September 7, 2026

Sept. 7, 2026

Clarifying Doubts About the Pure Land (II) 

淨土釋疑(二) 

Answer to Q46: (3 /3) 

When we give birth to a child, what is our purpose? Is it to help that child attain liberation, or to let the child create offenses and negative karma, continue in the cycle of rebirth, and undergo suffering? This is extremely important to consider. 

If, after giving birth to a child, we have no way to help that child attain liberation, then it would be better not to have children. A human birth is precious and difficult to obtain. If one wants to escape the cycle of the Six Realms, then without obtaining a human body, there is essentially no opportunity to do so. 

After finally obtaining a human body, if one does not understand liberation or has no way to attain liberation, it is like entering a mountain of treasures and returning empty-handed. 

What is more, suppose a child is fortunate enough to be born into a family that practices Buddhism. Yet, if we fail to help that child learn Buddhism and attain liberation. Then we have failed that child. 

If that child cannot attain liberation, what about the grandchildren? What about great-grandchildren? What about the great-great-grandchildren? What about generation after generation of descendants? 

Therefore, we must find a way to guide our children so that they can share our same understanding, faith, practice, and aspiration; so that we can all be reborn together in the Land of Bliss.

Ideally, the cycle of birth and death for our descendants should end with our children's generation. It should stop there. They should no longer continue wandering in samsara. 

Therefore, everyone should seek liberation and aspire for rebirth in the Pure Land. The people dearest to us are our husbands, wives, and children, who we naturally want to attain liberation as well. 

If we do not help them understand this, then our love for them is not truly the deepest form of love. 

To truly love someone is to give them the very best, and the very best is the Pure Land teaching, the path of liberation through exclusively reciting Namo Amitabha Buddha, and attaining rebirth in the Land of Bliss. 

續答第46問：(3 /3) 

我們生下這個孩子，是要讓他解脫？還是要讓他造罪、造業，繼續輪迴、受苦 受難？這點很重要。如果生下孩子沒辦法讓他解脫，那就不要生，因為人身 難得，而要脫離六道輪迴，如果不等到做人，完全沒有機會；好不容易得人身 了，又不懂得解脫或沒辦法解脫，等於入寶山空手而回；好不容易，他很有福 報出生在學佛的家庭，我們卻不能讓他學佛解脫，這樣是我們愧欠他，他不 能解脫的話，孫子呢？曾孫呢？玄孫呢？子子孫孫呢？ 

所以一定要想辦法引導他來跟我們同見同信同行同生極樂世界。最好是我們 子子孫孫的生死輪迴，就到我們孩子這一代就好了，不要再輪迴下去了。所 以，人一定要求解脫、求往生，我們最親愛的就是先生、太太、兒女，我們都 想解脫了，如果沒有讓他了解這個觀念的話，那表示我們對他們的愛心不是 真正的愛心。真正愛他就必須要給他最好的，就是淨土法門 ── 念佛往生的 解脫之道。 

Namo Amituofo!

September 6, 2026

Sept. 6, 2026 

Clarifying Doubts About the Pure Land (II) 

淨土釋疑(二) 

Answer to Q46: (2 /3) 

What we call worldly“moral virtue” and (in Buddhism) “blessings and merit” are related as cause and effect. Blessings and merit are the result, while moral virtue is the cause. When one follows the Way of virtue, one often receives blessings as the result. 

The practical expression of virtue is: showing kindness and consideration toward others, sacrificing oneself for the benefit of others, helping others succeed, refraining from wrongdoing, and so forth. This is what is truly substantial. 

The ancients said: “Cultivate virtue and you will receive its reward; practice goodness and auspiciousness will follow. If you want good descendants, accumulate virtue rather than wealth.” 

Recently, in the Humanistic Buddhism Daily, I saw Master Hsing Yun quote the saying: “The virtue of humanity is a priceless treasure, worth ten thousand times more than mountains and peaks.”

Therefore, what we leave to our descendants should certainly be virtue, not money. Leaving money is the most foolish approach; while leaving virtue is the approach of wisdom. 

As for money, leave only enough for your children to establish their families and careers. Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. Do not become beasts of burden for them. Use the rest of your money to cultivate merit. Then you will benefit, they will benefit, and generation after generation will benefit. 

So, if you own two houses, give one away. If you have a million dollars in assets, give eighty or ninety percent of it away. This is the most practical approach. What you cultivate in this way remains with you forever; it cannot be lost or stolen. 

The ancients also said: “If you are unwilling to part with wealth, you cannot practice goodness; if you do not cherish righteousness, you do not know how to accumulate virtue.” 

In addition, “Without accumulating virtue, one cannot give birth to wise and intelligent children.” 

Wealth is something that cannot be brought with us at birth or taken with us at death. When passed down to descendants, it will almost invariably, eventually be squandered. 

Therefore, a wise person should take advantage of the time when he has authority in his hands and money available to give, and broadly create merit by benefiting people and all living things. In this way, every bit of money can be transformed into superior blessings for the future. 

The Buddha said: Worldly wealth is shared by five claimants. Water can wash it away; fire can burn it; thieves can steal it; government authorities can confiscate it; and unworthy children and grandchildren can squander it. Therefore, it is called “insecure wealth.”

Only when wealth is used to help the world and benefit others can it increase one's blessings and merit and provide protection and benefit for one's descendants, generation after generation. 

(to be continued tomorrow) 

續答第46問：(2 /3) 

所謂「道德」、「福德」，福德是果，道德就是因，有了「道」往往就有「福」這個果 ，而道德的實際展現就是對人恩慈體貼，犧牲自己，成全別人，不為非作歹 ……等等，這個才是最實在的。

古人說：「修德獲報，作善降祥。要好兒孫，只 要積德，不要積財。」最近在《人間福報》看到星雲大師引用的一句話：「人間道 德無價寶，比山比嶽萬倍高」，所以，我們留給子孫一定要留德，不要留金錢， 留金錢是最愚癡的，留德才是有智慧的。

金錢，只要留一些讓兒女夠成家立業就好，兒孫自有兒孫福，莫為兒孫作馬牛，其他的金錢，就用來做功德，這樣你好他也好，子子孫孫都好，所以，如果有兩棟房屋，就把一棟佈施出去， 自己有百萬家產，百分之八、九十要把它佈施出去，這是最實際的，永遠都在 我們身上，不會遺失、不會被偷。

古人說：「不輕財，不能為善；不好義，不知積德」，又說「非積德，不能生聰慧 之兒。」財之為物，生不帶來，死不帶去；傳與子孫，無一不敗。故有智慧之人 ，當趁有權在手，有錢可施時，廣作利人利物功德，使個個金錢造成未來勝 福。

佛說：「世間之財，五家共有；水能漂沒之，火能燒燬之，盜賊能劫掠之，官 吏能沒收之，不肖兒孫能消散之，故稱不堅之財。」唯用以濟世利人，才能增 長福德，而庇蔭子子孫孫。 

Namo Amituofo! 

September 5, 2026

Sept. 5, 2026 

Clarifying Doubts About the Pure Land (II) 

淨土釋疑(二) 

Question 46 : I have a friend who, like me, is almost fifty. When he was young, he pursued fame and wealth. Now that his family life is settled and his finances are stable, he has begun to pursue religion. As for me, I have been involved with religion continuously since childhood and have hardly ever stopped. When I was young, I also had many opportunities to pursue fame and wealth; but, I was unwilling to do so and instead devoted my energy to religion. 

Over the past two years, I have found that the Pure Land teaching has brought great peace and stability to my mind. I truly feel that I have found what I need. Unfortunately, I now find myself caught in a conflict. I could retire in about three years; but, I want to give my children a secure home and make sure they have no worries about their future. So I really want to make one more big effort and earn more money. 

On the one hand, I want to exclusively recite Namo Amitabha Buddha; on the other hand, this strong desire to provide my children with a secure life weighs heavily on me. 

Answer to Q46 : (1 /3) 

Earning money to support your children and leave them some property, so that they can live with fewer worries in the future, is a natural concern of parents everywhere. Unfortunately, the direction is completely mistaken. 

If your children have blessings and merit, they will naturally have enough food and clothing in the future. If they lack blessings and merit, leaving them more money will only harm them. Therefore, the most important thing is to leave blessings and merit to your descendants.

Even if you have one million, two million, or several million dollars now, it is more important to use that money for charitable giving. In this way, you are leaving virtue to your children. There is a saying, “Wealth rarely lasts beyond three generations.” Therefore, the important thing is not to leave houses and property to your children, but to use these resources to help the poor and needy, and even to make offerings to the Three Jewels. 

So after you retire, you will have an excellent opportunity to accumulate a treasury of merit and virtue for your children. In this way, whatever blessings they have in this present life can be preserved, and whatever blessings they lack can also be cultivated. 

Anyone who observes the state of society today can see this clearly. Families whose wealth has lasted for more than three generations generally did not succeed simply by leaving tangible property to their descendants. Rather, they left behind intangible merit and virtue. That is what is truly practical. 

(to be continued tomorrow) 

第46問：我有一個朋友，和我一樣快五十歲了，他年輕的時候就在追求名利， 現在也家庭安定、經濟穩定了，就開始要追求宗教。而我是從小到現在一直 都接觸宗教，幾乎未曾斷過，年輕的時候也很有機會去求一些名利，可是我 都不願意，將心力都用在宗教上。這兩年覺得淨土法門讓我的心很安定，真的是找到自己需要的。可是現在讓自己矛盾的是，本來三年後就可以退休了 ，但我想給孩子一個安定的家，讓他們沒有後顧之憂，很想好好再去拚一場， 好好賺錢。所以一邊想要一心相續念佛，可是想給孩子安定生活的心情卻很重。 

答：賺錢來養兒女，讓兒女有一些恆產，將來生活比較無憂無慮，這是天下父 母心，但方向完全錯誤。孩子有福德，日後衣食無憂，孩子沒有福德，留再多 的錢給他都害了他，所以留福德給子孫是最重要的。即使現在有一百萬、兩 百萬、幾百萬，更重要的是拿去佈施，這樣就是留德給他了，所謂「富不過三 代」，所以重點不是留房子、財產給兒女，而是把這些拿去救濟貧困，甚至供奉三寶，所以，退休之後，正好為你的兒女累積功德財，這樣的話，他們現世 福報能夠保持得住，沒有的福報，也會因此培植。這一點大家觀察社會的現 況就知道，富過三代的往往不是留有形的恆產給兒孫，而是留無形的功德， 這才是最實際的。 

Namo Amituofo! 

September 4, 2026

Sept. 4, 2026 

Master Huijing’s Short Dharma Teaching about “The Fear of Death” 

慧淨法師之「 死的恐怖」 

Without recognising the self, there would be no Buddhism. If one does not understand oneself, one cannot understand Buddhism either. This is the origin and development of Buddhism. 

沒有我就沒有佛教，不知自身則亦不知佛教，「佛教之生起本末」。

Namo Amituofo!

September 3, 2026

Sept. 3, 2026 

Q and A about Practicing Amitabha-Recitation 

Part Four - The Mindset and Practice in Daily Life 

念佛實用問答(4) - 日常心行 

Question 79: Why is it that when I don't recite the Buddha's Name, I feel quite alert and energetic; but, as soon as I recite the Buddha's Name, I easily become sleepy? 

Answer: This is because an ordinary person's mind is constantly occupied by delusive thoughts. Being governed by these delusive thoughts, we consequently take the false to be true and mistake it for our true self. When we are not exclusively reciting Namo Amitabha Buddha, our delusive thoughts are very active , and we therefore feel quite alert and energetic. However, as soon as we recite Namo Amitabha Buddha, through the power within those recitations, these delusive thoughts are subdued. We, in turn, become drowsy and sleepy. 

It is like a place filled with the clamor of many voices. As soon as a king of great virtue and authority appears, everyone immediately falls silent, trembling in awe. 

Becoming sleepy while reciting Namo Amitabha Buddha is also a benefit we receive. It is actually a step better than the situation described above, where one becomes agitated and uncomfortable while reciting. 

Nevertheless, one has not yet completely mastered the Buddha’s teachings. At this point, if we can become aware of our delusive thoughts and keep returning to our recitations, refusing to follow them, the clearer and more lucid our minds will become.

79問：為什麼我不念佛很精神，一念佛就容易打瞌睡呢？ 

答：這是因為常人的心總是被妄念佔據，被妄念主宰，也就跟著以妄為真、 認他為自。不念佛的時候，妄念很活躍、很興奮，他也就覺得自己很精神； 一旦念佛，由於佛號的威力，妄念被抑服，不再處於興奮狀態，他也就跟 著昏昏欲睡起來。比如人聲鼎沸的場所，德高威嚴的王者一出現，馬上噤 若寒蟬。念佛而欲睡，也是得著念佛的好處，比上面念佛而心煩難受尚要 好一層，不過畢竟還沒有完全隨著佛走，這時如能識破妄念，不隨妄念走 ，以佛為親，就會越念越清明。

Namo Amituofo! 

September 2, 2026

Sept. 2, 2026

Master Huijing’s Short Dharma Teaching about the Grace of Deliverance 

慧淨法師之救恩法語(二)之愛的心語 

“Great compassion gives happiness to all sentient beings; and great compassion removes the suffering of all sentient beings.” 

— from the “Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom” 

大慈與一切眾生樂，大悲拔一切眾生苦。《大智度論》 

Namo Amituofo!

September 1, 2026

Sept. 1, 2026 

Master Huijing’s Short Dharma Teachings asking “What does life look like?” 

慧淨法師之「人生之實相」

Human beings have their limitations: if we do not kill, eat meat, or commit offenses, we cannot survive. Survival itself is a seed of wrongdoing. 

Even when we do good deeds, they are still meritorious acts tainted by afflictions. At the time of death, everything one has done throughout one's life manifests all at once. 

人有界限：不殺生食肉造罪，就不能生存；生存的本身，就是罪惡的種子。 雖也行善，亦是有漏之善。臨終之時，一生所作，一時俱現。 

Namo Amituofo!