Wisdom Quarterly edit of Wikipedia entry "Merit"
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The best merit contributes to one's growth towards liberation (nirvana,
moksha, full emancipation). But it is generally useful and welcome however it manifests.
Merit can be gained in a number of ways. Before the Buddha's time, it was customary to pray and make vows (deals). Others chanted
Brahminical-style mantras and engaged in unprofitable rites and rituals:
According to a latter day Mahayana Buddhist invention, the
Sutra of the Great Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, one can "transfer" 1/7th of the merit of an act performed to a deceased loved one such as in the
Shitro practice in order to diminish the deceased's suffering in his or her rebirth.
"Transferring" merit
is possible but not in the way we might imagine.
IF one makes merit then "shares" it by offering it for the benefit of relatives (which extend seven generations back) not able by their circumstances to perform very many
profitable deeds,
AND those relatives approve of such deeds,
MERIT is produced by their approval. It is actually their own doing with the help of the living.
The extent of their merit is measured by the meritoriousness of the deed of which they approve (commend, laud, rejoice, and delight in).
Giving to the noble Sangha or the Buddha or giving the gift of the Dharma (Dharma-dana) is superior karma most beings in the universe do not have access to and of which few have knowledge.
Beings able to receive this transfer of merit is limited, but it is possible. And it is meritorious to offer. Shakespeare's ghost writer was right when he borrowed someone else's observation noting that mercy does not dissipate by being expressed; it is only strengthened:
The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
'Tis mightiest in the mightiest....
(Wm. Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice)
Transferring Merit
Pariṇāmanā is a Sanskrit term that may be translated as "transfer of merit" or "dedication." It involves helping others by generating merit then sharing it and thereby accruing even more as a result of having shared. The recipient to whom it is dedicated then has the opportunity to also generate merit IF s/he approves of the deed.
As humans we need never feel jealous or envious of others' accrual of good deeds, their riches of merit. Instead by approving, applauding, and rejoicing in them, we generate profitable mental karma based on the strength of their good. Our commendation and happiness for them, as well as the special strength of the deed(s) we are approving, enriches us. Unlike limited resources -- gold, greenbacks, oil, wage slaves, precious gems -- merit is a boundless fountain of happiness.
Sadly, the same goes for unprofitable karma: Often without realizing it we approve and applaud, sometimes silently at heart, karmically unwholesome deeds. One example is the death penalty. Or we celebrate the mistreatment or killing of others we have labelled "enemies" and members of other groups we distinguish ourselves from.
Rejoicing in the foolish misbehavior of others (violating precepts, holding to wrong views, encouraging actions motivated by greed, aversion, and delusion) brings us harm. This is mental karma bearing a mental resultant and later coming to fruition as miserable outward circumstances.
In fact, merely suggesting or praising or encouraging that one kill another (e.g., abort) or commit suicide -- if that person then does it -- makes us co-guilty of the action from a karmic standpoint.
Three Bases of Merit
There are three bases of merit. In the "Meritorious Deeds" sutra (
AN 8.36, A 8.4.6), the Buddha identifies them:
And in the "Chanting Together" sutra (
DN 33, Verse 38),
Sariputra identifies the same three.
In the
Khuddaka Nikaya's
Itivuttaka (Iti. 1.22), these bases are defined as: giving, self-mastery, and refraining. In the same discourse the three are restated as: giving, a serene life of mental calm, and a mind of good-will (
metta, universally extended friendship).
More Merit
Buddhist monastics accrue merit through
Buddhist meditation (developing karmically profitable qualities),
mindfulness (staying aware of the present moment), sustained contemplation (
anussati), wise reflection (
yoniso manasikara) while
chanting sutras, personal restraint, higher virtue, preserving the Dharma for the human world, teaching the Dharma for the benefit of all beings, and practicing in accordance with the Dharma for the sake of liberation of oneself
and others. It is not either-or, it is both.
A post-canonical commentary elaborates on the three bases of merit (D.III,218) by stating that
lay practitioners can make merit by performing seven other actions:
- honoring others
- offering service
- inviting and involving others in skillful deeds
- rejoicing, being thankful, and appreciative for others' good deeds
- listening or studying the Dharma
- instructing others in the Dharma
- straightening one's own views in accordance with the Dharma (ditthujukamma).
