Q&A 63. Performing life liberations

Q: I have been following Master Lu’s Guan Yin Citta Dharma Door for over two months now and I have experienced countless positive effects. I have even tried to perform life liberations twice. The first time, I released a large turtle and prayed to the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva to bless and protect me. I then recited the Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra several times before releasing it.
When I arrived home, I felt that I might have done something inappropriately. So I went online and searched for the ritual of performing life liberations, only to find that there are many versions. I picked one that seemed the most proper to me. Then I invited my family members to perform life liberation with me, but we spent a long time just doing the ritual and my family members lost patience. I was going to invite them to perform life liberation on the 1st and 15th days of every lunar month, but after that incident I do not dare to ask them again.
Since then, my plans for further life liberations have been put on hold. Without advice from Master Lu, I fear that I might have done it the wrong way. Hence, would Master Lu please advise us on how to perform life liberations correctly, so that beginners like us can follow it properly?

放生有什么功德？

放生是财布施、法布施、无畏布施，三施皆具，功德无量。放生带给我们最大的益处是消灾延寿。

Performing life liberations encompasses all three types of giving: the giving of wealth, the giving of Dharma, and the giving of fearlessness. Hence, it can help us attain immeasurable merits and virtues. The greatest benefits that we can receive from performing life liberations are the elimination of disasters and extension of our lifespans.

哪些人特别需要放生？

信佛的人、中老年人、年老多病的人、对父母孝顺的人。还有从事以下职业的人：厨工、厨师、人流医生、殡葬杵工、杀虫清洁工、鸡场猪场屠宰工等，要用经常放生来对冲，当然最好是找机会转业。

Those who particularly need to perform life liberations are: Buddhists, seniors and middle-aged people, elders with health problems, and people showing respect and care towards their parents, etc.
People in the following occupations should also perform life liberations frequently: kitchen staff, chefs, doctors who perform abortions, funeral and burial workers, pesticide and sanitation workers, slaughterhouse or abattoir workers/butchers, etc. to eliminate their acts of misconduct and negative karma. But it would be best to seek opportunities to change careers altogether.

放生的时间？

一年四季均可，但最好在求延寿人生日的那一天，或者迎新除旧、交替的年关，或者初一、十五、佛诞之日，或者是住院前、手术前、查出大病、刚出车祸等意外等劫数的日子。最好选择阳光明媚的白天，此时阳气最足，效果最佳，尽量避免晚上去放生。阴雨天也是可以放生的。

In regard to the time to perform life liberation: Any time throughout the year is suitable. For people who would like to pray for longevity, it is best to perform a life liberation on their birthday. Other significant dates include Chinese New Year’s Eve, when people bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, the 1st and 15th days of each lunar month, and the birthdays of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and so forth. Other suitable times to perform life liberations include the time when someone experiences their predestined calamities, such as prior to hospitalisation or a major operation, after being diagnosed with a severe illness, or after being involved in unfortunate incidents such as a car accident, etc.
To achieve the best results, it is best to choose a sunny day when Yang energy is at its peak. Avoid performing life liberations at night; however, cloudy or rainy days are fine during the daytime.

放生的动物最好选择：

容易被人食用的动物，如鱼、虾、螃蟹、蛤蜊等，其他动物只要是要被人杀死或吃掉的也是可以放生的。

It is best to release animals that are commonly consumed by humans, including fish, shrimp, prawns, crabs, clams, etc. Other animals that tend to be killed or eaten would also be suitable.

放生时要念经：

放生帮助消灾延寿，念经帮助护身，两样一起做效果最好。要去放生的路上就可以开始念经，念《大悲咒》最佳，念经前要说出自己名字：“请大慈大悲的观世音菩萨保佑我某某某消灾延寿，我一定再做更多的功德”，接着再念《大悲咒》，越多越好。代放生就说：“请大慈大悲的观世音菩萨保佑家人某某某消灾延寿……”。

You should recite sutras and mantras when you perform a life liberation. Performing a life liberation helps us to eliminate disasters and extend our lifespans; reciting mantras and sutras helps to protect us. For best results, it is suggested that you perform both together.
You can start reciting while on your way to the release site. It is best to recite the Great Compassion Mantra. Before you recite, you should state your full name: “May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless me, <your full name>, help me to eliminate disasters and extend my lifespan. I will continue accumulating more merits and virtues.” Then you can recite the Great Compassion Mantra, the more the better.
If you are performing life liberation on behalf of someone else, you can say, “May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless <full name>, help him/her to eliminate disasters and extend his/her lifespan.”

到了放生地点念经：

先对着天空三称“感恩南无大慈大悲救苦救难广大灵感观世音菩萨”，然后念《大悲咒》1遍、《心经》1遍、《七佛灭罪真言》7遍。放鱼入水之前要再说一遍：“某某某放生多少条或者多少斤（鱼或虾或其他动物），请大慈大悲的观世音菩萨保佑我某某某（或者家人某某某）消灾延寿……”放生时可以念《大悲咒》、《心经》、《往生咒》遍数不限，能多念点最好。把鱼放入水中，要轻起轻落，避免伤害到鱼。

Once you arrive at the release site, you can face the sky and say the following prayer three times, “I express my sincere gratitude to the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva”. Then you can recite the Great Compassion Mantra and Heart Sutra once each, and the Qi Fo Mie Zui Zhen Yan 7 times.
Just before you release the fish into the water, you can say the prayer once more, “<Full name> is releasing <number or total weight> of <fish, shrimp, or other creatures being released>. May the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva protect and bless <full name>, help <full name> to eliminate disasters and extend the lifespan of <full name>.” While you are releasing fish, you can also recite the Great Compassion Mantra, the Heart Sutra, and the Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra as many times as you like. The more the better. Be gentle when you release the fish into the water so that it will not cause them any harm.

放生前最好特别祈求菩萨说一句话：

如放生活动有秧（ying）种和污染问题，请南无大慈大悲救苦救难广大灵感观世音菩萨摩诃萨与护法神原谅。这样祈求是为了避免由于水质或物种方面不适应而造成的一些问题，比如水质污染、所放的鱼类不适合在此水域生存，或者水域中存在大鱼会吃小鱼等物种不融合的情况。对于明确知道周边有严重捕捞、淡水鱼不宜放在海水中（海水鱼不宜放在淡水中）等类情况，理应事先避免，选择合适的放生地点，以确保放生活动的圆满和如法。

Before performing life liberations, it is advisable to make the following plea to the Bodhisattva: “If there is an issue of pollution in the course of performing life liberation and if the fish released are freshly hatched, I beg for forgiveness from the Greatly Merciful and Greatly Compassionate Guan Yin Bodhisattva and Dharma Protectors.”
This is to prevent problems caused by the water quality or the unsuitability of species, such as the water is polluted, the fish released are not fit to live in the area, or there are larger fish eating up small fish. If you are well aware that there are large-scale fishing activities in the area or that fresh water fish are not fit to be released into sea water or vice versa, you should take preventive measures in advance by looking for a suitable place for the life liberation. This is to ensure that the life liberation is successful and appropriate.

如果放生时有鱼虾螃蟹等死去：

就要念《往生咒》超度，一般是每只虾3遍《往生咒》，每只螃蟹7遍《往生咒》，每条鱼7遍《往生咒》。

If any of the creatures to be released die during the life liberation, you need to recite the Amitabha Pure Land Rebirth Mantra to help the spirits of the deceased ascend to a higher spiritual realm. Generally, you need to recite 3 times for each shrimp or prawn, 7 times for each crab and 7 times for each fish that died.

放生的钱款：

最好用自己的钱，如果代替家人放生最好让家人自己拿钱放生。

It is best to use your own money to purchase the creatures to be released. If you are releasing on behalf of your family members, it is best to use their money to make the purchase.

如果是代别人放生：

具体还请参照《佛学问答108.有关代放生祈求的问题》

If you are performing the life liberation on behalf of someone else, please refer to Q&A 108: Performing life liberation on behalf of others for further details.

The Ritual of Performing Life Liberation

--- 以上内容排版、视听资料处理等如有不如理不如法的地方，请南无大慈大悲观世音菩萨和护法菩萨原谅！请各位师兄原谅！

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Performing Life Liberation with The Ritual 放生-附放生仪轨

Q&A 63. Performing life liberations

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