佛祖統紀 33.33

33.33

Pre-cultivation Retreat: Bodhisattva Samantaprabha addressed the Buddha, saying, 'If good men and good women, before their demise, cultivate retroactively their living sevens, light lamps, suspend banners, invite monks (that is, inviting them in rotational order to offer alms), and recite scriptures (briefly citing these four as examples), will they obtain much merit?' The Buddha said, 'Their merit will be limitless.' He also said, 'When parents and relatives die and undergo suffering, if one cultivates merit for them, do they obtain much merit?' The Buddha said, 'They obtain one part in seven, because in their previous life they did not believe in morality. If one donates the deceased's personal adornments, houses, or gardens and groves to the Three Jewels, one can pull them out of the suffering of the hells' (Suiyuan wangsheng jing).