Chapter Nine : Sending on Spirits in Transition 31

Sŏ Taewon asked, “Can a spirit that receives deliverance really understand the dharma instruction of sending on the spirit?” The Founding Master said, “Some spirits understand and some don’t. However, rather than the deceased spirit understanding the sermon as it is given and then attaining awakening, what occurs more commonly is that the meritorious energy expended on behalf of that spirit becomes the cause of deliverance without the spirit even knowing it. It is like a fly that cannot travel a thousand li, but if it attaches itself to a horse that can gallop a thousand li, it will go that far without even knowing it. In the same way, through those causes and conditions, the spirit will gradually discover an affinity with dharma.”