The Significance of Transference of Merits to the Departed

功德与回向

If you really want to honor and help your departed ones, then do some meritorious deeds in their name and transfer the merits to them.

如果真的要纪念或帮助过往先人，你可以以他们的名义多做善事，然后把功德回向给他们。

According to Buddhism, good deeds or 'acts of merit' bring happiness to the doer both in this world and in the hereafter. Acts of merit are also believed to lead towards the final goal of everlasting happiness. The acts of merit can be performed through body, speech or mind. Every good deed produces 'merit' which accumulates to the 'credit' of the doer. Buddhism also teaches that the acquired merit can be transferred to others' it can be shared vicariously with others. In other words, the merit is 'reversible' and so can be shared with other persons. The persons who receive the merit can be either living or departed ones.

佛教认为善行的功德能带给人今世或来世的福报，也能引导人们达到永恒快乐的目标。善行表现在身、语、意的活动。每一种善行所产生的功德，成为行善者的「业绩」。佛教鼓励人们将功德回向给他人，由他人分享你的福报。换句话说，功德是可以转让和分享的，他人可以在生前或死后接受你的功德。

The method for transferring merits is quite simple. First some good deeds are performed. The doer of the good deeds has merely to wish that the merit he has gained accrues to someone in particular, or to 'all beings'. This wish can be purely mental or it can accompanied by an expression of words.

回向的方法非常简单，行善的人把善行当作专为某一个人而作，或为一切众生而做。这种愿望可以在心里或以语言文字表达出来。

This wish could be made with the beneficiary being aware of it. When the beneficiary is aware of the act or wish, then a mutual 'rejoicing in' merit takes place. Here the beneficiary becomes a participant of the original deed by associating himself with the deed done. If the beneficiary identifies himself with both the deed and the doer, he can sometimes acquire even greater merit than the original doer, either because his elation is greater or because his appreciation of the value of the deed is based on his understanding of Dhamma and, hence, more meritorious, Buddhist texts contain several stories of such instances.

发心回向的人，不一定要让接受者知道。当接受回向者得知你的这种行动和愿望时，就会产生「喜悦」，而参与你的善行。接受回向者认同了功德本身和回向者，他所获到的功德甚至比原来的更大。那么，他的喜悦心将更高，他更了解功德，变得更聪慧和更具功德了。在巴利文三藏经典里，保存着大量有关这方面的记载。

The 'joy of transference of merits' can also take place with or without the knowledge of the doer of the meritorious act. All that is necessary is for the beneficiary to feel gladness in his heart when he becomes aware of the good deed. If he wishes, he can express his joy by saying 'sadhu' which means 'well done'. What he is doing is creating a kind of mental or verbal applause. In order to share the good deed done by another, what is important is that there must be actual approval of the deed and joy arising in the beneficiary's heart.

功德回向是一种「喜」法，接受回向者，不管知不知道回向者是谁，都会一样的感到喜悦。但是接受功德者，起码要表示对功德的随喜。如发自内心或口头的赞赏：「萨度sadhu！萨度sadhu！」(善哉)为了分享他人回向的功德，必须由衷的同意并喜悦于他人的善行。

Even if he so desires, the doer of a good deed cannot prevent another's 'rejoicing in the merit' because he has no power over another's thoughts. According to the Buddha, in all actions, thought is what really matters. Transference is primarily an act of the mind.

做善行的人，不会阻止他人分享他所缔造的「功德的喜悦」，他不能控制他人有「随喜」的念头。佛陀认为，所有的行为的关键在于心识，回向基本是一种心识。

To transfer merit does not mean that a person is deprived of the merit had originally acquired by his good deed. On the contrary, the very act of 'transference' is a good deed in itself and hence enhances the merit already earned.

回向功德并不意味褫夺了一个人所造就的功德。相反的，功德的回向能增上已经造就的功德。

Highest Gift to the Departed

回向先亡：

The Buddha says that the greatest gift one can confer on one's dead ancestors is to perform 'acts of merit' and to transfer these merits so acquired. He also says that those who give also receive the fruits of their deeds. The Buddha encouraged those who did good deeds such as offering alms to holy men, to transfer the merits which they received to their departed ones. Alms should be given in the name of the departed by recalling to mind such things as, 'When he was alive, he gave me this wealth; he did this for me; he was my relative, my companion, etc. (Tirokuddha Sutta_Khuddakapatha). There is no use weeping, feeling sorry, lamenting and bewailing; such attitudes are of no consequence to the departed ones.

佛陀说：「一个人给予先亡者最大的礼物，就是将自己善行的功德回向给他们。」佛陀又说：「回向功德者因此会获得更多的功德。」佛陀鼓励人们多做善事，如：供养贤德者，并把此功德回向给先亡。应该以先亡者的名义来布施，心里要这么的想：「他们生前给我财富，他们所作的一切都是为了我，他们是我的亲属，是我的同伴。」对先亡者哭泣、悲恸、伤感、忧愁，对他们一点好处也没有。

Transferring merits to the departed is based on the popular belief that on a person's death, his 'merits' and 'demerits' are weighed against one another and his destiny determined, his actions determined whether he is to be reborn in a sphere of happiness or a realm of woe. The belief is that the departed one might have gone to the world of the departed spirits. The beings in these lower forms of existence cannot generate fresh merits, and have to live on with the merits which are earned from this world.

回向功德的作用是帮助他人积累「福报」，「福报」的积累影响到一个人往生善界或恶界。生活在低层次生界的

「鬼」，自己不能开创善业，因此，就必须有赖于我们将善业的功德回向给他们。

Those who did not harm others and who performed many good deeds during their life time, will certainly have the chance to be reborn in a happy place. Such persons do not required the help of living relatives. However, those who have no chance to be reborn in a happy abode are always waiting to receive merits from their living relatives to offset their deficiency and to enable them to be born in a happy abode.

那些生前不伤害和积累了很多善的「功德」者，将重生于善界，他们并不需要世间亲属的回向。没有机会往生善界的人，就得等到亲属将功德回向给他们来弥补他们生前的不足，这样才能往生善界。

Those who are reborn in an unfortunate spirit form could be released from their suffering condition through the transferring of merits to them by friends and relatives who do some meritorious deeds.

那些往生恶界的人，如果能从亲属或朋友中得到一些回向，他们也能减免某些痛苦。

This injunction of the Buddha to transfer merits to departed ones is the counterpart of the Hindu custom which has come down through the ages. Various ceremonies are performed so that the spirits of dead ancestors might live in peace. This custom has been a tremendous influence on the social life of certain Buddhist countries. The dead are always remembered when any good deed is done, and more on occasions connected with their lives, such as their birth or death anniversaries. On such occasions, there is a ritual which is generally practised. The transferor pours water from a jug or other similar vessel into a receptacle, while repeating a Pali formula which is translated as follows:

佛陀倡导的功德与回向，是古印度习俗的一部份，流传已久。在很多传统的仪式中，以回向来令先亡者生活于安宁与平静中。这种习俗对佛教国家和社会有很大的影响。当做善事和某些节日时，如：生日、忌日，人们首先想到的就是先人，便举行仪式将功德回向给他们。在印度，回向者将杯中或瓶中的水，倒入一个大容器中，诵念巴利语诗偈：

As river, when full must flow

河水满了必溢出，

and reach and fill the distant main,

流向远处的大海。

So indeed what is given here will

reach and bless the spirits there.

此处的布施，

能令彼处的人受到神灵的庇佑，

As water poured on mountain top must

soon descend and fill the plain

如山顶流出的水，

很快的流向平原。

So indeed what is given here will reach

and bless the spirits there.

此处的布施，

能令彼处的人受到神灵的庇佑。

(Nidhikanda Sutta in Khuddakapatha)

《小部》

The origin and the significance of transference of merit is open to scholarly debate. Although this ancient custom still exists today in many Buddhists countries, very few Buddhists who follow this ancient custom have understood the meaning of transference of merits and the proper way to do that.

功德与回向受到学术界公开的质疑。然而这种古老的习俗仍然存在于许多佛教国家中。可惜的是，今天不追随古老习俗的佛教徒，根本无法了解功德与回向的真实意义。

Some people are simply wasting time and money on meaningless ceremonies and performances in memory of departed ones. These people do not realize that it is impossible to help the departed ones simply by building big graveyards, tombs, paper-houses and other paraphernalia Neither is it possible to help the departed by burning joss-sticks, joss-paper, etc.; nor is it possible to help the departed by slaughtering animals and offering them along with other kinds of food. Also one should not waste by burning things used by the departed ones on the assumption that the deceased persons would somehow benefit by the act, when such articles can in fact be distributed among the needy.

有些人把大笔的金钱花在毫无意义的仪式中去悼念先亡，建造雄伟的坟墓，以香烛、冥纸、死者生前的用具及屠宰牲畜来祭拜先亡，这只是一种浪费，对死者一点帮助也没。相反的，应该把死者的遗物和所花费的金钱布施给那些需要帮助的人，这才有意义。

The only way to help the departed ones is to do some meritorious deeds in a religious way in memory of them. The meritorious deeds include such acts as giving alms to others, building schools, temples, orphanages, libraries, hospitals, printing religious books for free distribution and similar charitable deeds.

唯一帮助及纪念先亡的办法，就是以令人尊敬的功德来回向给他们。这些创建功德的方法包括：布施、兴建学校、寺院、孤儿院、图书馆、医院、印赠经书等等。

The followers of the Buddha should act wisely and should not follow anything blindly. While others pray to god for the departed ones, Buddhists radiate their loving-kindness directly to them. By doing meritorious deeds, they can transfer the merits to their beloved ones for their well-being. This is the best way of remembering and giving real honor to and perpetuating the names of the departed ones. In their state of happiness, the departed ones will reciprocate their blessings on their living relatives. It is, therefore, the duty of relatives to remember their departed ones by transferring merits and by radiating loving-kindness directly to them.

佛教徒的行为必须是理智的而不是盲从。当有人为死者向「神灵」祷告时，佛教徒照样可以关怀他们，以善行的功德回向给他们。这是一种最佳的纪念方式，能让死者获得永久的荣誉。当死者重生于幸福的生界时，他一样会庇佑那些曾经把功德回向给他的人。因此，最佳纪念先亡的方法，就是把功德回向给他们，并以他们的名义来布施。