How to Cultivate and Increase Merit the Fastest?

Question: How can one increase merit the fastest? Is it acceptable to exclusively recite the Diamond Sutra and the Śūraṅgama Mantra?

Answer: Reciting sutras can indeed generate merit. This merit is the merit of wisdom, a merit brought about by wisdom; merit is related to wisdom and is mainly manifested and activated in the aspect of wisdom. However, within what period of time the karmic seeds of the merit from reciting sutras will ripen, when the causes and conditions will be complete, and when the merit will manifest and be received and enjoyed—this is hard to say. Generally speaking, the realization of the merit of wisdom is not very fast; it will not appear immediately, and even by the time of death, the merit may not necessarily have come to fruition. Upholding precepts and cultivating meditative concentration can also generate merit. This merit is embodied in the precepts and meditative concentration, and can make one's mind pure and free of afflictions, but it does not necessarily bring the merit of wealth and prosperity, nor necessarily the pleasures of the five desires such as clothing, food, shelter, and transportation.

There are many channels through which merit can be generated. As long as it is wholesome karma and pure karma, it can generate merit. Therefore, merit in all aspects should be cultivated in a well-rounded way, without bias. Not only do precepts, concentration, and wisdom generate merit, but generosity of wealth (dāna), generosity of Dharma, and generosity of fearlessness, as well as all endeavors beneficial to sentient beings, can all generate merit, and all should be cultivated; none of these aspects should be neglected. Otherwise, the merit will be lopsided and incomplete, still imperfect and flawed, and the karmic retribution will not be entirely satisfactory, let alone enable the realization of the Path. Many people are only interested in reciting sutras and studying the Dharma, paying no attention to and giving no weight to other aspects. As a result, after years and years of study, they remain just as they were before; perhaps it only increases their pride, making their arrogance even more severe. Only those without merit have afflictions that only increase and never decrease.

In fact, nothing increases merit faster than making the great bodhicitta resolve. In many Mahāyāna sutras, the World-Honored One exhorted sentient beings to make the bodhicitta resolve; this is the secret and the key of cultivation, and it can directly determine one's destination in future lives. Where one goes in future lives is also determined by karmic merit. Generally speaking, those without merit go to the three evil paths to suffer; those with great merit ascend to the heavens to enjoy blessings, or go to the buddha-lands to cultivate the Path beside the Buddhas; those with middling merit can obtain a human body. Those who make the great bodhicitta resolve have great power of vows. If their power of vows, compared with the power of karma, is greater than the power of karma, then at the end of life they will not be governed by the power of karma or dragged along by the power of karma; rather, the power of vows will take charge, and the power of vows will determine that their destination in future lives will be the wholesome paths and the buddha-lands. Therefore, the merit obtained by making the great bodhicitta resolve is the fastest and greatest, and attaining buddhahood is also the fastest. No merit can compare with the merit of making the great bodhicitta resolve.