Buddha-name Chanting Practitioners Should Dedicate Merits From Chanting to the Pure Land

…(Buddha-name chanting practitioners) must dedicate all merits accrued from reciting sutras and mantras, from prostrating to Buddhas, from repenting one’s karmas, and from charitable actions such as rescuing victims and refugees in disasters and helping the poor to the Pure Land. One should not cultivate for the good fortune for one’s next life as a heavenly or human being.

If one has such a mind for the good fortune of one’s next life, one will not be reborn in the Pure Land. If one has not broken out of cyclic death and rebirth, the better one’s good fortune, the worse the karmas one will commit. It will be inevitable that one will fall into the three evil paths—hungry ghost, animals, and hell—in one’s very next life. After that, it will be even more difficult for one to recover the life form of a human being and have the affinities to receive and believe in the Pure Land teaching to end the cycle of death and rebirth.

The Buddha taught us to make the vow to be reborn in the Pure Land; it is for our present life. If one cultivates for the good fortune of the next life, one is violating the Buddha’s teaching. This is just like trading a priceless jewel for a piece of candy: what a waste! A foolish Buddha-name chanting practitioner who does not make the vow to be reborn in the Pure Land, but rather cultivates for the good fortune of the next life instead, is no different from this example.

~ Great Master Yinguang

Comments

[John Banach]

To whom or to what are we to dedicate the merits? I don't quite understand.

[Venerable Wuling]

John,

Rather than keep them for ourselves, we dedicate the merits and virtues that arise from our practice and good work to all beings:

"May the merits and virtues accrued from this practice adorn the Buddha’s Pure Land, repay the Four Kinds of Kindness above, and relieve the suffering of those in the Three Paths below.

"May all those who see and hear of this bring forth the heart of understanding and compassion, and at the end of this life be born together in the land of Ultimate Bliss."

[John Banach]

"If one has not broken out of cyclic death and rebirth, the better one’s good fortune, the worse the karmas one will commit."

Don't mean to contradict the Great Master, but this seems like a huge exaggeration. I would think that a spiritual person would use his good fortune to continue to make spiritual progress in another life even if he doesn't reach the Pure Land. Why would be backslide by falling into an evil path (although this would remain a possibility)?

[Venerable Wuling]

John,

Great Master Yinguang was correct.

Our problem is that if we have the rare good fortune to be reborn as a human, we will have forgotten our spiritual life of the past lifetimes. Only a practitioner at a very high level (Non-regressive bodhisattvas) can hold on to that spiritual progress in future lifetimes. For the rest of us, it's one step forward and two (or more!) backwards. This is why it takes so long to become perfectly awakened.

Having that rare good fortune, we will forget to do all the good things that enabled us to progress previously. We'll just sit back and enjoy all the good things that come our way! We will have lost the determination to advance spiritually and will instead be caught up in ego and selfishness. Our good fortune will manifest as wealth, power, position. When before, we might have done a small bad deed due to our limited good fortune, now our wealth and power due to greater good fortune will enable us to commit a large bad deed, with much greater negative consequences.

And thus "the worse the karmas one will commit."

Good question!

[John Banach]

I think I understand. Thank you, Venerable Wuling.

[Venerable Wuling]

You're most welcome.