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林鈺堂博士編著

放歸自由

http://yogilin.net/

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放歸自由

林鈺堂編輯

林成穗中譯

放生簡軌

陳健民上師原著

一、皈依

皈依金剛上師、皈依佛、皈依法、皈依僧︵三反︶

二、六字大明

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嗡媽尼悲咪吽︵五或七反︶

三、往生咒︵三反︶

南無阿彌多婆夜。哆他伽哆夜。哆地夜他。阿彌唎都婆

毘。阿彌唎多。悉耽婆毘。阿彌唎哆。毗迦蘭地。阿彌

唎哆。毗迦蘭哆。伽彌膩。伽伽那。枳多迦隸娑婆訶。

四、放生偈

放出生死涅槃外

還歸現成本地中

一放一切得全放

從無生生，生佛同

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五、回向

世界和平施主長壽

林博士對此軌之簡釋

放生是一種在亞洲佛教社區很流行的傳統修行方法。此種

修行的主要目的是救出有生命危險的動物，然後祈禱被放眾生

以至一切眾生皆能究竟證覺。上軌是我已故的上師陳健民瑜伽

士生前每當放生時使用的。他在生前曾放生逾三十五萬命。

念誦密法的四皈依確認我們對上師、一切佛、佛的教法、

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和僧團的依仗。通常我們所放的眾生都無法與佛法結緣，但當

我們代他們念皈依後，我們就能將他們置於佛法的護蔭之下。

觀世音菩薩＾六字大明咒﹀代表著大悲救拔六道輪迴的一

切眾生︵六道是天、阿修羅、人、畜生、餓鬼、地獄︶。此咒

的六個字中每一字均順次對應一道的眾生的救度。雖然我們能

放的眾生數量有限，我們此一慈悲之舉的發心卻是遍及一切眾

生的。

生命皆無常；我們所放的眾生最終也會死亡。我們念＾往

生咒﹀以祈禱牠們可從無盡的輪迴之苦中解脫。依靠阿彌陀佛

的恩德他們會得以往生阿彌陀佛的極樂淨土。

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＾放生偈﹀則包含了此種修法的要義。

放出生死涅槃外

我們放這些眾生的目的是為了讓他們脫離不止是輪迴之苦

，還有對涅槃的執著。究竟的證覺超越思維概念，因此最終行

人連佛法概念的局限都要超越。佛法的解脫精神是如何地透徹

！

還歸現成本地中

解脫其實只是回歸事物本來的面目，擺脫人為的分別、評

價、情緒糾纏和執著。它是本來清淨、天真無染的；它是一切

無限的一體。

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一放一切得全放

縱使我們只放一個眾生返回自然界，我們的發心是要釋放

一切眾生。一個眾生只有在證覺時才算是得到究竟的釋放。當

證覺之時，他與一切融為一體，故此，當一個真正被放，其他

所有的也是一樣。

從無生生，生佛同

最終的解脫好像一個新生命，但其實只是返回本來的清淨

與自然。

當一些眾生被放生，即時就已經有了功德。因此，遇到緊

急情況如病重、意外事故、動大手術等，佛教徒往往就會放生

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來為急需者積聚功德，並將功德適當地迴向以得速效。

因為我們的生命與被救的生命其實一般的脆弱，當我們忙

碌地救助牠們時我們就是在修﹁忘我利他﹂。購買牠們時，我

們是在修財施和無畏施。在運送與選擇放生地點的過程中所需

的謹慎有助於開展我們的悲心與智慧。

為了人類食用而屠殺的眾生數量遠超過佛教徒所放的數量

。然而，此非徒勞無功之舉，理由是這種修行體現了佛教平等

大悲的理想，能將我們的心從人類本位釋放出來，轉而放眼於

宇宙的一體。並且，有緣見聞者就可能進而了解放生的道理，

以及反省自己。社區就會漸漸受到感化。

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佛法所教示的平等大悲與放生此種佛教修法是現代關注地

球生態與環境保護的先驅。今時今日，因為在市場所購的動物

可能來自遠方甚至海外，所以修行放生有時候會與當地的生態

保護有矛盾。在一些常有放生的亞洲國家，有些商人會尾隨放

生的佛教徒以圖捕捉被放的動物再行售賣。因此我們應該警覺

這些問題，並在放生的過程中小心行事。我們也可將贊助非牟

利的環境和生態維護活動視為在現代放生的新方法。

迴

向

一、願具德上師長住世，已辭世者早降誕。

二、願人類邪說暴行早日停止，佛法弘揚無礙。

三、願我及眾生精勤佛道，即生即身圓滿佛果，永無退轉。

四、願我及眾生慈悲增長，直至圓滿佛果，永無退轉。

五、願我及眾生智慧增長，直至圓滿佛果，永無退轉。

本書在馬來西亞贈閱流通處：

邱寶光居士 Ven. P. K. Khoo 89 Sening Garden, 34000 Taiping,

Perak, Malaysia 陳光輝居士 Tan Kong Hui

287-A Jalan Banda Hilir, 75000 Melaka, Malaysia

陳碧霞女居士 Tan Phaik Har 19 Jalan Mas, 11600 Penang,

Malaysia

放歸自由 著作及出版：林鈺堂博士 贈閱通訊處：

Dr. Yutang Lin 林鈺堂博士 705 Midcrest Way El Cerrito, CA 94530-3310 U.S.A. 台灣：曾祚康居士 台北市士林區菁山路101巷15弄20號 陳祥耀居士 台北市木柵郵局255號信箱 連金環女居士 台北縣永和市豫溪街151巷3號5F 陳健民上師主頁﹕www.yogichen.org 林鈺堂上師主頁﹕http://yogilin.net/ 二○○三年初版 敬印一千冊 承印者：鼎新文具印刷有限公司 地 址：台北縣中和市新興街六巷三號三樓 電 話：(02)2232-9157 FAX:(02)2929-2495 非賣品 Not for Sale 有版權（歡迎印贈流通，但請先徵得同意。） 歡迎助印

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The Buddhist Practice of Releasing Lives to Freedom

Dr. Yutang Lin

a gift from

Dharma Friends of Dr. Lin

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The Buddhist Practice of Releasing Lives to Freedom

Dr. Yutang Lin

Part I A Ritual by Yogi Chen

The Ritual of Releasing Lives to Freedom

Following the oral transmission of the Buddhist Yogi C. M. Chen

Under the supervision of Dr. Yutang Lin

Written by Dr. Juan Bulnes The practitioner sends animals back to their natural state. They can be any animals which were in captivity, or condemned to death to provide food, etc. Among the auspicious animals are turtles to pray for longevity and fish to pray for

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Enlightenment. (The individual loses the ego and becomes one with the universe just as the fish, upon being released, become one with the ocean.)

1. TAKING REFUGE On behalf of the animals, repeat three times the tantric formula of the four refuges:

NAMO GURUBEI NAMO BUDDHAYA NAMO DHARMAYA NAMO SANGHAYA

2. DEVELOPING THE BODHICITTA

In order to free the animals from the six realms of transmigration, repeat 108 times the mantra (in Pin Yin) of Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva who is representative of Compassion:

Weng Ma Ni Bei Mi Hong 3. PRAYING FOR REBIRTH IN THE PURELAND

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Repeat three times the Mantra of Rebirth-in-the-Pureland (in Pin Yin):

Na Mo O Mi Duo Po Ye Duo Tuo Qie Duo Ye Duo Di Ye Tuo O Mi Li Duo Po Pi O Mi Li Duo Xi Dan Po Pi O Mi Li Duo Pi Jia Lan Di O Mi Li Duo Pi Jia Lan Duo Qia Mi Ni Qia Qia Nuo Zhi Dan Qie Li Suo Po Huo

4. DEDICATING THE MERIT

a. Repeat the Stanza of Releasing Lives to Freedom (written by Yogi Chen):

Send you from Samsara and Nirvana To the original state of Tathata. When one is sent, all beings are sent, too;

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Born from non-born, same as the Buddha. b. After dedicating the merit of this Puja to all sentient beings, the practitioner may then pray for any specific good intentions, such as long life, good health, accomplishment in meditation, etc.

Part II A Brief Commentary by Dr. Lin Releasing lives to freedom is a traditional Buddhist practice which is very popular in Asian Buddhist communities. The main purpose of this practice is to save lives that are in danger and to pray for their ultimate Enlightenment as well as for that of all sentient beings. The ritual presented above was used by my late teacher Yogi Chen whenever he conducted such a practice. He released more than 350,000 lives during his lifetime. The tantric formula of four refuges affirms our reliance on the guidance of our gurus, all Buddhas, the teachings of Buddhas, and the holy assembly of Buddhist elders. The beings that we

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release usually have no chance to be connected with the Buddhist teachings; by taking refuge on their behalf, we are placing them under the protection of Buddhism. The six-syllable mantra of Avalokitesvara signifies the compassionate salvation of all sentient beings in the six realms of transmigration, viz., heaven, asura, human, animal, hungry-ghost and hell realms; each syllable of the mantra stands for the salvation of the corresponding realm in the given order. Although the beings we release are limited in number, the intention of our compassionate act encompasses all sentient beings. Life is impermanent; the lives we save will eventually end. We chant the Mantra of Rebirth-in-the-Pureland to pray for their liberation from the sufferings of endless transmigrations; through Amitabha Buddha's grace they will gain rebirth in His Pureland. The Stanza of Releasing Lives to Freedom

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entails the essence of this practice:

Send you from Samsara and Nirvana We release these beings with the intention of freeing them from not only the suffering of transmigration but also the bondage of attachment to Nirvana. Full Enlightenment is beyond conceptualization, hence eventually one should not be limited by even Buddhist concepts; how thorough is the liberating spirit of Buddha's teachings!

To the original state of Tathata. Liberation is simply returning to the original state of things as they are, free from artificial distinctions and valuations, and emotional entanglements and attachments; it is natural purity and innocence; it is all things in limitless oneness.

When one is sent, all beings are sent, too; Our intention is to free all sentient beings even

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when only one life is set free to nature. A being will be ultimately set free only upon realization of Enlightenment, i.e., when he becomes one with all; thus, when one is truly free so are all.

Born from non-born, same as the Buddha. Final liberation is like a new life but it is just one's returning to being pure and natural. As soon as some lives have been released the merit is there, therefore, in urgent cases such as severe sickness, tragic accidents and fatal operations the practice of releasing lives is often conducted to generate merits for those in need, and thereby obtain effective results due to dedication of such merits. Since our lives are just as fragile as the lives we are saving, when we engage ourselves in saving them we are practicing benefitting others despite ourselves. In the process of acquiring them, we are practicing alms-giving of material wealth and fearlessness. The care taken in their

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transportation and the choice of an appropriate spot for their release help develop our compassion and wisdom. The number of sentient beings slaughtered for human consumption far exceeds the number that Buddhists have been releasing. Nevertheless, it is not a futile endeavor because the Buddhist ideal of universal compassion, which frees our minds from human-centeredness and opens our eyes to see the unity of the whole universe, materializes through such a practice. Besides, the onlookers would have a chance to learn about the philosophy of this practice and reflect on themselves. Gradually the community will be affected for the better. The Buddhist teaching of universal compassion and the Buddhist practice of releasing lives are forerunners of the modern awareness of global ecology and environmental preservation. Nowadays the practice of releasing lives often faces conflict with local ecology preservation because the animals purchased from the market may originate from far-off places or even

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overseas. In Asian countries where such practices are abundant some merchants would follow the footsteps of the Buddhist practitioners in order to capture the animals released for resale. We should be aware of these problems and be prudent in conducting the practice of releasing lives. Participation in non-profit efforts to preserve the global environment and ecology may be considered a modern approach to the traditional way of releasing lives.

My Bodhicitta Vows

(May be Used for Dedication of Merits)

Dr. Yutang Lin 1. May virtuous gurus remain with us and those

departed return soon! 2. May perverse views and violence soon become

extinct, and Dharma spread without hindrance! 3. May all beings proceed diligently on the path toward

Buddhahood and achieve the goal before death! 4. May the Great Compassion flourish in all beings and

never regress until they reach perfect Buddhahood! 5. May the Great Wisdom thrive in all beings and

never regress until they reach perfect Buddhahood!

NOT FOR SALE

For your free copy Please write to:

Dr. Yutang Lin 705 Midcrest Way

El Cerrito, CA 94530-3310 U.S.A.

Buddhist Yogi C. M. Chen's Homepage: www.yogichen.org

Buddhist Dr. Yutang Lin’s Homepage: http://yogilin.net

First Edition, 2003 1,000 copies

Printed in Taiwan

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