龍舒增廣淨土文 6.74

6.74

I have seen that women often fall gravely ill or lose their lives due to childbirth. This is because they had past-life enmities with the children they bear, and thus receive this retribution. According to the canonical scriptures, regarding the *Dhāraṇī for Pulling Out the Root of All Karmic Obstacles and Attaining Rebirth in the Pure Land*, it says: For those who recite and maintain this, Amitābha Buddha will constantly dwell upon their heads and not allow karmic enemies to cause harm; in the present life they will be secure and at peace, and at the end of life they will attain rebirth as they wish. If one completes two hundred thousand recitations, the sprout of bodhi will grow; at three hundred thousand recitations, one will definitely see Amitābha Buddha face to face. I advise that while a girl is young, beside her parents, pure and with few affairs, in addition to reciting the names of the four sages of the Western [Pure Land] ten times each and the verse of Great Compassion Bodhisattva once, she can recite this dhāraṇī five hundred or a thousand times a day. In less than one or two years, she can complete three hundred thousand recitations, which can ensure that throughout her life she will not encounter the distress of childbirth. If parents pamper their daughter or do not believe these words, once karmic debts meet and bring about great calamity, regret will be too late. Even if their daughter has no enmities in this life, while beside her parents, reciting this dhāraṇī three hundred thousand times first to plant this great root of goodness and create this great wholesome connection—what could be amiss with that? This is affection of the finest and greatest kind; how could one not strive for it?