Puñña: Merit
A blessing: friends when the need arises.
A blessing: contentment with whatever there is.
Merit at the ending of life is a blessing.
A blessing: the abandoning of all suffering
& stress.
A blessing in the world:
reverence to your mother.
A blessing: reverence to your father as well.
A blessing in the world:
reverence to a contemplative.
A blessing: reverence for a brahmin, too.
A blessing into old age is virtue.
A blessing: conviction established.
A blessing: discernment attained.
The non-doing of evil things is
a blessing. — Dhp 331–333
This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “Monks, don’t be afraid of acts of merit. This is another way of saying what is blissful, desirable, pleasing, endearing, charming—i.e., acts of merit. I am cognizant that, having long performed meritorious deeds, I long experienced desirable, pleasing, endearing, charming results. Having developed a mind of good will for seven years, then for seven aeons of contraction & expansion I didn’t return to this world. Whenever the aeon was contracting, I went to the realm of Streaming Radiance. Whenever the aeon was expanding, I reappeared in an empty Brahma-abode. There I was the Great Brahman, the Unconquered Conqueror, All-seeing, & Wielder of Power. Then for thirty-six times I was Sakka, ruler of the devas. For many hundreds of times I was a king, a wheel-turning emperor, a righteous king of Dhamma, conqueror of the four corners of the earth, maintaining stable control over the countryside, endowed with the seven treasures*—to say nothing of the times I was a local king. The thought occurred to me: ‘Of what action of mine is this the fruit, of what action the result, that I now have such great power & might?’ Then the thought occurred to me: ‘This is the fruit of my three [types of] action, the result of three types of action, that I now have such great power & might: i.e., generosity, self-control, & restraint.’”
Train in acts of merit
that bring long-lasting bliss—
develop generosity,
a life in tune,
a mind of good will.
Developing these
three things
that bring about bliss,
the wise reappear
in a world of bliss
unalloyed.
*NOTE: The seven treasures are a divine wheel, an ideal jewel, an ideal elephant, an ideal horse, an ideal wife, an ideal treasurer, an ideal counselor.
Here he rejoices
he rejoices hereafter.
In both worlds
the merit-maker rejoices.
He rejoices, is jubilant,
seeing the purity
of his deeds.
Be quick in doing
what’s admirable.
Restrain your mind
from what’s evil.
When you’re slow
in making merit,
evil delights the mind. — Dhp 116
Even the evil
meet with good fortune
as long as their evil
has yet to mature.
But when it’s matured
that’s when they meet
with evil.
Even the good
meet with bad fortune
as long as their good
has yet to mature.
But when it’s matured
that’s when they meet
with good fortune.
Don’t be heedless of evil
(‘It won’t come to me’).
A water jar fills,
even with water
falling in drops.
With evil—even if
bit
by
bit,
habitually—
the fool fills himself full.
Don’t be heedless of merit
(‘It won’t come to me’).
A water jar fills,
even with water
falling in drops.
With merit—even if
bit
by
bit,
habitually—
the enlightened one fills himself full. — Dhp 119–122
This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “There are these three grounds for meritorious activity. Which three? The ground for meritorious activity made of generosity, the ground for meritorious activity made of virtue, and the ground for meritorious activity made of development [meditation]. These are the three grounds for meritorious activity.”
Train in acts of merit
that bring long-lasting bliss—
develop generosity,
a life in tune,
a mind of good will.
Developing these
three things
that bring about bliss,
the wise reappear
in a world of bliss
unalloyed. — Iti 60
This was said by the Blessed One, said by the Arahant, so I have heard: “I have seen beings who—endowed with bodily good conduct, verbal good conduct, & mental good conduct; who did not revile noble ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the influence of right views—at the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in a good destination, a heavenly world. It is not from having heard this from another contemplative or brahman that I tell you that I have seen beings who—endowed with bodily good conduct, verbal good conduct, & mental good conduct; who did not revile noble ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the influence of right views—at the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in a good destination, a heavenly world. It’s from having known it myself, seen it myself, realized it myself that I tell you that I have seen beings who—endowed with bodily good conduct, verbal good conduct, & mental good conduct; who did not revile noble ones, who held right views and undertook actions under the influence of right views—at the break-up of the body, after death, have re-appeared in a good destination, a heavenly world. ”
With mind rightly directed,
speaking right speech,
doing right deeds with the body:
a person here of much learning,
a doer of merit
here in this life so short,
at the break-up of the body,
discerning, reappears in heaven. — Iti 71
As he was sitting to one side, King Pasenadi Kosala said to the Blessed One: “Just now, lord, while I was alone in seclusion, this train of thought arose in my awareness: ‘Who are dear to themselves, and who are not dear to themselves?’ Then it occurred to me: ‘Those who engage in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct are not dear to themselves. Even though they may say, “We are dear to ourselves,” still they aren’t dear to themselves. Why is that? Of their own accord, they act toward themselves as an enemy would act toward an enemy; thus they aren’t dear to themselves. But those who engage in good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, & good mental conduct are dear to themselves. Even though they may say, “We aren’t dear to ourselves,” still they are dear to themselves. Why is that? Of their own accord, they act toward themselves as a dear one would act toward a dear one; thus they are dear to themselves.’”
“That’s the way it is, great king! That’s the way it is! Those who engage in bodily misconduct, verbal misconduct, & mental misconduct are not dear to themselves. Even though they may say, ‘We are dear to ourselves,’ still they aren’t dear to themselves. Why is that? Of their own accord, they act toward themselves as an enemy would act toward an enemy; thus they aren’t dear to themselves. But those who engage in good bodily conduct, good verbal conduct, & good mental conduct are dear to themselves. Even though they may say, ‘We aren’t dear to ourselves,’ still they are dear to themselves. Why is that? Of their own accord, they act toward themselves as a dear one would act toward a dear one; thus they are dear to themselves.”
That is what the Blessed One said. Having said that, the One Well-Gone, the Teacher, said further:
“If you hold yourself dear
then don’t fetter yourself
with evil,
for happiness isn’t easily gained
by one who commits
a wrong-doing.
When seized by the End-maker
as you abandon the human state,
what’s truly your own?
What do you take along when you go?
What follows behind you
like a shadow
that never leaves?
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.” — SN 3:4
As he was sitting to one side, King Pasenadi Kosala said to the Blessed One: “Is there, lord, any one quality that keeps both kinds of benefits secure—benefits in this life & benefits in lives to come?”
“There is one quality, great king, that keeps both kinds of benefits secure—benefits in this life & benefits in lives to come.”
“But what, venerable sir, is that one quality… ?”
“Heedfulness, great king. Just as the footprints of all living beings with legs can be encompassed by the footprint of the elephant, and the elephant’s footprint is declared to be supreme among them in terms of its great size; in the same way, heedfulness is the one quality that keeps both kinds of benefits secure—benefits in this life & benefits in lives to come.”
That is what the Blessed One said. Having said that, the One Well-Gone, the Teacher, said further:
“For one who desires
long life, health,
beauty, heaven, & noble birth,
—lavish delights, one after another—
the wise praise heedfulness
in doing acts of merit.
When heedful, wise,
you achieve both kinds of benefit:
benefits in this life,
& benefits in lives to come.
