The Importance of Merit

Without merit, it is difficult to cultivate concentration power. As soon as one sits down to meditate, worldly affairs arise to disturb, forcing one to attend to them. Just as one is about to enter samadhi, disturbances emerge again, compelling one to disengage and deal with them. Reflecting on this, in what aspects does each person constantly deplete their merit? Once you recognize this through reflection, be mindful not to squander your merit lightly, so that your path of cultivation may advance swiftly.

Does the highly developed material life of modern society indicate that sentient beings today possess great merit, while those in the Buddha's time had little? People nowadays readily cash in their seeds of merit for enjoyment—this is truly unwise and devoid of wholesome roots. Those with wholesome roots and wisdom preserve their merit for spiritual cultivation, refusing to cash it in as worldly phenomena for enjoyment or display.

Many people take pride in impermanent, worldly phenomena, using them as grounds for boasting—be it being a high-ranking official, possessing certain status or authority, immense wealth, exceptional talent, or extraordinary abilities. All these are illusory, unreliable worldly phenomena; even if they exist, they are empty and will soon perish. Ordinary people struggle to realize emptiness, knowing only existence.

In the past, when a Chan Patriarch sought a disciple to inherit his lineage, he would test the disciple's insight to observe whether enlightenment and wisdom were present. As soon as the disciple spoke, the master would recognize the lack of awakening and say, "Your merit is too meager; you cannot inherit my lineage." The Patriarch meant that a primary reason for insufficient wisdom is insufficient merit. When our thoughts are disordered and unclear, we should likewise often examine our own causes.