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Dedicating Merit
AllbuddhaBound
Veteran
Where do you dedicate your merit to?
0
Comments
So I may become a Buddha and help others to the same grounds.
At the very least the dedication of merit is a reminder of the main motivation for practice.
Hard to make a merit system without having the blueprint.
merit is just the accumulation of virtuous action.
Rather than dedicating oneself to negative action or neutrality one is dedicated to working for the benefit of beings.
The dedication of merit at the end of a virtuous action ie dharma practice is a "seal" of sorts that reinforces ones motivation for practice.
The last thing we chant in our evening chanting session where I am is the dedication of merit chant.
Yup. Thats the ticket.
Its like an auspicious seal and reminder at the end of practice or other virtuous activities.
I'm rejoicing in your merit and discipline.
3:30 is early!
Before becoming a monk I was a harvest supervisor for many years and worked with eastern european students 5-6 months of the year.Often due to language barriers and alleged language barriers it could be quite a struggle getting fruit picked properly.I had to juggle keeping the farmer happy and my workers happy.If it wasn't for my buddhist practise I could have been another foul mouthed racist supervisor that all the pickers hated.I was told by one manager that if my workers did not hate me they would not respect me.I pointed out to him that hatred was not respect and he only had to look at the results of my guys to see the value of kindness.Often when my guys asked why I was not abusive like some other supervisors I then had the chance to talk about buddhism and how I wanted them all to be happy.
I have heard someone say "Mudita (rejoicing for others) is the lazy man's way to enlightenment". You can just lie in bed thinking how wonderful all the other practitioners are to get up so early and you share in the benefit.
All meditation is good; irrespective of tradition and/or lineage followed.
That being said, I am of the opinion that Buddhists need to be socially involved. So at some point, we need to get off the cushion and do something.
Eventually there should be no distinction between on the cushion and off.
Buddhism by its very nature is socially engaged. Directly encountering and overcoming the nature of suffering in the world is about as engaged as it gets.
No?
I think both are completely relevant and necessary.
I just like to emphasize that I think the practice we do on the cushion is "engaged Buddhism" as well.
yup.
Merit is dedicated generally to all sentient beings so that they will attain Buddhahood. When we dedicate merit, it is to put the merit to work to the highest purpose of all, so that we don't waste the merit. As long as the purpose is not fulfilled, merit will remain and continue to increase towards that. And also because this merit is locked in an aspiration for all beings to attain the highest perfected state, it will never diminish, just as a drop of water (your drop of merit) is merged into an ocean (all sentient beings' merit) can never dry up completely.
Merit can be destroyed when one:<O:p</O:p
1. Regrets the positive act later<O:p</O:p
2. Makes a negative/perverted dedication<O:p</O:p
3. Fails to dedicate the merit <O:p</O:p
4. One loses one's temper and get angry
If one does not dedicate the merit, merit ripens one time and is finished. But if one dedicates the merit for all beings to attain full liberation or Buddhahood then the merit increases never-endingly... In dedication prayers, we dedicate not only the present merit of our positive acts, but merits accumulated in the past, present and future by ourselves and all sentient beings... it is said that the act of dedication itself will also increase the strength of the merit.
<O:p</O:p
Also, the merit of one's acts depends on the motivation. If one's motivation is for one being, the magnitude of the merit is reflecting that of one being... and correspondingly if your motivation is for all beings, your merit is very vast. So if you are always practising and dedicating for all beings, your accumulation of merits will be very great.
Merit should be dedicated ideally with within the emptiness of the 3 spheres, ie. the dedicator is empty of inherent existence, sentient beings are empty of inherent existence, and the act of dedicating is empty of inherent existence. However, many people do not yet possess the realisation of emptiness so it is traditionally prescribed that one dedicates the merit "just as the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the past, present and future have, are dedicating and will be dedicating". This covers all the ground.
A short way to dedicate here:
(With folded hands, and in respect...)
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, please pay attention to me,
By all the merit accumulated in the past, present and future by myself and all sentient beings, may all sentient beings attain Buddhahood.
Just as the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the past, present and future have dedicated, are dedicating and will be dedicating, i dedicate this merit in the same way.
____
Nagajuna said that reciting these verses from the Avatamsaka sutra will be equivalent to reciting the entire chapter of the dedication. And it is one of the best dedication prayers that encapsulates all the wishes and dedications of all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas...
JAM PÄL PA WÖ JI TAR KHYEN PA DANG
Just as the brave Manjushri and Samantabhadra, too,
KÜN TU ZANG PO DE YANG DE ZHIN TE
Realized things as they are,
DE DAG KÜN GYI JE SU DAG LOB CHHIR
I, too, dedicate all these merits in the best way,
GE WA DI DAG THAM CHÄY RAB TU NGO
That I may follow their perfect example.
DÜ SUM SHEG PÄI GYÄL WA THAM CHÄY KYI
I dedicate all these roots of virtue
NGO WA GANG LA CHHOG TU NGAG PA DE
With the dedication praised as the best
DAG GI GE WÄI TSA WA DI KÜN KYANG
By the victorious ones thus gone of the three times,
ZANG PO CHÖ CHHIR RAB TU NGO WAR GYI
So I might perform good works.
Note that when reciting prayers of dedication or aspiration prayers, it is better to recite prayers composed by realised beings rather than making it up ourselves although it is also ok to do so. The reason is that compositions by realised beings and best by Buddha carry more blessings through their enlightened aspirations, realisations and bodhichitta. The higher the level of realisation of the composer, the greater the benefit of using his composition as a prayer.
This is a very important topic, so i wrote quite a lot to make it more complete explanation...
Thanks to those who do the same. I appreciate the merit.