Merit-making & Transference of Merit: Are we getting it right?
by Aik Theng Chong, The Buddhist Channel, Nov 11, 2011
Singapore -- Venerable Ajahn Chah in his article, ‘Making the Heart Good’ said:

"These days, people are going all over the place looking for merit. And they always seem to stop over in Wat Pah Pong. If they don't stop over on the way, they stop over on the return journey. Wat Pah Pong has become a stop-over point. Some people are in such a hurry I don't even get a chance to see or speak to them. Most of them are looking for merit. I don't see many looking for a way out of wrongdoing. They're so intent on getting merit they don't know where they're going to put it. It's like trying to dye a dirty, unwashed cloth….."

What really is this ‘merit’ that is so desirable that so many Buddhists seem to be so earnestly chasing after to perform and accumulate?

'Punna or Merit' means that which has a prolonging effect on our existence. It is brought forth by karmic fruition and is carried into a person’s future lives as well. Such accumulated merits do also contribute to a person’s spiritual growth towards liberation and in accordance to the law of moral causation is conducive to the future
happiness of the doer. The thing about merit is that, no matter how good the acts done to accumulate it, it will still keep us in the cycle of samsara, the world of suffering. In contrast, wholesome acts is what brings us out of suffering onto liberation as it leads to clearing the mind of wrong mental actions, such as thoughts of covetousness, ill will and wrong views.

Let’s look specifically at what the Suttas have to say on the subject of Merit.

In the Itivuttaka: The Group of Threes - Iti 51: Ground for merit-making is mentioned as the practices of giving, moral cultivation and meditation and resulting in long-lasting bliss, a mind of good-will and the wise reappear in a world of bliss unalloyed.

AN8.36 Punnakiriyavatthu Sutta: Ground for merit-making is the same as in Iti 51 above, the practices of Giving, moral virtue and meditation and Resulting in happiness, calm conduct, should cultivate lovingkindness and the wise is reborn into a happy trouble free world

AN8.39 Abhisanda Sutta - Rewards of Merits: This Sutta mentioned the ‘Taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha’ and the practice of the ‘Five Precepts of not Killing, Stealing, Illicit Sex, False Speech and use of Intoxicant as the ground of merit-making. The rewards are listed as; reward of skillfulness, nourishment of happiness, celestial, resulting in happiness, leading to heaven, leading to what is desirable, pleasurable, & appealing; to welfare & to happiness. And also gains a share in limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, and freedom from oppression.

MN61 Ambalatthika Rahulovada Sutta: This Sutta emphasizes body, speech and mind as the observances of merit. It also states that, if actions of body, speech and mind does not bring trouble and unpleasantness to oneself and other than it is merit.

Actions of body, speech and mind would refer to the performance of the ten good deeds of: Not killing, stealing, sexual misconduct of the Body. No lying, double-tongued, abusive, irresponsible speech of the 4 kinds of unwanted Speech and No greed, hatred and delusion referring to the Mind

SN1.47 Vanaropa Sutta - Discourse on the Merit Gained in Planting Groves: “They who plant orchards and gardens, who plant groves, who build bridges, who set up sheds by the roadside with drinking water for the travellers, who sink wells or build reservoirs, who put up various forms of shelter for the public, are those in whom merit grows by day and by night”.

The merit from all the deeds mentioned here is of a lasting nature in the sense that whenever these deeds are recalled in the minds of the donors merit is gained. They are the people that are established in the Dhamma, that are endowed with morality and that are bound for the deva realms."

Khp8 Nidhi Kanda - The Reserve Fund: “When a man or woman has laid aside a well-stored fund of giving, virtue, restraint, & self-control, with regard to a shrine, the Sangha, a fine individual, guests, mother, father, or elder sibling: That's a well-stored fund. It can't be wrested away. It follows you along. When, having left this world, for wherever you must go, you take it with you. This fund is not held in common with others, & cannot be stolen by thieves”.

In SN3.4 Piya Sutta - Dear: “Both the merit & evil that you as a mortal perform here: that's what's truly your own, what you take along when you go; that's what follows behind you like a shadow that never leaves. So do what is admirable, as an accumulation for the future life. Deeds of merit are the support for beings when they arise in the other world”.

SN3.17 Appamada Sutta - Heedfulness: “For one who desires long life, health, beauty, heaven, & noble birth, — lavish delights, one after another — the wise praise heedfulness in performing deeds of merit”.

MN117 Mahācattārīsaka Sutta - The Great Forty: Here the Buddha points out that Right view is of two sorts: There is right view with effluents, partaking of merit, resulting in the acquisitions of becoming; and there is the noble right view, without effluents, supramundane, a factor of the path which together with the remaining
seven factors of the Noble Eightfold Path leads to the eventual cessation of suffering.

The above Suttas’ teaching are directed more at lay Buddhists and preaches the acts of giving, moral virtues and mental cultivation as the main bases for the making and accumulation of merit. Giving is considered to be a good starting point as it creates goodwill amongst beings. Moral virtues is the keeping of the five precepts, and when these two bases are coupled with the practice of the ‘recollection of charity and virtue’ joy and happiness arises in the mind which is conducive to mental concentration in the third ground for merit – meditation.

Merit-making is a Buddhist concept, and not surprisingly we find in MN 8.39, taking the three refuges is also considered as one of the base for merit-making. In SN1.47 the benefit in the building of basic infrastructure that benefit a great numbers people and which lessen the hardship and suffering for those who are most in need of it, is considered a very fruitful act of giving.

The rewards coming from merit-making are numerous and varied, from happiness, long life, good health, beauty, a share in limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression, noble rebirth, rebirth in heaven etc.

The below three Suttas are directed more for Novice monks and for One who are already Ordained.

In MN99 Subha Sutta - To Subha: It is a discourse directed for the basic training of novice monk - Truth, Asceticism, Celibacy, Dharma recitation and Renunciation are listed as the “five duties for the making of merit”. It is stated as a prescription not just for merit-making but also for accomplishing the wholesome.

Samnamndiká Sutta: Bodily actions, verbal actions and a pure livelihood are observances for merit. They arise in the mind and minds are various and different. The minds without greed, anger and delusion are the varied and different minds. Thus observances of merit start here.

The Bhikkhu who is endowed with right understanding, right thoughts, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right endeavor, right mindfulness, right concentration, right knowledge and right release of one gone beyond the training, endowed with these ten things, I declare is the most skilled perfect recluse with the highest merit.

MN1.9 Sammaadi.t.thisutta.m - Right View: This Sutta also mention the practice of the five precepts, including the abstaining from coveting, not bearing an angry mind and right view as merit, with the roots of merit as non-greed, non-hate and non-delusion.

It speaks more in term of the performance of wholesome acts which would brings the noble one out of suffering onto liberation as it leads to clearing the mind of wrong mental actions, such as thoughts of covetousness, ill will and wrong views.