Mistakes, While Practicing Meritorious Deeds

By:- Buddhi Chaudhary

People all over the world have stacked good, qualified and honorable names because of the concept of merits or meritorious deeds in the society and country, where they live. Unless, there are not such a concept called merits and meritorious deeds, then, rarely could be seen a human being on the name of human. And rest of the people would be regarded as two leg animal beings because, their behavior is very much similar to animals due to not having right views, right thoughts, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right efforts, right mindfulness and right concentration as well as four immeasurable Brahmaviharas called 1) Metta - loving-kindness, 2) Karuna – kindness, 3) Mudita – softness and 4) Upekkha equality. Since, these all the facts called eight fold paths and four brahmaviharas lead to be arose the meritorious thoughts and deeds upon the human mind. 

Lately, there are could be seen many mistakes in the society, while practicing the concepts of merits or meritorious deeds because, they are trying to create a man making scared to the concepts of merits and meritorious deeds. Majority of people, both clergy man and lay devotees are greedy to earn merits. They go to the temple everyday with the thoughts of earning merits only, than, also to have right views and right thoughts about the life. They are called a greedy person or departed one. They offer four requisites like robes or clothing, foods, shelters and medicine, flowers to the Buddhist monks and light candles and incense in front of the Buddha image just to have merits but not to understand, what really they are doing or practicing to. It is unpleasant to see such a view in the temples. 

 In this days and ages, people are trying to earn merits competitively like doing business, jobs and other official works too which should not be done. Merits and meritorious deeds could be acquired with the systematic practices or walking on the right paths with fully understanding. Most of people come to the monastery blatantly without having any awareness about their acts. They go inside the shrine room, offer flowers and light the candles and incense in front of the Buddha images unconsciously. They recite the thousands worth qualities of the Buddha like a parrot singing the words that learn from its master. But, their expectation is much more than intention for their acts. Such a people are increasing day by day.

There are other groups of people who think that the more they offer to the Buddhist monks the more merits they receive. So, they try to offer four requisites like the old ages main donors of the Buddha, Visakha, Mallika and Anathapindika etc… but having one specific master. It is not wrong to offer Buddhist monks but that offering should be done (Sanghe Dinnam Na Nassati) to whole monks community but not one specific monks or master. In one hand, the Buddha has preached that whenever we offer necessities to the monks, the merits are much and more than giving to an ordinary person or beggar. Again, he mentioned that offering to a normal monk than the monk who has achieved some specific power has much and more merits. But, when you offer to the enlightened being, there are uncountable merits because of his intellectual power and qualities. Again the Buddha mentioned that, even though, offering to the clergies have uncountable merits, when come to the physical qualities, they are similar to the ordinary beings. So, offering the requisites to both intellectual clergies and ordinary beings has same properties or qualities. Another hand, the Buddha has appreciated too that (Sabbe Satta Aharatthitika – all living beings survive through the foods) giving foods to a hungry men, beggars and disabled or retarded people have merits too. If-so-facto, while practicing the concepts of merits our intentions must be not just to earn meritorious but also reality or truth of the acts. 

There are many people, who help to each other and poor with the intentions (Pali – Chetana) of earning or greediness of merits than having an intention or feeling of helpfulness and supportiveness. They never asked the questions that do these all the poor people are born to earn merits for me? Do we have to help or support to the poor people in order to have merits? Many people, as well as themselves, make their children to be greedy in merits. Being greedy just to earn merits is not enough but must be helpful too. We must build an asylum and support to the people who wanted be supported. Instead making our children greedy to earn merits individually, we must strive to make them understand the true definitions of humanism, since, where there is right acts with proper understanding, the merits comes automatically.

 Probably, just wearing decently in black T-shirt, black pants, black coat and blackest tie won’t define a person as a meritorious and virtuous one. It is impossible to create a man, making scared to the concept of merits that saying it must be done. If it is possible, don’t there would be the world with full of meritorious people? I do not mean that we need not a religions to be virtuous man what I mean is the way, we are applying religious concepts are slightly wrong. We are practicing it without awareness and understanding the whole concepts. We are practicing Buddhism traditionally the paths which our ancestor used to walk. It is not the way to understand Buddhism or it’s whole concepts. That must be practice with once own open heart and mind and understanding.