功德與回向 The Significance of Transference of Merits to the Departed
The Significance of Transference of Merits to the Departed
功德與回向
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.
如果真的要紀念或幫助過往先人，你可以以他們的名義多做善事，然後把功德回向給他們。
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.
佛教認為善行的功德能帶給人今世或來世的福報，也能引導人們達到永恆快樂的目標。善行表現在身、語、意的活動。每一種善行所產生的功德，成為行善者的「業績」。佛教鼓勵人們將功德回向給他人，由他人分享你的福報。換句話說，功德是可以轉讓和分享的，他人可以在生前或死後接受你的功德。
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.
回向的方法非常簡單，行善的人把善行當作專為某一個人而作，或為一切眾生而做。這種願望可以在心里或以語言文字表達出來。
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.
發心回向的人，不一定要讓接受者知道。當接受回向者得知你的這種行動和願望時，就會產生「喜悅」，而參與你的善行。接受回向者認同了功德本身和回向者，他所獲到的功德甚至比原來的更大。那麼，他的喜悅心將更高，他更了解功德，變得更聰慧和更具功德了。在巴利文三藏經典里，保存著大量有關這方面的記載。
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.
功德回向是一種「喜」法，接受回向者，不管知不知道回向者是誰，都會一樣的感到喜悅。但是接受功德者，起碼要表示對功德的隨喜。如發自內心或口頭的讚賞：「薩度sadhu！薩度sadhu！」(善哉)為了分享他人回向的功德，必須由衷的同意併喜悅于他人的善行。
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，不會阻止他人分享他所締造的「功德的喜悅」，他不能控制他人有「隨喜」的念頭。佛陀認為，所有的行為的關鍵在于心識，回向基本是一種心識。
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.
回向功德並不意味褫奪了一個人所造就的功德。相反的，功德的回向能增上已經造就的功德。
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.
佛陀說：「一個人給予先亡者最大的禮物，就是將自己善行的功德回向給他們。」佛陀又說：「回向功德者因此會獲得更多的功德。」佛陀鼓勵人們多做善事，如：供養賢德者，並把此功德回向給先亡。應該以先亡者的名義來布施，心里要這麼的想：「他們生前給我財富，他們所作的一切都是為了我，他們是我的親屬，是我的同伴。」對先亡者哭泣、悲慟、傷感、憂愁，對他們一點好處也沒有。
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.
回向功德的作用是幫助他人積累「福報」，「福報」的積累影響到一個人往生善界或惡界。生活在低層次生界的
「鬼」，自己不能開創善業，因此，就必須有賴于我們將善業的功德回向給他們。
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.
那些生前不傷害和積累了很多善的「功德」者，將重生于善界，他們並不需要世間親屬的回向。沒有機會往生善界的人，就得等到親屬將功德回向給他們來彌補他們生前的不足，這樣才能往生善界。
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.
那些往生惡界的人，如果能從親屬或朋友中得到一些回向，他們也能減免某些痛苦。
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:
佛陀倡導的功德與回向，是古印度習俗的一部份，流傳已久。在很多傳統的儀式中，以回向來令先亡者生活于安寧與平靜中。這種習俗對佛教國家和社會有很大的影響。當做善事和某些節日時，如：生日、忌日，人們首先想到的就是先人，便舉行儀式將功德回向給他們。在印度，回向者將杯中或瓶中的水，倒入一個大容器中，誦念巴利語詩偈：
As river, when full must flow
河水滿了必溢出，
and reach and fill the distant main,
流向遠處的大海。
So indeed what is given here will
reach and bless the spirits there.
此處的布施，
能令彼處的人受到神靈的庇佑，
As water poured on mountain top must
soon descend and fill the plain
如山頂流出的水，
很快的流向平原。
So indeed what is given here will reach
and bless the spirits there.
此處的布施，
能令彼處的人受到神靈的庇佑。
(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.
功德與回向受到學術界公開的質疑。然而這種古老的習俗仍然存在于許多佛教國家中。可惜的是，今天不追隨古老習俗的佛教徒，根本無法了解功德與回向的真實意義。
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.
有些人把大筆的金錢花在毫無意義的儀式中去悼念先亡，建造雄偉的墳墓，以香燭、冥紙、死者生前的用具及屠宰牲畜來祭拜先亡，這只是一種浪費，對死者一點幫助也沒。相反的，應該把死者的遺物和所花費的金錢布施給那些需要幫助的人，這才有意義。
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.
唯一幫助及紀念先亡的辦法，就是以令人尊敬的功德來回向給他們。這些創建功德的方法包括：布施、興建學校、寺院、孤兒院、圖書館、醫院、印贈經書等等。
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.
佛教徒的行為必須是理智的而不是盲從。當有人為死者向「神靈」禱告時，佛教徒照樣可以關懷他們，以善行的功德回向給他們。這是一種最佳的紀念方式，能讓死者獲得永久的榮譽。當死者重生于幸福的生界時，他一樣會庇佑那些曾經把功德回向給他的人。因此，最佳紀念先亡的方法，就是把功德回向給他們，並以他們的名義來布施。