爾時地藏菩薩摩訶薩 白佛言 世尊 我觀是閻浮衆生 命終之後 神識去時 若能廻向善業 乃至作諸功德 是命終人 七分之中 而乃獲一 六分功德 生者自利 是故閻浮衆生 聞健在時 自修福利 分分己獲 若或有人 臨命終時 乃至命終 未及三七日內 孳孳念念 廻向此界善惡業道 之所受生 何況本造惡者 是命終人 未得受生 在七七日內 念念之間 望諸骨肉眷屬 與造福力 過是日後 隨業受報 若是罪人 動經千百歲中 無解脫日 若五無間罪 墮大地獄 千劫萬劫 永受衆苦 是故善男子善女人 聞健在時 自修福業 一念一毫 各自受之
Ěr shí dì zàng pú sà mó hē sà bái fó yán shì zūn wǒ guān shì yán fú zhòng shēng mìng zhōng zhī hòu shén shí qù shí ruò néng huí xiàng shàn yè nǎi zhì zuò zhū gōng dé shì mìng zhōng rén qī fēn zhī zhōng ér nǎi huò yī liù fēn gōng dé shēng zhě zì lì shì gù yán fú zhòng shēng wén jiàn zài shí zì xiū fú lì fēn fēn jǐ huò ruò huò yǒu rén lín mìng zhōng shí nǎi zhì mìng zhōng wèi jí sān qī rì nèi zī zī niàn niàn huí xiàng cǐ jiè shàn è yè dào zhī suǒ shòu shēng hé kuàng běn zào è zhě shì mìng zhōng rén wèi dé shòu shēng zài qī qī rì nèi niàn niàn zhī jiān wàng zhū gǔ ròu juàn shǔ yǔ zào fú lì guò shì rì hòu suí yè shòu bào ruò shì zuì rén dòng jīng qiān bǎi suì zhōng wú jiě tuō rì ruò wǔ wú jiān zuì duò dà dì yù qiān jié wàn jié yǒng shòu zhòng kǔ shì gù shàn nán zǐ shàn nǚ rén wén jiàn zài shí zì xiū fú yè yī niàn yī háo gè zì shòu zhī
Key Message
The teaching that of the merit dedicated for the deceased, one-seventh goes to the deceased and six-sevenths to the living declares that the living and the dead are a community of life connected through merit.
▸The Chapter on the Benefits for the Living and the Dead is the most practically direct and foundational chapter of the entire Kṣitigarbha Sūtra on the relationship between the living and the dead.
The Chapter on the Benefits for the Living and the Dead is the most practically direct and foundational chapter of the entire Kṣitigarbha Sūtra on the relationship between the living and the dead. Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva explains that if family members dedicate merit to the deceased within the forty-nine days following death, one-seventh of that merit reaches the deceased while six-sevenths benefit the living family members. This means that rites performed for the deceased are in fact greatly beneficial to the living as well. Kṣitigarbha also explains that the consciousness (神識, shén shí) of the deceased waits within the forty-nine days for its next birth and earnestly hopes that family members will make merit on its behalf. Accumulating merit through one's own practice while alive is the most important thing; the merit made by family has its limits. This chapter is the direct scriptural basis for the forty-nine-day memorial ceremony (四十九齋) in East Asian Buddhist culture.