Commentary on the Sutra of the Compendium of Fathers and Sons (223)

Merit and Virtue Arise from Offerings and Generosity

The Wheel-Turning King attained such blessings only after drawing near to countless Buddhas. We, who cannot even accomplish minor virtuous acts and have not cultivated blessings, find no ease with material wealth like gold and silver treasures. No matter how desperately we rack our brains, it proves useless, and they do not appear. Without cultivated merit and virtue, even university graduates or PhD holders, striving their entire lives in this world, remain unsuccessful. Though they possess capability, lacking the karmic fortune (fúbào), they cannot obtain what they need. Those who have cultivated merit, even if illiterate, can attain great wealth and high status. Many poets of the past lamented their unrecognized talents in their verses. Why? Talent alone is useless; one must also possess karmic fortune. Everything we obtain in this present life is the result of our cultivation in past lives. To possess great merit and virtue for our own use, we must continuously cultivate blessings. All merit and virtue do not fall from the sky; they all arise from the cultivation of blessings through benefiting others. Especially, we should cultivate abundant blessings within Mahayana Buddhism, making ample offerings and practicing generosity towards the Three Jewels of Mahayana.