行持善法要在因上努力，果上随缘。

All the Buddhas in the past including Shakyamuni Buddha, after having aroused bodhicitta, had vowed to deliver all sentient beings to liberation before attaining Buddhahood themselves. Yet they have already attained Buddhahood while we still remain in samsara. Did all the Buddhas break their vows? No. The Buddhas’ vows were made out of their deep compassion for the sentient beings. By the supreme power of the grand vows, they were able to swiftly attain Buddhahood. Whereas the thought that is constantly being turned over in our minds is usually just our own welfare, which explains why we are still struggling in samsara as yet. This clearly demonstrates that the key to attaining Buddhahood rests squarely on nothing but one’s altruistic aspiration.

包括释迦牟尼佛在内的过去世无量的佛陀，在当初发菩提心的时候，都发誓要度化一切众生，当一切众生成佛之后自己才成佛。但在我们尚未成佛之时，他们却已经成佛了。这是什么原因呢？是不是释迦牟尼佛等违背了自己的誓言呢？不是。佛的悲心广大，所以这样发愿。也正因为他的发愿非常伟大、非常殊胜，所以才能很快成佛。而我们时时刻刻都在考虑一己私利，所以至今还在轮回里挣扎。由此可知，是否能够成佛，一切都取决于自己的发心。

Some people think that there are countless fish being sold at the markets and what they can buy is only a fraction of the total. Not even to buy out just one type of fish is possible, much less all the fish. They wonder how meaningful it is to continue liberating lives under the circumstances, and thereby become disenchanted.

有些人认为，鱼市场的生命多如恒河沙，我们买的只是其中小小的一部分，仅仅其中用于宰杀的泥鳅也是买不完的，这样的放生究竟有多大意义呢？所以就很失望。

The fact is that aspiring to save all the lives in the world is an impossible mission even for the Buddha who can only help those whose karma has ripened and are thus receptive to his teachings. To those with yet ripened karma, the Buddha is equally helpless. The same reasoning also applies to liberating living beings. For someone as wealthy as Indra, the ruler of gods, not even he could have bought and liberated all the beings there were. As there are an infinite number of sentient beings, it could be even beyond the Buddha’s reach sometimes to deliver beings from samsara，let alone what our limited ability can achieve. All we can do is to help other beings the best we know how.

想解救所有的生命，不要说我们，即使佛也无能为力。佛也只能度化有缘的众生，面对无缘的众生，佛也无可奈何。放生也是这样，即使你富如帝释天，也买不完所有的生命。因为众生是无边无际的，佛度化众生也有鞭长莫及的时候，我们就更不用说了。所以，只有尽自己的能力去帮助众生。

It is stated in the sutras that every participant in the liberation of living beings will gather the full amount of merit thereof. For example, if one hundred people were to kill one person, this bad karma would not be divided among the hundred but borne completely by each one. The same goes for virtuous deeds. If one hundred people were to set one life free, everyone would collect the whole merit of freeing one life, not just one percent of it. Over the years, we have freed billions of lives in this part of China and all the merit accumulated thus far belongs to every participant. Just liberating living beings is already an incredibly virtuous practice. When it is conducted together with unselfish motivation and proper dedication, it will garner even more inconceivable merit which undoubtedly can purify all our negative karma.

每一个参加放生的人，都能得到同样的善根，这在经书里有记载。譬如，我们一百个人去杀一个人，这个罪过不是我们一百个人分，而是每一个人都有杀一个人的完整罪过。行善也是这样。譬如说，一百个人去放一条生命，每一个人都有放一条生命的功德，而不是这一个功德由一百个人分。我们现在已经放了几个亿的生命，参加放生的每一个人都能得到这份功德。这种善法本身就不可思议，如果再加上如理如法地发心和回向，功德就更不可思议，一定能清净我们所有的罪业。