Master Jun Hong Lu’s
Q&A Session with Buddhist friends
Hong Kong
July 6, 2016
SERVING NON-VEGETARIAN DISHES AT A WEDDING BANQUET – HOW TO MINIMISE THE REPERCUSSIONS TO THE NEWLYWEDS
Q: Now that there is the Self-Cultivation Record Form for Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra (Wang Sheng Jing Tu Shen Zhou), which might come in handy when there is a need to transfer merits to a mass of small deceased animals or creatures, for some of our Buddhist friends whose children and in-laws are not practising Buddhism, their wedding banquets tend to involve the act of killing. As there is no way to persuade their family members or the in-laws to have a vegetarian wedding banquet instead, these Buddhist practitioners have no choice but to start burning in advance the Self-Cultivation Record Form for Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra to transfer merits to those deceased animals whose deaths would be caused by the wedding, and continue to do so after the wedding celebration. As a result, will the newlyweds get less punishment by Bodhisattva? In what way could the repercussions be minimised for the newlyweds? Please enlighten us, Master Lu.
A: He has raised a good question. All of you should remember: given no other choice when family members insist on serving non-vegetarian meals, even though the idea is not your, you should not have the mentality, “well, if I can’t beat them, it’s natural for me to join them”. That can never happen, this is very important. Secondly, from the bottom of one’s heart, one should be thinking instead, “It is a pity, how ignorant humans can be”. Thirdly, if you burn the Self-Cultivation Record Form for Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra before the fish are killed, these fish will not be able to receive the intended merit transfer if they die or are killed later. The Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra should be chanted after the fish are killed, only then can they benefit from the mantra. Thus, if you burn the Self-Cultivation Record Form beforehand, they won’t be able to get any merit at all. After they are killed, you have to make up with more of the Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra.
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