Tan Hiep - Hoc Mon - Ho Chi Minh
Sunday, 03/26/2023
Specific Items of Consult
Blessed Virtue and Merit
Update: 28/04/2015
Answer:
- Bless Virtue is good deeds being done from the outside of\r\nformal or spatial length and breadth such as alms-giving, offering, charities,\r\nhelping people, etc.
- Merit is the innermost feelings vision by clairvoyance,\r\nseeing through the truth, destroying blunder and distress.
Although people have much practiced charities, still\r\nhas been suffered affliction due to without cultivation of wisdom or clinging\r\nto blessings being done in the past
The practicing blessing from activities is a good thing, but\r\nit does not help them escape from suffering deaths and rebirths, unless they\r\ncultivate merit and virtue in the right way. Moreover, blessing from activities\r\nsupports them in the practicing internal feeling; it does not grant blessed\r\nvirtue instead.
Once upon time, in Wu Of Liang Dynasty, from India,\r\nVenerable First Patriarch Bodhi dharma came to China via the sea. Emperor Wu Of\r\nLiang was renowned for a devoutly Buddhism region by using lots of money in\r\norder to build pagoda and temple. He did not only transcribe Buddhist sutras,\r\nbut also helped monks and nuns in their cultivation and done good deeds. When\r\nhearing that The Patriarch came, he invited respectfully The Patriarch to\r\npalace for banquet and wants to tell his wholesome actions for Three Jewels.
He asked: “Dear most Venerable! I transcribed Buddhist\r\nsutras, built statue, pagoda and temple for renunciation of monks and nuns. Do\r\nI have merit and virtue?â€
“No,†he answered.
“What is the virtue?†The king asked more.
He explained:
“Originally self- purity and tranquil silence, do not take\r\nthe obvious activities and mental intoxicants from outside for self-seeking.
Thus, the deeds serving the Three Jewels from the obvious\r\nactivities from Emperor Liang just is merit, not virtue. Because it\r\ncould not compare with awareness clearly seeing the truth. All dharma’s are\r\nalso false, after which are not chased creating purity and shine. The bright\r\nmind, seeing life only existing in a breath, whether anyone can give\r\nthemselves? Just ponder over something, practice and realize on their own.
In Agamas, Buddha gave an example: "Someone runs\r\nvery fast on the road and because of running fast, he feels tired and then run\r\nslowly. After doing this, but he is still tired, so he thinks that should stop\r\nto sit down. Once taking a seat, he is still tired, so want to sit down; then,\r\nsimultaneously, lie down. After lying down, but remains tired, so he\r\ncloses his eyes to sleep. After his sleep, he recovers his strength ".
This instance hints at the released mind which jumps\r\neverywhere to seek additional hardship, fatigue, much pain and sadness for us.\r\nHence, when can prevent the mind from wandering, that place is a purify happy\r\nrealm of merit.
No whatsoever merit like the merit of lucid will calm the\r\nmind to see through the truth. It is the merit that the Buddha‘s achievement\r\nbeing formed by nights sitting meditating and thinking under the Bodhi tree\r\nafter forty-nine days. After that, the Patriarchs also continued practicing to\r\nachieve merit and eternal wisdom which is not only forever without attenuation,\r\nbut also increasing clearly. Nowadays, we also need to cultivate from within\r\nthe inner and do every good work to support that practice.
It is like a bird with two wings taking off flying in\r\nendless sky or two-wheeled vehicles for crossing a thousand miles away.
It is like a human with two legs being able to travel\r\neverywhere.
One leg of his symbolizes the merit and the other represents\r\nthe wisdom. That is the same as cultivation. Blessings and wisdom are\r\ncompletely practiced from action to mind, which increases peace and happiness.\r\nThe ones who realize that this body is temporary, and life exists only in a\r\nbreath will have the true merit and great wisdom.
Translated into English by On Thi Ngoc Thao.