Basic Knowledge in the Pure Land Teaching
淨土小常識
149. Two Kinds of Merit-Dedication
1. Indirect Dedication of Merit, also called Merit Dedication through Good Deeds: This refers to dedicating the merits of one’s own cultivated virtues, whether from meditative (focused mind) or non-meditative (unfocused mind) good deeds toward our rebirth in Amitabha’s Pure Land. In addition, we pray for Amitabha Buddha’s reception at the time of our death. This approach belongs to the Sacred Path , which relies on self-power and is difficult to practice.
2. Direct Dedication of Merit, also called Dedication through Turning the Mind: This means that regardless of whether one has accumulated good deeds or not, one directly shifts the mind away from clinging to one’s own defiled virtues and instead fully entrusts oneself to Amitabha Buddha’s “Other-Power” deliverance.
From then on, one exclusively recites Amitabha’s Name, no longer attaching to or relying on one’s own limited meditative or non-meditative virtues as a means of deliverance. This is the Pure Land Path, which is fully based on Amitabha’s “Other-Power”, and is easy to practice.
149 迴向有二
一、夾善迴向，亦名迴善。即是迴向自己所修定善、散善之功德，以祈求彌陀臨終來迎，往生淨土。這是聖道門，自力難行道。
二、直接迴向，亦名迴心。即是不管有善無善，直接迴轉執著自己有漏善根之心，完全歸向彌陀他力救度，此後專稱彌陀佛名，不再執著自己有漏之定散二善，也不以之作為迴向，這是淨土門，他力易行道。
Namo Amituofo!
