Qing Ming Dhamma Services Honoring The Departed One Year 2021 清明思亲 慎终追远 年度功德回向已故至亲
马来西亚宏慈佛教会 新闻提要】二零二一年三月廿七日 | 清明思亲 慎终追远
四月四日（星期日）便是清明节了，在这个慎终追远、悼念先人的日子，很多人会选择郊游、扫墓和拜祭，以对祖先表达缅怀纪念。
与此同时，各佛道教团体每年一度的清明思亲法会也快将举行。其实清明节与佛教本来没有特别关系，但因汉地佛教重视孝道，有慎终追远的习惯，故佛教传入中国后，佛教也成为重视孝道的宗教。报父母恩与中国传统孝道最为吻合，许多佛教徒扫墓之余，也前往寺院拜佛诵经，祈求以此功德回向先人。
许多寺院也于此时举行清明法会，是因为法会以佛法利益先人。「佛教说，人往生后有下一世，并凭借今生善业恶业而于六道中轮回。因此人往生后，我们仍有下一世的生命，而我们对祖先的纪念不纯粹是纪念，也是为祖先行善修福。借着孝道，将诵经、修福、布施、供佛及僧的功德回向先人，希望先人可借此种下善根，能得生净土或往生至善道，让他在未来的生命裏更光辉更美好。」
对自己而言，我们除借此表达对往生至亲的感恩外，亦能与众生结缘。因此，在清明法会大家会为先人做功德，意指希望先人可透过法师诵经和三宝的加持，令其有更好的去向。是以三宝的加持力、僧伽的戒定修行功德力，祝愿祈福令现世亲属增延福寿；或回向超荐先人，早生善道，令种善根，以离苦得乐。在不同道场为往生至亲做功德，就如在不同的地点，寄出一分祝福、一分心意或一份礼物。祝福、心意或礼物，谁也不嫌多，何况是福德、善念头。
清明节是纪念先人和祭祖的节日，佛教道场举行法会成就大众的孝心，反之，亦是大众的护持成就了清明思亲法会的举办。一人出一分微力参与法会，将思念寄托，冥阳两得福。每一份善缘，都有其一份功德。不少佛弟子都会参与清明思亲法会，为过去师长回向，为已故父母祝福，目的是为我的先亲多积福，多结善缘。几十年来，从未间断。
惟今年清明遇上肺炎疫情，为响应政府呼吁减少人流聚集及社交接触，马来西亚宏慈佛教会不设清明思亲法会让信众进坛参与。大和尚斯里沙拉南长老慈悲应许，让义工行政团队接收并整理名单以供大和尚为信众诵经祈求以此功德回向信众之先人，尤其方便居住远处之佛弟子无法前往佛堂为已故亲人做功德或前往墓地扫墓之遗憾。
即便如此，信众仍可透过二零二一年四月十一日午后的网络共修，各自于家中诵经念佛，在大和尚的带领下做终结功德回向于往生至亲。
马来西亚宏慈佛教会祈愿在这疫情期间，佛弟子可表达孝思，为先人行善修福的同时，现世人亦可得平安，冥阳两利。
【Malaysia Maha Karuna Buddhist Society NEWSFEED 】 27 March 2021 | Qing Ming Dhamma Services Honoring The Departed One
April 4th (Sunday) is the Qing Ming Festival. On this day of commemoration of the ancestors, many peoples choose to go tomb-sweeping and worship at temples to express their memory of their ancestors.
At the same time, the annual Qing Ming Prayer and Puja in various Buddhist and Taoist temples will soon be held. In fact, Tomb Sweeping Day have nothing to do with Buddhism, but because Han Buddhism values filial piety and has the habit of commemorate ancestors. After Buddhism was introduced to China, Buddhism has become a religion that values much filial piety. Repaying one’s parents is most consistent with traditional Chinese filial piety. Many Buddhists go to the monastery for worshiping and recite the sutras, praying for their ancestors to have better destination with this merit.
“Buddhism says that after a person passes away, there will be a next life, which leads to good karma and bad karma in this life and reincarnation in the six realms. Therefore, after a person passes away, we will have the rest of our lives in the next life, and our remembrance of our ancestors is not purely a commemoration, but also to do good for the ancestors. Through filial piety, the merits of chanting, cultivating blessings, giving, and offering to the Buddha and Sangha will be returned to the ancestors, hoping that the ancestors can plant the roots of goodness, reborn in the perfect way. It will be brighter and a more beautiful future life.
For ourselves, in addition to expressing our gratitude to the departed relatives, we can also have bonding with sentient beings. Therefore, at the Qing Ming Festival, everyone will perform meritorious deeds in the name of the ancestors, which means that they hope that the ancestors can have a better future through the chanting of the venerable monks and the blessing of the Three Jewels. Based on the blessing power of the Three Jewels and the virtues of the Sangha’s precept and practice, we wish to pray for the prolonged longevity of our relatives in the present; or to dedicate to our ancestors, to reach a good destination, to plant good roots, to be freed from suffering and be blessed with ultimate happiness. Performing merits for the departed relatives in different ways is like sending a blessing, a greetings, or a gift in a different location. There are not too many blessings, thoughts or gifts, moreover it is planting good seeds and performing meritorious deeds.
The Ching Ming Festival is a festival to commemorate the ancestors. The Buddhist ceremonies held pujas to achieve the public’s will to fulfil filial piety. On the contrary, it is also the support of the public that makes the Qing Ming prayers & puja well organised and performed. One person participates in the puja with a small amount of energy, with the wholesome thoughts. Every good destiny has its own merit. Many Buddhist disciples will participate in the Qing Ming Prayer and Puja to dedicate merit to the past teachers and bless the deceased parents. The purpose is to accumulate more blessings for ancestors and make more benevolent bonds. For decades, it has been continued.
However, this year Qing Ming encountered the pneumonia epidemic. In response to the government’s call to reduce crowd gathering and social contact, the Malaysia Maha Karuna Buddhist Society did not hold any ground prayer ceremony for the purpose. The great monk, Chief Rev B. Sri Saranankara Maha Thero is compassionate to let the voluntary administrator team receive and sort out the name list from public, for sutras recitation and merit transference to the ancestors of the devotees. It is especially to let the devotees have no regrets, for those who live far away that not able to go to the temple for meritorious deeds in the name of the departed one or those unable to visit the graves.
Even so, devotees can still practice together through the network on the afternoon of April 11, 2021, chant sutras and reciting the sutras at home, and perform the final merits transference to the departed relatives under the guidance of the Chief Reverend B.Sri Saranankara.
The Malaysia Maha Karuna Buddhist Society hopes that during this epidemic, Buddhist disciples can express filial piety and commemorate their ancestors, and while doing good deeds for the ancestors, the the living sentient beings live in peace. Both are benefited.