How Buddhist Practitioners Dedicate Merit

If you can dedicate the merit daily, dedicate it as follows: With all the good roots, blessed virtues, and merits I have attained through studying and practicing the Dharma today, I dedicate them entirely to my parents and teachers throughout countless lifetimes; to all sentient beings whom I have intentionally killed, unintentionally killed, or mistakenly killed, harmed, consumed, or formed grudges with throughout kalpas; to all the ancestors and relatives in the paternal (surname) lineage; and to all the ancestors and relatives in the maternal (surname) lineage. May they eliminate karmic obstacles from past lives, increase their good roots, blessed virtues, and wisdom, swiftly establish a connection with the Buddha, encounter the Dharma early, and, with the blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, swiftly escape the lower realms, be reborn in a higher realm, or return to the human realm to study and practice the Mahayana Dharma together with me. May they enter the Buddhist path to practice swiftly, attain Bodhi quickly, be liberated from suffering and attain happiness, and achieve great liberation.

If you cannot dedicate the merit daily, you should dedicate it at least once a week. If dedicating once a month would be too long an interval, then dedicate all the merit accumulated from practice throughout that entire month. For a general dedication, dedicate all the merit and blessed virtues accumulated from studying Buddhism and practicing the Dharma in this present life, as well as the blessed virtues accumulated from studying and practicing the Dharma in past lives. If dedicating to a specific individual, add that person's name and dedicate the merit to them. For the deceased, dedicate the merit so they may swiftly escape the three lower realms, be reborn in a higher realm, encounter the Dharma, and diligently study and practice Buddhism. For those still living, dedicate the merit wishing for their good roots, blessed virtues, and wisdom to increase, based on their rightful and harmless needs.