha make the vow in unison.) |
| 今蒙佛慈 加我神咒 使我顿觉 往昔所造 种种恶业 皆贪嗔痴 | Now, receiving the Buddha’s compassion and the blessing of this mantra, I suddenly awaken. The various evil karmas I created in the past all arose from greed, anger, and ignorance, |
| 从身语意 而生恶果 我今一切 尽皆忏悔 爰发赞叹 欢喜顶礼 | through body, speech, and mind, and produced evil results. I now repent of them all. Thereupon I give praise and joyfully make prostrations. |
| 更谢上座 为我导师 我今皈依 生生世世 伏求上师 再赐开示 | I further thank the presiding teacher for being my guide. I now take refuge, life after life, and respectfully beseech the master to grant me further instruction. |
| （作佛子礼拜想） | (Imagine that the children of the Buddha make prostrations.) |
| 如是诚求 方得实益 我亦欢喜 为汝解说 | Only by sincerely asking in this way can one receive genuine benefit. I too rejoice and shall explain it to you. |
| (合掌答礼)（作佛子俯首恭敬听法想） | (With palms joined, return the salutation.) (Imagine that the children of the Buddha bow their heads respectfully and listen to the Dharma.) |
| 夫佛法者 至妙至微 而又浅显 道不远人 人徒自弃 道在自心 | The Buddhadharma is supremely wondrous and subtle, yet also plain and accessible. The Way is not far from people; people merely abandon themselves. The Way is in one’s own mind. |
| 心本光明 只一我见 遂障汝真 真亡心迷 永堕沉沦 是故六道 | The mind is originally luminous. Yet a single view of self obstructs your true nature. When the true is lost, the mind is deluded and forever sinks in saṃsāra. Therefore, the six realms, |
| 乃至世界 一切万法 惟心所建 善恶无记 起为三性 分别为我 | and even the entire world and all phenomena, are constructed solely by the mind. Wholesome, unwholesome, and indeterminate arise as the three natures. Discriminating them as “I,” |
| 坚牢执持 有如寿命 无始以来 习气深厚 佛教布施 用以除贪 | one clings to them firmly as though they were one’s very life. Since beginningless time, habitual tendencies have been deep and heavy. The Buddha taught giving in order to eliminate greed; |
| 佛教平等 用以治嗔 佛教修慧 用开迷惘 先修六度 再习万行 | the Buddha taught equality in order to remedy anger; the Buddha taught the cultivation of wisdom to open delusion. First cultivate the six pāramitās, then practice the myriad conducts. |
| （作佛子贪嗔痴三毒已消灭想） | (Imagine that the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance have been eliminated in the children of the Buddha.) |
| 六度者何 首曰布施 次曰持戒 三曰忍辱 四曰精进 五曰禅定 | What are the six pāramitās? First is giving; second is upholding the precepts; third is patience; fourth is diligence; fifth is meditative concentration; |
| 六曰般若 般若为主 通于万行 苟无般若 如人入暗 则无所见 | sixth is prajñā. Prajñā is foremost and pervades all practices. Without prajñā, one is like a person entering darkness and seeing nothing. |
| 般若者何 曰大智慧 无智慧者 即名愚痴 心既不明 性亦不见 | What is prajñā? It is great wisdom. Those without wisdom are called ignorant. When the mind is not illuminated, one cannot see one’s true nature. |
| 因果颠倒 惟图近利 不知远害 是名曰惑 惑则造业 遂受诸苦 | Cause and effect are inverted; one seeks only immediate gain and does not know the distant harm. This is called delusion. Delusion leads to the creation of karma, and thus one undergoes all kinds of suffering. |
| 苦复有八 生老病死 求不得苦 爱别离苦 怨憎会苦 心如火苦 | There are also eight further kinds of suffering: birth, aging, illness, and death; the suffering of not obtaining what one seeks; the suffering of separation from those one loves; the suffering of encountering those one hates; and the suffering of a mind like fire. |
| 总名之曰 心不安宁 不安宁者 乃求满足 而世无常 难如我愿 | Collectively, they are called a mind that finds no peace. When the mind finds no peace, it seeks satisfaction; yet the world is impermanent, and things rarely go as one wishes. |
| 其苦复倍 心无厌足 苦无尽期 惟以慧剑 断此烦恼 慧剑般若 | Thus suffering is multiplied. The mind is never satisfied, and suffering has no end. Only with the sword of wisdom can these afflictions be cut off—the sword of wisdom is prajñā. |
| 金刚至宝 非佛独有 天人魔鬼 下至畜类 亦无短少 法身常住 | This vajra, the supreme treasure, is not possessed by Buddhas alone. Humans, devas, demons, ghosts, and even animals all possess it without diminution. The dharmakāya abides eternally. |
| （作一切平等想） | (Contemplate that all are equal.) |
| 不同世宝 世宝可坏 此无生灭 是故身灭 而性不死 寿过天地 | It differs from worldly treasures, which can be destroyed. This neither arises nor ceases. Therefore, though the body perishes, intrinsic nature does not die; its life exceeds that of heaven and earth. |
| 曰无量寿 遂分三身 法身色身 三曰化身 色身四大 地水火风 | It is called Immeasurable Life, and is accordingly divided into three bodies: the dharmakāya, the form body, and third, the nirmāṇakāya. The form body consists of the four great elements: earth, water, fire, and wind. |
| 借诸父母 不久自灭 精气神者 色体之一 主精气神 惟此法性 | It is borrowed from one’s parents and will soon perish of itself. Essence, vital energy, and spirit are aspects of the physical body. What governs essence, vital energy, and spirit is this dharmatā alone. |
| 主离则亡 精气神灭 而此法性 永不生灭 外道不知 误为邪说 | When its governance departs, they perish; essence, vital energy, and spirit are extinguished. Yet this dharmatā never arises or ceases. Non-Buddhist paths do not understand this and mistakenly regard it as a heterodox teaching. |
| 妄冀长生 雕此朽木 不明宝藏 如耕石田 劳而无功 圣人悯焉 | They vainly hope for long life, carving this rotten wood. Not understanding the treasure, they are like those who plow a field of stones—laboring without result. The sages pity them. |
| 嗟乎众生 当知修道 明心为本 心乃本德 故曰明德 明此明德 | Alas, sentient beings should know that in cultivating the Way, realizing the mind is fundamental. Mind is fundamental virtue; thus it is called illuminating virtue. Illuminate this illuminating virtue, |
| 达于至善 其学乃大 其功乃宏 其利斯普 其用斯通 | and reach the highest good. Then one’s learning is great, one’s achievement vast, one’s benefit universal, and one’s functioning unobstructed. |
| （作佛子皆苦难想） | (Contemplate that all children of the Buddha are suffering and afflicted.) |
| 然诸众生 苦果炽盛 或为饿鬼 饥火焚身 或被杀伤 怨毒至深 | Yet the fruits of suffering blaze fiercely among sentient beings. Some become hungry ghosts, their bodies burned by the fire of hunger; some are killed or wounded, and their resentment and bitterness run deep. |
| 或有自杀 冤苦未伸 或遭王难 或入地狱 沉沦百世 如醉如痴 | Some commit suicide, their unjust suffering still unredressed; some encounter calamities inflicted by rulers; some enter the hells, sinking there for hundreds of lifetimes, as if drunk or delirious. |
| 虽闻佛法 犹同盲哑 虽示至道 犹若不闻 般若光明 莫由启发 | Though they hear the Buddhadharma, they remain like the blind and mute; though shown the supreme Way, they seem not to hear it. The light of prajñā has no means to awaken them. |
| 此念不转 何能解脱 佛故慈悲 留传神咒 垂于万世 | Unless this thought turns, how can they be liberated? Therefore, out of compassion, the Buddha left behind sacred mantras to be transmitted through ten thousand generations. |
| （作一转念即解脱想） | (Contemplate that liberation comes with a single turning thought.) |
| 先除尔苦 次开尔喉 次布法食 使汝饱满 一滴甘露 化为大海 | First remove your suffering; next open your throats; then distribute Dharma food, so that you may be fully satisfied. A single drop of sweet dew transforms into a great ocean. |
| 凡有恼焰 悉皆浇灭 一盂之食 化为须弥 如同香饭 饱满无遗 | All flames of affliction are completely quenched. A single bowl of food transforms into Mount Sumeru; like fragrant rice, it leaves all fully satisfied, with nothing lacking. |
| 既饱满已 心即光明 施以正法 斯得相应 是名法味 妙难思议 | Once you are satisfied, the mind becomes luminous. When the right Dharma is bestowed, you will thereby accord with it. This is called the flavor of Dharma, wondrous and inconceivable. |
| 尔等佛子 其各谛听 合掌恭敬 既肃且静 平等施予 勿起贪争 | Children of the Buddha, each of you listen attentively. Join your palms in reverence; be solemn and still. Receive the offerings equally, and do not give rise to greedy contention. |
| 口焰消灭 喉开如盆 今仗法宝 令皆饱满 即说咒曰 | The flames in your mouths are extinguished, and your throats open wide as basins. Now, relying on the Dharma treasure, I shall make you all fully satisfied. I now recite the mantra: |
| 八、施食 | VIII. Offering Food |
| 开喉咒（七通），变食咒（七通），施甘露咒（七通），普供真言（三通）（作诸魂皆已开喉想） | Throat-Opening Mantra (seven recitations), Food-Transforming Mantra (seven recitations), Sweet-Dew-Offering Mantra (seven recitations), and Universal Offering Mantra (three recitations). (Contemplate that all spirits have had their throats opened.) |
| 如无此法者即用蒙山施食代之（即举器接念） | If this practice is unavailable, use the Mengshan Food-Offering Practice in its place. (Then raise the vessel and continue reciting.) |
| 今此净食 一盂之微 变为无量 普施十方 穷尽虚空 周遍法界 | Now this pure food, though but a single tiny bowlful, transforms into immeasurable abundance, universally offered throughout the ten directions, exhausting empty space and pervading the dharma realm. |
| （作食多如山想） | (Contemplate that the food is as abundant as mountains.) |
| 微尘刹中 所有国土 一切饿鬼 先亡久灭 山川地主 乃至旷野 | In all lands throughout worlds as numerous as dust motes, all hungry ghosts, those long dead and departed, local spirits of mountains and rivers, and even those in the wilderness— |
| 诸鬼神等 请来集此 我今悲悯 普施汝食 愿汝各各 受我此食 | all ghosts and spirits, please gather here. I now pity you and universally offer you this food. May each of you receive this food from me, |
| 转将供养 尽虚空界 诸佛及圣 一切有情 汝与有情 普皆饱满 | and in turn make offerings throughout the realm of empty space to all Buddhas and sages, and to all sentient beings. May you and all sentient beings be fully satisfied. |
| 亦愿汝身 乘此咒食 离苦解脱 生天受乐 十方净土 随意游往 | May your bodies also, sustained by this mantra food, leave suffering and attain liberation, be reborn in the heavens and enjoy happiness, and travel at will to the Pure Lands of the ten directions. |
| 发菩提心 行菩提道 常来做佛 永莫退转 又愿汝等 昼夜恒常 | Arouse bodhicitta, practice the bodhisattva path, always return to become Buddhas, and never retreat. May you also constantly, day and night, |
| 拥护于我 满我所愿 即此功德 与汝有情 平等共有 同将此福 | protect me and fulfill my wishes. May this merit and virtue be equally shared by you and all sentient beings; together may we dedicate this blessing |
| 普皆迥向 真如法界 无上菩提 一切智智 皆有成就 勿招余果 | universally to the dharma realm of suchness, unsurpassed bodhi, and the wisdom of all aspects, so that all may attain accomplishment and not invite any further karmic results. |
| 愿乘此法 疾得成佛 | May we rely on this Dharma and swiftly attain Buddhahood. |
| （放食）（合器） | (Release the food.) (Put the vessels together.) |
| 九、解冤 | IX. Resolving Grievances |
| 尔等佛子 既得饱满 常感佛恩 速除冤业 神咒之力 功德巍巍 | Children of the Buddha, having been satisfied, always be grateful for the Buddha’s kindness and swiftly eliminate karmic grievances. The power and merit of the sacred mantras are towering and immense. |
| （作一切皆饱满想） | (Contemplate that all are fully satisfied.) |
| 业不可转 此咒能转 罪不可解 此咒能解 一闻此咒 顿发光明 | Karma cannot be turned, yet this mantra can turn it. Offenses cannot be undone, yet this mantra can undo them. On hearing this mantra even once, one immediately gives rise to great luminosity. |
| （作诸佛子顿然大光明与我不二想） | (Contemplate that all children of the Buddha instantly shine with great light and are nondual with me.) |
| 此光何来 非由咒起 非自天生 非从地至 遍满法界 如雷如云 | Whence comes this light? It does not arise from the mantra, is not born of heaven, and does not come from the earth. It fills the dharma realm everywhere, like thunder and clouds. |
| 一念即佛 光发汝心 譬如大钟 因击而鸣 两相和合 咒即汝心 | In one thought, one is a Buddha; the light issues from your own mind. It is like a great bell that sounds when struck: when the two come together, the mantra is your own mind. |
| 心转即空 恼怨不生 一念之转 大地光明 转苦为乐 莲花化生 | When the mind turns, it becomes empty, and affliction and resentment do not arise. With one turning thought, the great earth is luminous; suffering turns into happiness, and one is born by transformation in a lotus. |
| （作痛苦已全消想） | (Contemplate that all pain has completely vanished.) |
| 尔已饱满 饥火不侵 尔已自在 痛如梦醒 尔已罪消 冤亲平等 | You are already satisfied; the fire of hunger cannot invade you. You are already free; pain is like awakening from a dream. Your offenses have already been eliminated; enemies and loved ones are equal. |
| 不念旧恶 应无报心 虽见冤怨 不起嗔恨 反生欢喜 发心度彼 | Do not dwell on old wrongs, and there should be no thought of retribution. Though you see enmity and resentment, do not give rise to anger or hatred; instead, give rise to joy and resolve to liberate them. |
| 立此大愿 顿离苦趣 我今施功 用先度汝 上仗佛慈 作法普利 | Establish this great vow, and you will immediately leave the realms of suffering. I now bestow this merit and first liberate you; relying above on the Buddha’s compassion, I perform this rite for universal benefit. |
| 世间至乐 惟有解冤 夙愿若消 则心至安 心无罣碍 无有恐怖 | The greatest happiness in the world lies only in resolving grievances. When long-standing wishes are dissolved, the mind is utterly at peace. When the mind is without hindrance, there is no fear. |
| 远离颠倒 梦想即无 如是施舍 方可入道 如是清心 方可闻法 | Far removed from inverted dreaming, delusive thoughts vanish. Only through such giving may one enter the Way; only with such a purified mind may one hear the Dharma. |
| 一切放下 是大功德 今解冤业 使汝解脱 即说咒曰 | Letting go of everything is great merit and virtue. I now resolve your karmic grievances and enable your liberation. I now recite the mantra: |
| （大悲中咒 （七通）持大宝楼阁解冤咒（一百八通） | (The Middle Great Compassion Mantra [seven recitations]; the Great Jeweled Pavilion Grievance-Resolving Mantra [one hundred and eight recitations]. |
| 盖天金刚心咒(二十一通）药师佛心咒（二十一通） | The Heaven-Covering Vajra Heart Mantra [twenty-one recitations]; the Medicine Buddha Heart Mantra [twenty-one recitations]. |
| 如无者以大悲咒或六字大明咒以代之) | If these are unavailable, use the Great Compassion Mantra or the Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra in their place.) |
| 十、说法 | X. Expounding the Dharma |
| 尔等佛子 冤业既解 可闻佛法 其各谛听 此法宝者 过于七宝 | Children of the Buddha, now that your karmic grievances have been resolved, you may hear the Buddhadharma. Each of you listen attentively. This Dharma treasure surpasses the seven treasures. |
| （作佛子等所有夙业已皆消灭想） | (Contemplate that all the past karma of the children of the Buddha has been completely eliminated.) |
| 得明心地 得了生死 第一之事 乃闻佛法 尔当了知 人身难得 | To attain the luminous mind-ground and be liberated from birth and death, the foremost matter is to hear the Buddhadharma. You should understand that a human body is hard to obtain; |
| 佛法难闻 而闻正法 是为尤难 | the Buddhadharma is hard to hear, and to hear the right Dharma is harder still. |
| （作诸佛子自此堪闻正法想） | (Contemplate that from this point onward all children of the Buddha are able to hear the right Dharma.) |
| 夫佛法者 非有定法 但论根本 在求正觉 觉此妙性 本来不迷 | The Buddhadharma has no fixed dharma. It concerns only the fundamental matter of seeking right awakening. Awaken to this wondrous nature, which from the beginning has never been deluded |
| 与佛不二 徒因不觉 惑于外境 遂至狂乱 不明心者 其苦万倍 | and is nondual with the Buddha. Only because one does not awaken does one become deluded by external objects and thereby lapse into madness and confusion. Those who do not understand the mind suffer ten thousand times more. |
| 故求明心 以为根本 欲求明心 当先知性 灵妙之性 非实非虚 | Therefore, seek to realize the mind as the foundation. To seek realization of the mind, first know intrinsic nature. This numinous and wondrous nature is neither real nor unreal, |
| 非空非有 不动如如 其体光明 妙用无尽 尔此心者 发之于性 | neither empty nor existent, unmoving in suchness. Its essence is luminous, and its wondrous functioning inexhaustible. Your mind arises from this nature |
| 灭还于性 性如水焉 无风不波 波乃心焉 倏然而起 倏然而灭 | and returns to this nature when it ceases. Nature is like water: without wind, there are no waves. Waves are like the mind: they suddenly arise and suddenly cease. |
| 幻起幻灭 终不可得 故曰空心 有而不有 而此妙性 毕竟不动 | They illusorily arise and illusorily cease, and ultimately cannot be grasped. Therefore it is called the empty mind: existing, yet not truly existing. But this wondrous nature ultimately does not move. |
| （作诸佛子皆心空入定想） | (Contemplate that all children of the Buddha empty their minds and enter samādhi.) |
| 不动者何 非如木石 活泼自如 如水湛寂 不生不灭 不垢不净 | What does “unmoving” mean? It is not like wood or stone, but alive and freely responsive. Like still, clear water, it neither arises nor ceases, is neither defiled nor pure, |
| 不一不异 不增不减 惟依外境 而起此念 此念曰心 都属假名 | neither one nor different, neither increasing nor decreasing. Only in dependence on external objects does this thought arise. This thought is called mind, but it is entirely a provisional name. |
| 实体非有 暂成妄相 境空心空 内空外空 诸法空相 斯乃实相 | No substantial entity exists; it temporarily forms a delusive appearance. When objects are empty, mind is empty; inwardly empty and outwardly empty, all dharmas bear the mark of emptiness. This is the true mark. |
| 凡诸物物 有相无相 都属于相 相即是幻 以由心建 心本不生 | All things, whether possessing form or formless, belong to appearances. Appearances are illusion, because they are constructed by mind; mind itself is originally unborn. |
| 幻亦不有 诸相即空 即见实相 世人见相 执空为实 故名颠倒 | Illusion too does not exist. All appearances are therefore empty, and thus one sees the true mark. Worldly people see appearances and take emptiness as something real; this is called inversion. |
| 心境相接 不觉流转 内有六根 眼耳鼻舌 复有身意 外有六尘 | When mind and objects come into contact, one unconsciously revolves onward. Within are the six sense faculties—eyes, ears, nose, tongue—and also body and mind; without are the six sense objects— |
| 色声香味 复有触法 根尘相对 依他起念 成为六识 识其形相 | form, sound, fragrance, flavor, touch, and dharmas. When faculties and objects confront one another, thoughts arise dependently and become the six consciousnesses, which cognize their forms and appearances. |
| 妄执为见 见善见恶 徧计分别 以分别故 圆成实性 遂起纷扰 | Delusively grasping them as perceptions, one sees good and sees evil, pervasively discriminating and making distinctions. Because of discrimination, the nature of absolute reality and perfection gives rise to disturbance. |
| 乃名曰惑 三业恶因 由是招感 不可限量 是为业海 久久不觉 | This is called delusion. The evil causes of the three karmic activities are thereby evoked, immeasurably and without limit. This is the ocean of karma. Long unaware, |
| 永处沉沦 我佛悯之 咐嘱菩萨 分化各方 先觉觉后 义所不辞 | one remains forever submerged. Our Buddha pities them and entrusts the bodhisattvas to manifest in various regions. Those awakened first awaken those awakened later; they do not shrink from this duty. |
| 种种方便 使其信入 所信者何 因佛果佛 果佛过去 释迦弥陀 | Using various skillful means, they lead beings to faith and entry. What do they have faith in? Cause-Buddhas and fruition-Buddhas. Fruition-Buddhas belong to the past: Śākyamuni and Amitābha. |
| （作诸佛子皆自信是佛想） | (Contemplate that all children of the Buddha have faith that they themselves are Buddhas.) |
| 因佛未来 我与众生 是故发心 当下成佛 一切修行 发心为难 | Cause-Buddhas belong to the future: I and all sentient beings. Therefore, arouse the resolve and become a Buddha at once. Of all cultivation, arousing the resolve is most difficult. |
| （作诸佛子皆发心想） | (Contemplate that all children of the Buddha arouse the resolve.) |
| 难信之法 自信是佛 劣慧不知 当仁不让 以乐小法 误为谦退 | This Dharma is hard to believe: have faith that you yourself are a Buddha. Those of lesser wisdom do not know that they should not decline what is rightfully theirs; delighting in lesser dharmas, |
| 遂计此生 不复可成 误已误人 杀人慧命 尔诸佛子 当自了知 | they mistake this for humility and restraint. Thus they conclude that Buddhahood cannot be attained in this very life, misleading themselves and others and destroying others’ wisdom-life. Children of the Buddha, you should understand this for yourselves. |
| 虽堕鬼趣 佛性勿失 一念之转 当得解脱 由凡入圣 先当转识 | Though you have fallen into the realm of ghosts, do not lose Buddha-nature. With one turning thought, you will attain liberation. To pass from the ordinary to the noble, first transform consciousness. |
| 转识成智 自不能惑 惑苦滋生 不离五蕴 五蕴所合 惟色与心 | Transform consciousness into wisdom, and you will no longer be deluded. Delusion gives rise to suffering, which does not depart from the five aggregates. What the five aggregates comprise is only form and mind. |
| 外境曰色 心与攀缘 受想行识 绵绵密密 颠倒忐忑 日以万计 | External objects are called form. The mind clings to conditions; feelings, perceptions, formations, and consciousness continue without cease. Inverted and unsettled thoughts arise by the tens of thousands each day. |
| 凡夫不知 乐此不疲 一切苦厄 不能救拔 习气积深 是名业障 | Ordinary beings do not know this and delight in it without wearying. Unable to free themselves from all suffering and adversity, their habitual tendencies accumulate deeply; this is called karmic obstacles. |
| 业障有五 一曰烦恼 二曰冤业 三曰生障 四曰法障 五曰所知 | There are five kinds of karmic obstacles: first, afflictions; second, karmic enmities; third, obstacles to birth; fourth, obstacles of the Dharma; and fifth, what is known. |
| 云何烦恼 自心贪嗔 云何冤业 夙世冤害 云何法障 谓因夙世 | What are afflictions? They are the greed and anger of one’s own mind. What are karmic enmities? They are enmities and harms from past lives. What are obstacles of the Dharma? They arise because, in past lives, |
| 生性悭吝 不告人法 而我此生 亦难闻法 云何所知 谓修道者 | one was by nature miserly and did not impart the Dharma to others; consequently, in this life one also finds it difficult to hear the Dharma. What is meant by what is known? It refers to practitioners of the Way |
| 执彼所知 以成我见 因见而疑 因疑而谤 谤法谤师 遂入地狱 | who cling to what they know, thereby forming views of self. From views comes doubt; from doubt comes slander. Slandering the Dharma and slandering teachers, they ultimately enter hell. |
| 此五障者 皆障我道 然诸幻想 由心而起 妄心所执 妄计为有 | These five obstacles all obstruct my path. Yet all illusions arise from the mind; what the deluded mind grasps, it falsely reckons to exist. |
| 梦想倒颠 不明其由 不知心境 因缘假合 当体是空 空即空灭 | Dreams and thoughts are inverted and confused. Not understanding their cause, one does not know that mind and objects are provisionally combined through causes and conditions; in their very substance they are empty, and emptiness itself is empty and extinguished. |
| 空彼五蕴 惟般若力 般若观照 情见顿销 情属我爱 坚持牢牢 | Empty the five aggregates solely through the power of prajñā. Through prajñā contemplation, emotional and conceptual views suddenly vanish. Emotion belongs to self-love, which is held fast and firmly. |
| 见为我执 法障如毛 粗者易除 细者难了 我今为汝 拔除其根 | Views constitute attachment to self; Dharma obstacles are as numerous as hairs. The coarse are easy to remove, but the subtle are difficult to resolve. I shall now remove their root for you. |
| 第一妙谛 还问汝心 首持五戒 | The first sublime truth: return to questioning your own mind. First uphold the five precepts. |
| （作诸佛子发心持戒想） | (Visualize all the Buddha’s children arousing the resolve to uphold the precepts.) |
| 勿杀勿盗 勿妄勿淫 酒为之媒 勿使为引 心无染着 戒体清净 | Do not kill, steal, lie, or engage in sexual misconduct. Alcohol is their medium; do not let it lead you on. Let the mind remain free of defilement and attachment, and the substance of the precepts will be pure. |
| 上仗佛慈 彼岸即登 初学修戒 由戒而定 由定而慧 定慧交资 | Rely above on the Buddha’s compassion, and you will ascend to the other shore. Beginners cultivate the precepts; from precepts comes samādhi, and from samādhi comes wisdom. Samādhi and wisdom support one another. |
| 定慧即戒 愚者强分 名之曰三 智者了之 定知为一 一门普门 | Samādhi and wisdom are themselves the precepts. Foolish people forcibly divide them and call them three; the wise understand them, knowing samādhi and wisdom to be one. One gate is the universal gate. |
| 西方十方 能无分别 名曰极乐 是真净业 法门无量 或禅或密 | Whether in the Western Pure Land or the ten directions, one can remain without discrimination; this is called ultimate bliss. This is true pure karma. Dharma gates are immeasurable: some are Chan, some Esoteric Buddhism; |
| 或性或相 尽归般若 或念或观 观念成就 归元则一 一相无相 | some concern nature, some appearances; all return to prajñā. Some involve recitation, some contemplation. When contemplation and recitation are accomplished, they return to the source as one: one appearance is no appearance. |
| 一念无念 实相者何 一亦不得 斯名净空 空不偏空 其用无穷 | One thought is no thought. What is ultimate reality? Not even one can be obtained; this is called pure emptiness. Emptiness is not one-sided emptiness; its function is inexhaustible. |
| 是故慧者 空诸一切 空则自定 定则慧生 定慧均等 无为而治 | Therefore, the wise empty all things. With emptiness, samādhi naturally arises; with samādhi, wisdom arises. When samādhi and wisdom are equal, one governs through non-contrivance. |
| 是谓大施 佛曰解脱 即是涅槃 涅槃者何 即是如来 如是而修 | This is called the great giving. The Buddha called it liberation; it is nirvāṇa. What is nirvāṇa? It is the Tathāgata. To practice in this way |
| 名曰顿入 顿入何道 曰如来地 尔今闻法 当大欢喜 翻苦为业 | is called sudden entry. Sudden entry into what path? Into the ground of the Tathāgata. Now that you have heard the Dharma, you should rejoice greatly and transform suffering into karma. |
| （作诸佛子大欢喜想） | (Visualize all the Buddha’s children rejoicing greatly.) |
| 转识成智 然尔力弱 苦难自拔 惟仗神咒 为尔加持 金刚咒力 | Transform consciousness into wisdom. Yet your strength is weak, and you cannot free yourselves from suffering. You can only rely on sacred mantras to empower you. The power of the vajra mantra |
| 曰百字明 光照大千 大明大神 功德巍巍 千目睁睁 其身无边 | is called the Hundred-Syllable Mantra. Its light illumines the great thousandfold world. Greatly luminous and greatly numinous, its merit and virtue are lofty indeed. Its thousand eyes are wide open; its body is boundless. |
| 其藏无尽 甘露门开 大地皆春 又有神咒 不空羂索 毘卢灌顶 | Its treasury is inexhaustible. The gate of ambrosia opens, and all the earth becomes spring. There is also the sacred mantra of Amoghapāśa and Vairocana empowerment, |
| 曰大光明 五色印明 五指齐分 见此光者 恶业自净 得大解脱 | called the Great Light, the Five-Colored Seal Mantra. Spread the five fingers evenly apart. Those who see this light will have their evil karma naturally purified and attain great liberation. |
| （作诸佛子见五色光明由此即解脱想） | (Visualize all the Buddha’s children seeing the five-colored light and thereby attaining liberation.) |
| 极乐超升 或天或人 随缘而生 永离三恶 永不沉沦 尔当感念 | They rise beyond ultimate bliss, taking birth according to conditions as devas or humans, forever leaving the three lower realms and never again sinking down. You should be grateful and mindful. |
| 佛恩无尽 惟有至诚 报以净心 由此超升 为助尔喜 即说咒曰 | The Buddha’s grace is inexhaustible. Only with utmost sincerity may it be repaid through a pure mind. Thus you will rise beyond. To assist your joy, I now recite the mantra: |
| 十一、施法 | Eleven. Performing the Ritual |
| 持金刚百字明（二十一通）、不空羂索毘卢遮那佛大灌顶光真言（结五色光明印）（一百八通）、吹耳往生咒（二十一通） | Recite the Vajra Hundred-Syllable Mantra (twenty-one times), the Great Empowerment Light Mantra of Amoghapāśa Vairocana Buddha (forming the five-colored-light mudrā) (one hundred and eight times), and the Ear-Blowing Rebirth Mantra (twenty-one times). |
| 如无者，以大悲咒二十一通、金刚经、心经、弥陀经、往生咒代之。 | If these are unavailable, substitute twenty-one recitations of the Great Compassion Mantra, the Diamond Sūtra, the Heart Sūtra, the Amitābha Sūtra, and the Rebirth Mantra. |
| 尔等佛子 既得光明 可超升矣 超实顿超 生即不生 不生之义 | You Buddha’s children have already obtained the light and may rise beyond. This rising beyond is truly sudden transcendence. Birth itself is no birth; the meaning of no birth |
| 惟在自证 然离此土 欲何往哉 我今指示 曰有西方 尔既觉悟 | lies only in direct realization. Yet, having left this land, where would you wish to go? I now point out that there is a Western Pure Land. Since you have awakened, |
| 勿恋此世 父子之爱 夫妇之恩 终必分离 田庐财产 亦皆无常 | do not cling to this world. The love of parents and children, the affection of husband and wife, must ultimately be parted. Fields, houses, and property are also all impermanent. |
| 岂能携带 而至西方 惟舍一切 持此宝藏 此为心宝 非世可夺 | How could they be carried to the Western Pure Land? Only by relinquishing everything can you hold this treasure. This is the treasure of the mind, which the world cannot take away. |
| （作诸佛子一切放下身心轻安想） | (Visualize all the Buddha’s children letting go of everything, with body and mind light and at ease.) |
| 不劳携带 而自勿失 汝今生西 生者此心 诸上善人 在彼相迎 | You need not trouble to carry it, yet it will not be lost of itself. You are now born in the Western Pure Land; the one who is born is this very mind. The assembly of superior good people is there to welcome you. |
| 放下一切 顿见光明 此光明者 佛我同心 佛佛道同 心心相印 | Let go of everything, and you will suddenly see the light. This light means that Buddha and self are of one mind; all Buddhas share the same Way, and mind seals mind. |
| 或示莲花 或现台亭 中有弥陀 左右大士 慈悲摄我 若母引子 | Perhaps lotus flowers will appear, perhaps terraces and pavilions will manifest. Amitābha is in their midst, with great bodhisattvas at his left and right. In compassion they gather me in, as a mother leads her child. |
| 西方极乐 佛土庄严 无诸恶道 无诸贪恋 种种功德 无量无边 | The Western Land of Ultimate Bliss is a Buddha land magnificently adorned. It has no evil realms and no attachments of craving. Its various merits and virtues are immeasurable and boundless. |
| 十方诸佛 菩萨金刚 雨天曼花 如云而集 是故华开 智慧华也 | The Buddhas of the ten directions, bodhisattvas, and vajra beings rain down heavenly māndārava flowers and gather like clouds. Thus, when the flowers open, they are flowers of wisdom. |
| 云何见佛 本性佛也 我佛彼佛 只一先后 因果若异 道心不二 | How does one see the Buddha? One’s own nature is Buddha. My Buddha and that Buddha differ only in earlier and later attainment. Though causes and effects may differ, the mind of the Way is nondual. |
| 尔今将去 当发大愿 随我合掌 同声念曰 大慈大悲 阿弥陀佛 | You are now about to depart. You should make great vows. Join your palms with me and recite together: “Greatly compassionate Amitābha Buddha.” |
| （作诸佛子皆合掌同念想） | (Visualize all the Buddha’s children joining their palms and reciting together.) |
| 放光接引 佛之本愿 如是一念 即等万遍 钦哉往哉 西方不远 | The Buddha emits light to guide you, in accordance with his original vow. One thought such as this equals ten thousand recitations. Reverently go forth! The Western Pure Land is not far away. |
| 试一回头 即登彼岸 即说咒曰 | Turn your head just once, and you will immediately reach the other shore. I now recite the mantra: |
| 持大往生咒（四十九通） | Recite the Great Rebirth Mantra (forty-nine times). |
| 如无者念往生咒（四十九通） | If it is unavailable, recite the Rebirth Mantra (forty-nine times). |
| 十二、遣送 | Twelve. Sending Off |
| 尔诸佛子 发愿生西 有大法利 神咒作帆 般若为船 四大天王 | You Buddha’s children have vowed to be born in the Western Pure Land and will gain great benefit from the Dharma. Sacred mantras serve as your sails, and prajñā as your boat. The Four Heavenly Kings |
| 护汝而行 一切妖魔 悉皆不侵 尊者韦驮 既摄汝来 复送汝行 | protect you on your journey, and no demons or māras can invade. Venerable Skanda has gathered you here and now sends you on your way. |
| 尔等一一 稽首拜辞 今同行者 皆汝法侣 他年成就 再来娑婆 | Each of you should prostrate and bid farewell. All who travel with you are your Dharma companions. When you attain realization in a future time, return again to the Sahā world, |
| 发宏誓愿 而施广度 勿忘我言 勿退尔心 随云而起 御风而行 | make vast vows, and liberate beings broadly. Do not forget my words; do not retreat from your resolve. Rise with the clouds and travel, riding the wind. |
| （作诸佛子足下已生云彩即将上升想） | (Visualize clouds arising beneath the feet of all the Buddha’s children, who are about to ascend.) |
| 今发咒音 是大雷音 如是功德 刹那圆成 西方忽现 如梦忽醒 | Now the sound of the mantra is issued; it is the sound of great thunder. Through such merit and virtue, completion occurs in an instant. The Western Pure Land suddenly appears, like awakening suddenly from a dream. |
| （作诸佛子皆礼拜出坛上升想） | (Visualize all the Buddha’s children bowing, leaving the altar, and ascending.) |
| 极乐世界 大地黄金 七宝庄严 无与比伦 圣众云集 楼阁台亭 | In the Land of Ultimate Bliss, the ground is gold and the seven treasures provide magnificent adornment beyond compare. The assembly of sages gathers like clouds amid towers, terraces, and pavilions. |
| 忽现莲华 于中化生 结此胜缘 即说咒曰 | Lotus flowers suddenly appear, and there is transformation-birth within them. Thus this excellent affinity is formed. I now recite the mantra: |
| 持遣送咒（七通）、送佛咒（三通）， 同时将灵位送出焚化（卸甲升冠）。 | Recite the Sending-Off Mantra (seven times) and the Sending-the-Buddha Mantra (three times). At the same time, carry out and burn the spirit tablet (removing the armor and ascending to the crown). |
| 如无咒者持大悲咒遣送，左右同声念佛。 | If these mantras are unavailable, recite the Great Compassion Mantra to send them off, while those on both sides recite the Buddha’s name together. |
| 今此法会 功德已圆 一切孤魂 皆登彼岸 我当回向 以告未来 | The merit and virtue of this Dharma assembly is now complete. All lonely spirits have reached the other shore. I shall dedicate this merit and declare it for those of the future. |
| （作本坛佛菩萨金刚神祇皆已退位想） | (Visualize the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, vajra beings, and deities of this altar as having all withdrawn from their places.) |
| 法施无穷 机缘难再 未发心者 愿各发心 各有父母 或妻或子 | The giving of Dharma is inexhaustible, but such opportunities are difficult to encounter again. May those who have not yet aroused the resolve each arouse it. Everyone has parents, perhaps a wife or children, |
| 未得超生 当各念之 以此孝思 榜样世世 大孝无他 惟以佛法 | who have not attained transcendence. Each should keep them in mind. Let such filial reflection be an example throughout the ages. There is no greater filial piety than the Buddhadharma. |
| 死者罔觉 佛法可通 天下未乱 鬼神先乱 今此一会 法界普安 | The dead are unaware, yet the Buddhadharma can reach them. Before disorder arises in the world, ghosts and spirits first fall into disorder. Through this one assembly, the dharma realm is universally at peace. |
| 从此兵刀 水火疫病 以我愿力 悉皆消灭 稽首世尊 愿乘哀悯 | From this time onward, may warfare, floods, fires, and epidemics all be extinguished through the power of my vows. I bow to the World-Honored One and pray that, in compassionate mercy, |
| 诸菩萨众 悉皆护持 愿此功德 回向一切 普皆成佛 | all the bodhisattvas will offer their protection. May this merit be dedicated to all, so that all may attain Buddhahood. |
| （至此上师下座） | (At this point, the master leaves the meditation seat.) |
| 一、礼佛 | I. Paying Homage to the Buddha |
| 二、念三皈依 | II. Reciting the Three Refuges |
| 三、出坛场入休息室 | III. Leaving the altar area and entering the rest room |
| 四、卸衣 | IV. Removing the ritual garments |
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| 说明： | Explanation: |
| 一、台上用灯不必用烛。 | 1. Lamps may be used on the platform; candles are unnecessary. |
| 二、如无幡者以小纸旗代之。 | 2. If banners are unavailable, use small paper flags in their place. |
| 三、无法器者不必定用，以观想代之。 | 3. If ritual implements are unavailable, they need not be used; substitute visualization. |
| 四、拜台除法师外他人不得拜。 | 4. No one other than the Dharma master may bow at the ritual platform. |
| 五、家常施法以夜戌时为宜，亥时圆满，余时不宜。 | 5. For a ritual performed at home, the hour of Xu in the evening is appropriate; it should be completed during the hour of Hai. Other times are unsuitable. |
| 六、香不宜太多薰灼成烟。 | 6. Do not use so much incense that its smoke becomes overpowering. |
| 七、招请旗上书咒语，如无亦可不用。 | 7. Write the mantra on the invocation flag; if there is no flag, it may also be omitted. |
