四、此道中有超拔亡魂之事，不知怎樣說法？古者佛規，一子成道，九祖超升。

四、此道中有超拔亡魂之事，不知怎樣說法？

古者佛規，一子成道，九祖超升。

4. How is Dao transmitted to souls of the deceased ancestors?

In the ancient times, the rule set by God was that if a person attains Buddhahood, nine generations of ancestors could transcend from the Underworld and the cycle of birth and death.

 

當初開普渡時，無極中定例，渡生不渡死，後來蒙三官大帝，地藏古佛，懇乞鴻恩，纔准陰陽齊渡，因而立下佛院，以候超拔。得道歸空者，候期定位，功德兼修者，取入超等，功德不及者，轉生再修，或降福地，以享宏福。

Initially, when Dao was allowed to spread universally, God would only permit Dao be transmitted to the living, not the deceased. Subsequently, San-Guan-Da-Di (Deity Emperor of Heaven, Deity Emperor of Earth, and Deity Emperor of Water) and Di-Zang Buddha (Ksitigarbha Buddha) begged for mercy, and God granted their request. After then both the living and the deceased can receive Dao. From then on, the Lecture Hall of the Underworld was established for the souls of the deceased to listen to the lectures of Buddha’s and to wait for the livings to bring Dao to them. Once the descendants of the deceased bring Dao to the deceased, the souls can ascend to the Monastery of Heaven and wait for a position. If the descendants accumulate enough merits and achieve good virtues, the souls of the deceased are ranked in the upper echelon. If the descendants do not accumulate enough merits or do not have good virtues, the souls will be sent back to the mortal world and either be born again so they get a new chance to practice Dao or be born again to enjoy a good life.

夫孝，有凡聖之分別。世俗之孝，生事以禮，死葬以禮，祭祀以禮，不過將為子者之心盡到，就算完了，然而不能消解父母之罪愆，脫出輪迴，得以不在張門之子，李門為婦，所以這種孝，是小孝。

Xiaodao can be divided into two categories. The first one is the Xiaodao of the ordinary, and the second is the Xiaodao of the Saint. To serve one’s parents with propriety for as long as they live, to bury one’s parents with propriety upon their death, and to pay respects with propriety in remembrance ceremonies fulfills the Xiaodao responsibility of a descendant. However, this type of Xiaodao can’t redeem parents’ sins relieve them from the cycle of birth and death, so the parents will be born again.  Thus, this kind of Xiaodao is minor.

如有真心孝子，追想劬勞難報之恩，欲超拔父母者，非修道不可。

For those who are sincere about Xiaodao, which would like to repay the parents for their loves and nurtures, and who would like to redeem their parents from the cycle of birth and death, they must practice Dao.