THE TRANSFER OF MERIT
ON THE BODHISATTVA
PATH TO FULL BUDDHAHOOD
Ozmo Hyonjin Piedmont, Ph.D.
The transfer of merit is a valuable
tool and practice on the road to full Buddhahood. In the practice of Buddhism, the tradition of
transferal of merit is performed throughout the world as a way of benefiting
both one’s deceased relatives as well as helping others who are still
living. Since the consequences of karma
return to each individual, how can merit be transferred from one person to
another? What is actually being
transferred? Does it alter the karma of
the other person? What kind of benefits
does it bring for the giver and the receiver?
How
to define merit? Alexander Berzin (1999)
in his essay “The Buddhist Concept of Merit: Does Happiness Need to be Earned?”
discusses the misconception that many in the West have regarding the word
merit. In English the term “merit” has
an implication of something one wins, like a merit badge, through effort and
points and recognition. It is a goal
that once reached provides certain entitlements to the one who has put in the
effort to make and then transfer the merit.
However, it is his opinion that this understanding of merit is rather
immature, and does not really give an accurate definition. Another aspect of merit can be seen in the
German equivalent “verdienst” which implies that which is earned through effort
and deserves to be experienced, as a right or entitlement, in this case a right
to happiness through the work one puts into the good act. He shows that happiness perhaps is not just a
passively experienced emotion that is one’s right, but rather it has to be
worked for and earned through effort.
Nevertheless, these two terms still miss a certain deeper meaning of merit
that is more precisely expressed in the original Sanskrit and mirrored in the
Tibetan term. In these languages, merit
is understood as acting constructively to manifest what Berzin calls “positive
potentials” or “positive forces” that lie dormant within the minds of each
individual. As we act constructively, we
create a network of positive potentials that will result in happiness. He says that we are actually engaging our will
to create the motivation to do good things so as to experience more happiness.
In other words, we want to be happy, so we are doing good things so as to earn
happiness and a better rebirth. What is
required is motivation to do good, the commitment to actually do something good,
and the faith that doing something good will have positive consequences. In this way, we strengthen our positive
potentials, which are aspects of our Buddha Nature, qualities free from desire,
anger, and confusion. When we strengthen
our Buddha Nature potential qualities, they work better. Berzin says it’s like an electrical system
with lots of tubes and wires which when strengthened, allows the energy to flow
better. This has an impact on our mental
continuum, since we experience ourselves as having done constructive actions
based on constructive intents, which makes one feel good about oneself, and
influences one’s future actions from this positive perspective. This creates
more positive tendencies in us, or positive habits and attitudes, a preference
to do good, which gives us more and more potential to create circumstances that
will lead to deeper insights into Dharma and more possibility to remove the
causes of suffering in our lives.
In
fact, any success one experiences in this life, according to Tibetan teachings
of Kenpo Kartha Rinpoche is his article “The Two Accumulations of merit, Karma
Triyana Dharmachakra” (2012), is a direct result of merit accumulated in a
previous life. The accumulation of merit makes the spiritual realization of
Buddhahood much quicker. He outlines
three objects of merit in relation to one’s own spiritual development:
superior, ordinary, and inferior. The superior object includes all spiritually
advanced beings, such as the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and we receive unlimited
benefits and immediate benefits by making offerings to them. The ordinary object is toward someone that is
at our same level of development spiritually, as in the case of our parents,
who from a Tibetan Buddhist perspective, deserve veneration for giving us the gift
of life, and the kindness in caring for us as we grew and matured. The inferior object of directing merit is to
those that are suffering, in pain and fear, helpless and powerless. Transferring merit to these later groups will
bring benefit in the future; perhaps bring the giver a better rebirth, as well
as the receiver the potential to be reborn in a more beneficial state.
But
what is really being transferred? The
monk Bhante (2012) insists that nothing is really being transferred at
all. It’s like sending a birthday card
of blessings and good thoughts to someone.
The receiver of the card receives it, feeling good about being remembered,
and rejoices for the thoughts and blessings sent by the other person. A deceased person, likewise, is believed to
be still present for several days after his or her death. Being still aware of the relatives that have
been left behind, when a charitable work or deed is done in the decease’s name,
upon announcing to others the accomplishment and dedication to the deceased,
the deceased feels joy and an improved state of mind, which is particularly
important if the decease died unhappy or in difficult state of mind, say as a
result of suicide or murder.
The
Venerable Agacitta (2007) in his article “Merits – can they be transferred?” echoes
this understanding, asserting that when we do good acts, others that witness
these acts rejoice and in that witnessing and rejoicing there is benefit for
the receiver of the merit as well as for the giver of merit, who feels good in
the giving. He cites evidence for this
in the Kaladana Sutra, which indicates that when one offers some service or
gives food or money, those that witness this offering, though they have not
directly participated, still equally receive as much merit as the doer through
their witnessing and rejoicing for the act.
Another scripture he cites, the Nandamatta Sutta (AN 7:53) also affirms that one can transfer
merit to another, through the story of the mother of Nanda who was chanting
suttas aloud when a king passed by. He
rejoices at this, and asks her to prepare a feast for the monks and disciples
of Buddha, Sariputta and Moggallana, who would be arriving the next day, and to
dedicate the merit of this kindness to him, the king. The next day, the mother does as she was
asked, and relates to the disciples what had happened and the transferal of
merit requested. Since the monks did not
object, it is assumed that this request was legitimate and acceptable in the
transferal of merit.
According to the Rev. Jisho Perry (2004) in
his article “Transfer of Merit” much depends upon the original motivation of
the doer in the accumulation and transferal of merit. He compares it to a story of a banana peel
left in the road. The first person that
passes it pays no attention; therefore, there is no reward. The second person, with the intent of doing
good in order to get a reward in the future, removes the peel from the
road. This person is later born in a
less fortunate state as a consequence.
The third person is a child, who unconsciously kicks the banana peel
aside, is saved from being struck by a tumbling stone along this same path in a
future life. Finally, a sage comes along
and removes the peel without thought of reward or punishment, just doing what
needs to be done at that moment. Perry
highlights this act as having the highest spiritual benefit.
How
does one measure merit in its transferal to others? The Pali Canon relates that the Buddha
identified three bases of merit: giving, virtue, and mental development
(Wikipedia 2012). The monk Thera (2012)
shows that merit is generated through the body, speech or the mind, which can
be transferred to the living or the dead through just wishing it so, or by
accompanying it with words or formulas of dedication to make the transferal of
merit to another. However, it is necessary that the receiver is aware of, and
approves of the act, which generates joy in his or her heart.
The “Sutra of
The Great Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva” states that one can actually transfer
1/7 of the merit of an act one has performed to the decease loved one in order
to diminish their suffering in their new life (“Merit”, Wikipedia, 2012). The idea is that upon death, the merits and
demerits of the deceased are weighed and they determine the future rebirth of
the deceased in either a happy state or a realm of woe (Thera, 2012). Such an
act of transfer actually improves the beneficial consequences of a good karmic
act to the doer also, with no diminishment being experienced by the doer of the
good act at all. Apparently, in China
there is even a merit ledger that quantifies the amount of merit needed to
offset bad karma (Wikipedia, 2012). Through various acts, both lay devotees and
monks can earn merit that will improve one’s future birth, and which can be
transferred to the deceased or the living alike. These acts include: honoring
others, offering service, involving others in good deeds, being thankful of
others’ good deeds, listening to teachings, instructing others in teachings,
and straightening one’s own views in relation to the teachings (Wikipedia,
accessed 2012).
The offering of
merit to the deceased is normally done at either their cremation or at certain
holidays in the year. At the cremation,
the members of the deceased family usually make voluntary donations of alms to
the bhikkhus. This is done before the
corpse is taken out of the house for cremation.
It is considered the highest gift one can make to the departed by the
family. While one is engaged in this
almsgiving or service, one should recollect the good deeds of the departed with
appreciative praise, recalling how they led a simple and moral life, and were
very spiritual and devoted to the family (Ratnasinghe, Transfer of Merit to
departed, 2001).
At the funeral
of the deceased, one traditionally performs a ceremony of pouring water from
one vessel to another while repeating a magic formula, which Thera (2012)
states has its origins in the Hindu Vedic religion. The formula consists of repeating the
following:
As river, when
full must flow
and reach and fill the distant main,
So indeed what is given here will
reach and bless the spirits there.
As water poured on mountain top must
soon descend and fill the plain
So indeed what is given here will reach
and bless the spirits there.
and reach and fill the distant main,
So indeed what is given here will
reach and bless the spirits there.
As water poured on mountain top must
soon descend and fill the plain
So indeed what is given here will reach
and bless the spirits there.
(Nidhikanda Sutta in Khuddakapatha)
However, Thera also emphasizes that
it is not enough to just donate money, but rather, one must do something of
true value for others, like building schools, temples, orphanages, libraries,
and hospitals, or printing religious books for free distribution, or doing
charitable deeds in general. All of this
is done in the memory of the deceased.
In
many countries, such as China ,
Korea , Japan ,
and Singapore ,
the deceased is further offered merit regularly at the Festival of Hungry
Ghosts, called the Ullumbana ceremony, which is celebrated after the rainy
season retreat. The monk Gnanarama (2012) says that this festival is to develop
a sympathetic attitude toward the deceased.
It is based on the teachings of the Buddha in the Ullumbana Sutta, when
his disciple Arahat Maha Mogallana relates his awareness that his mother is
suffering terribly due to bad karma, resulting in her being born as a hungry
ghost. The Buddha, in an attempt to both
help the suffering mother, as well as to alleviate the worry and concern of the
past 7 generations of her family, instructs Mogallana to make offerings of
food, fruits, incense, oils, candles, beds and bedding. The emphasis here is on filial piety, a high
value and virtue in Eastern culture. The
Theravada Tirokuda Sutta places great emphasis on the fact that the departed
relatives are awaiting the transferal of the merits of the living relatives to
improve their pathetic conditions. One
therefore undertakes religious practice for the benefit of the departed, which
also benefits the living relative, too.
Monks
can likewise earn merit through meditation, mindfulness, chanting and ritual
(Wikipedia, 2012). In fact, on his or
her path to Buddhahood, the monk is encouraged to give away everything, which
is found in various forms within the ten bhumis or stages to developing oneself
as a Bodhisattva and becoming a full Buddha as found in the Tibetan tradition
as expounded by Atisha and Kamalashila.
In his book Mahayana Buddhism: The
Doctrinal Foundations (2009: 187-208) Paul Williams shows how the
practitioner must manifest giving at several stages. From the very beginning, one undertakes the
Bodhisattva path as a way to benefit and help all other sentient beings of the
universe. In this way, all that one gains
in terms of merit through practice is constantly given away or dedicated to the
welfare, awakening, and liberation of all other beings. In this sense, all that one attains of merit
must be given away for the benefit of all others. Giving is a perfection given high value to be
initiated and developed at the beginning joyous stage 1, learning to give with
an unattached mind all material goods, wealth, food, life, limb, and even one’s
wife and children. One proceeds through
the stages to Buddhahood dedicating all kinds of perfections for the benefit of
others, such as purified paths of action abstaining from negative acts in stage
2. One likewise dedicates to others and
gains merit by teaching others moral and ethical behavior and modeling these
qualities. In the luminous stage 3, one
renounces comfort, accepting and putting up with hardship and misery for the
benefit of others. In the following stage 4 one is learning and dedicating all
kinds of purifications, perfections and powers for the welfare of others, as
well as, learning the secular arts, such as Math, Medicine, Music, and History
in stage 5. In stage 6, that of
approaching, one renounces personal salvation for the benefit of all others,
choosing to stay in the world, and entering non-abiding, unrestrictive Nirvana
instead. It is interesting that even
after this important stage, comes a deeper level of fully giving in stage 7
entitled “Gone Afar.” It is in this
fully giving of one’s whole self that one becomes destined to become a full
Buddha. Unlike other lower forms of
transferal of merit for the benefits one may accrue, in stage 8 of the
immovable, one does not strive for or desire anything; therefore the fruits of
giving and merit are not even sought.
One gives simply because it is what one does, and there is a joy in the
giving that transcends the giver, the giving, and the receiver of the
gift. It is also interesting that in
stage 9 of Good Intelligence, one perfects analytical skills, such as dharmas,
meaning, grammar and exposition, which at this late stage, one dedicates
oneself to becoming a master of grammar and a good preacher that can answer and
respond to all questions put forth. This
all leads now to the final stage of full consecration by all the Buddha and
Bodhisattvas that one is now a Buddha with the capacity of infinite
manifestations in unlimited forms to help all beings to be liberated from
suffering. But the ultimate form of
merit gained and giving is in the realization that there was nothing to gain or
give in the first place, that all is empty, and all is already a Buddha and
always was a Buddha. It is in giving up
all conceptualizations to begin with that one comes to realize fully one’s true
nature in the Dharmakaya of the really real.
The path began begins with the simple thought of kindness toward a
dearly departed family member. Our
motivation and effort deepens as we dedicate our efforts to constructing
charitable works and announcing to others these works being dedicated to the
deceased. The joy this creates for all
present, the family, the community, as well as the deceased witnessing these
gestures, brings further development on the path to Buddhahood. This all lays the foundations for an attitude
that becomes the foundation for the aspiration to become a bodhisattva to truly
dedicate one’s entire being to serving and helping all sentient beings. In this attitude that become deeper and more
pure in time through diligence and practice, one learns the true meaning of
giving, in that one is free of ego concerns, identifying oneself through
empathy and compassion, with the needs of others, discovering one’s true
identity as a Buddha manifesting itself through these acts of kindness
throughout the universe.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Agacitta, Ven. (2007). Dhamma talk.
“Merits – can they be transferred?”
Accessed
May 25, 2012
transferred.html
Berzin, Alexander. (1999). “The
Buddhist Concept of Merit: Does Happiness Need to be
Earned?” The
Berzin Archives: Munich Germany .
Accessed May 25, 2012
e/karma/buddhist_concept_of_merit.html
Bhante Shravasti Dhammika. (2012) “Transfer
of Merit.” The Buddha Dhamma
Mandala Society:
Singapore .
Accessed
May 25, 2012
Gnanarama, Ven. Dr. P. (2012) “Ullambana: A Day of
Remembrance and Merit-
Transfer.”
Accessed May 25, 2012 .
http://www.4ui.com/eart/160eart2.htm
Kartha, Kenpo Rinpoche. (2012) “The Two Accumulations of merit:
Merit and Wisdom”.
Karma Triyana
Dharmachakra: Woodstock , N.Y.
Accessed
May 25, 2012
Perry, Rev. Jisho. (2004).
“Transfer of Merit” Edmonton Buddhist Meditation Group.
Ratnasinghe, Aryadasa. (2001).
“Transfer of Merit to Departed.”
http://www.lakehouse.lk/budusarana/2001/11/14/Budu01.pdf
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