The dedication of merit at the end of a Buddhist service (at the temple, or home services) is a time-honored tradition, and you’ll see it in almost every Buddhist community in one form or another. In Japanese Buddhism, this dedicated of merit called ekō (回向) and you’ll often see it recited in more or less the same way:
This hymn, called the ekōku (回向句, “verses on dedication of merit”), ekōmon (回向文, “text on dedication of merit”) or ekōgé (回向偈, “hymn of dedication of merit”), depending on the particular Buddhist tradition, is attributed to the 7th century Chinese-Buddhist master Shan-dao (善導 613-681) and goes like so:1
| Chinese characters | Japanese-Romanization | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 願以此功徳 | Gan Ni Shi Ku Doku | May this good merit that I have accumulated… |
| 平等施一切 | Byo Do Se Is-Sai | Be offered equally with all beings… |
| 同発菩提心 | Do Hotsu Bo Dai Shin | That they may equally awaken the Bodhi Mind… |
| 往生安楽国 | O Jo An Rak-koku | And be reborn in the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha… |
An example of how this is sung or recited is here:
There are other versions to within Japanese Buddhism. A version used in Tendai is:
| Chinese characters | Romanization | Rough Translation1 |
|---|---|---|
| 願以此功徳 | Gan ni shi ku do ku | May this good merit that I have accumulated… |
| 普及於一切 | Fu gyu o is-sai | Be distributed to all beings |
| 我等與衆生 | Ga to yo shu jo | So that we may all walk this path |
| 皆共成佛道 | Kai gu jo butsu do | And equally attain the Buddha Way. |
Interestingly, in 2025, I found a similar version from Nanzenji Temple in Kyoto, Japan (a Rinzai Zen temple), that has a similar dedication of merit verse, but the pronunciation of the Chinese characters is much more Sinified (Chinese-style):2
| Chinese characters | Romanization | Rough Translation1 |
|---|---|---|
| 願以此功徳 | Gen ni su kun te | May this good merit that I have accumulated… |
| 普及於一切 | Fu gyu o i shii | Be distributed to all beings |
| 我等與衆生 | Go ten ni shun san | So that we may all walk this path |
| 皆共成佛道 | Kai kyu jin bu do | And equally attain the Buddha Way. |
Interestingly, you will also see hymns for the dedication of merit in Chinese Buddhism as well, though with more elaborate lyrics (I found multiple versions online) where it is called the Huí Xiàng Jì (回向偈):
Anyhow, the dedication of merit and its various hymns encompass the Mahayana-Buddhist notion that we’re all in this together. Just as one person awakens the bodhi mind and wishes to share with others, hopefully others will benefit from this too.
Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
1 Some Buddhist traditions in Japan translate this into a more native text, using flowery liturgical language, but the meaning is basically the same.
2 It’s also possible that these are both Chinese pronunciations but from different eras of Chinese history. Tendai was imported during the Tang Dynasty and Zen during the Song and Yuan dynasties. A lot can change in 400-500 years.
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