淨土五會念佛誦經觀行儀卷中．下 2.31

2.31

Having uttered this praise and praised that Buddha, he surpassed Maitreya by nine kalpas and swiftly attained buddhahood. From this, one knows: how could the merit of praising the Buddha ever be measured? Furthermore, the benefits of praising the Buddha are fully contained in the various sūtras. If the fourfold assembly today praises the Buddha, in their present life they will be revered and looked up to by others; at the time of their death, the Buddha will come to receive them, and they will definitely be reborn in the world of Sukhāvatī. Their bodies will be of true golden colour, with broad and long tongues, vast and fluent eloquence, and they will attain unimpeded wisdom. The world will be adorned entirely with the seven jewels. Their fame will be vast, pervading the ten directions, and of all sentient beings, none will not revere and praise them. Why is this? Because by praising the Buddha now, they will be born into the Buddha's household and swiftly accomplish buddhahood; it is because the cause brings about the fruit. The wise should know this. Announcement to the assembly: Among the various praises that follow, after completing one phase of the ritual service for this Contemplation Sūtra of Amitābha, concerning these various praises, where the text is long, the practitioner must not recite too much at that time; where the text is short, recite it through; where the text is long, abridge it. Such is the general intention. When performing the ritual service, one must not recite all the sūtra praises, the Praise of the Precious Birds, and the Praise of the Marks and Characteristics. Following the two sūtras, each serves as the head [praise]. The Praise of the Delights of the Empty Pure Land: after reciting the Amitābha Sūtra and the various praises, immediately recite this praise; having recited this praise, immediately recite Preceptor Shandao's Liturgical Praise, generate vows, and then disperse. The Praise of the Six Sense Faculties: after reciting the Contemplation Sūtra and the various praises, immediately recite this praise; having recited this praise, immediately recite Dharma Master Cong's Liturgical Praise, generate vows, and then disperse. Reciting it continuously is also permissible. As for the various praises in between, one may freely adopt or omit them according to the occasion. Know that henceforth, each time the assembly finishes reciting one praise, they should recite the Buddha's name thirty to fifty times.