EARNING MERIT

Earning Merit

Brahmin student Subha, son of Toddeya, was staying with a householder in Sāvatthi, whilst on business. He had heard there were arahants in the area, and his host was able to inform him that the ascetic Gotama was residing in Jeta’s grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s park. Subha went to see the Buddha, and after an amiable introduction, he presented his point of view. Subha said that Brahmins say, it is the householder who already correctly walks the true way, and it is the one gone forth into homelessness that does not. The Buddha replies, “I am one who speaks after making an analysis; I do not speak one-sidedly.” He says, whether householder, or one gone forth, he does not praise wrong practice but praises right practice.

Subha then says, Brahmins say housework is a great activity, and therefore yields great fruit (bright kammic returns). The Buddha then presents a more realistic appraisal. He says there may be great activity, great functions, great engagements, and undertakings, but they may turn out to be small or great fruit (Subha Sutta MN99:5). He says agriculture is one such example (6). And, there may be small activity, small function, small engagement and undertakings, which yields small fruit, but it may yield great fruit. He cites business as an example (6). Similarly, household work may turn out to be of great or small fruit.

Subha then says, Brahmins say, five things constitute the performance of merit; truth, asceticism, celibacy, study, and generosity (8). The Buddha asks if there is a single Brahmin who can say, “I declare the result of these five things having realised it myself with direct knowledge?” Subha says there isn’t. He asks Subha, if there is a single Brahmin going back seven generations, and for that matter even amongst the ancients, who declared they had witnessed the realisation of merit through the performance of these five. Subha says there is not one. The Buddha then compares the ancient lineage of Brahmins to a file of blind men (9). This angered Subha, who responded in strident terms, “This recluse Gotama will be worsted.” Subha then cited the Brahmin Pokkharasāti of the Upamaññā clan, who acknowledged there are many recluses and brahmins, falsely claiming superhuman states, and knowledge, and vision. Pokkharasāti even questioned the very possibility of superhuman powers. The Buddha points out that to be able to negate superhuman powers, one would have to be able to ‘encompass’ their minds with his own mind. Subha acknowledges that Pokkharasāti hasn’t even encompassed the mind of his slave woman, let alone those of recluses and brahmins (11).

The Buddha continues. Suppose there was a man who was totally blind, being unable to see colours, light, or even flat and uneven ground. Suppose, he were to deny that any of these phenomena existed, and even that no one experienced them. He asks, “Would he be speaking rightly?” Subha says, he would not be speaking rightly (12). “So, too, student, the Brahmin Pokkharasāti is blind and visionless” he does not have the power and vision of the noble (13).

The Buddha asks Subha, whether it is better for the various well-to-do brahmins of Kosala, (brahmins: Cankī, Tārukkha, Pokkharasāti, Jānussoni and Todeyya) to make their comments concordant with worldly convention or discordant? Subha says, it is better they make their comments concordant with worldly convention.

The Buddha then teaches Subha about the five hindrances (15), and explains that it was impossible for Pokkharasāti to see, or realise, superhuman states, because he was obstructed by the five hindrances. The Buddha likens rapture based on the five senses to a fire burning grass, or wood, for its fuel. Just as the fire is dependent on fuel, so too rapture based on the five senses is dependent on unwholesome conditions. But, the rapture of meditation is not dependent on unwholesome conditions (17).

The Buddha asks Subha, which of the Brahmins’ five prescriptions are the most fruitful (18). “Generosity, is the most fruitful” replies Subha. The Buddha then asks Subha to suppose two Brahmins go to a sacrificial gathering, and one tries to get himself an advantageous place in the refectory, at the expense of the other. But, his efforts fail. His companion gets the better place, and he doesn’t get what he wants, and becomes angry. What would the resulting fruit be for this Brahmin?” But Subha misrepresents the question, saying, brahmins do not provide alms for other Brahmins to get angry. Their motivations are out of compassion. The Buddha points out, that compassion, then, amounts to a sixth basis for the performance of merit, in addition to truth, asceticism, celibacy, study, and generosity (19).

The Buddha asks Subha where he sees these five prescriptions practiced the most; amongst householders, or those gone forth? Subha concedes, he often sees them practiced by those gone forth, and rarely by householders. But this is because the householder is too busy, and adds that householders, unlike those gone forth, do not practice speaking the truth, or asceticism, or celibacy, or engage in study, or practice generosity. Those gone forth are not so pressured with business (20).

The Buddha tells Subha that he calls the Brahmins’ five prescriptions ‘Mind Equipment’, and commends them for developing the mind away from hostility and ill will. He adds, the gladness a bhikkhu derives from learning and understanding the Dhamma, is also mind equipment (21).

The Performance Of Merit

Mahāpajapati Gotami was bodhisatta Siddhattha’s aunty, and also his acting mother for all but the first several days of his life. Some decades later, she presented the Buddha with a pair of robes she had spun, asking him to accept them out of compassion. But, the Buddha instructed her to give them to the saṅgha, as they would be honoured. Not content with this, she asked a second and even a third time, only to receive the same instructions. Ānanda interjected, pointing out the Buddha had benefited directly from her care before he went forth. The Buddha acknowledged that it is not easy to return such valuable support (MN142:4). Even so, he did not change his mind. But he did explain how the power of a gift to bring wholesome returns to the giver, is affected by the nobility of the giver, and also the receiver.

In principle, a lack of virtue sullies the power of the gift to bring wholesome returns, while virtue has the opposite effect. Table 31 lists four permutations in which a gift may be affected (9). We see that at least one of the two individuals involved in the transaction, has to be virtuous in order to purify a gift and maximise wholesome returns for the giver.

Table 31 Purification of Offerings

But there is another, fifth case scenario not included in table 31, and that is a transaction between two ‘passionless people’. “When a passionless person to a passionless person gives with a trusting heart a gift righteously obtained, placing faith that the fruit of action is great. That gift, I say, is the best of worldly gifts (14).”

So, what is special about passionless people? The Buddha doesn’t say here. But for the Buddha to describe anything in the superlative, it must be characterised by detachment. And so, a gift between passionless people can be used, and appreciated, without attachment to the gift, or its fruit. Hence, monks who are truly passionless, need not be afraid of deeds of merit (AN VII 58b).

Table 32 shows the tariff of returnable merit on generosity ranging from Buddhas through to animals.

Table 32 Kinds of Offerings And Tariff Of Merit (MN142:5-6)

Table 32 explains why the Buddha insisted Mahāpajapati give her gift of robes to the Saṅgha. It tells us, she received no less merit for doing so. Also, the bhikkhus would have needed the robes more than the Buddha.

There is also a specific case of the moral giving unwittingly to the immoral, that needs addressing. The Buddha warns that in the future, a group of evil Buddhist-types will exist. He referred to them as Gotrabhuno Kāsāvakaṇṭhā (gotra + bhuno + Kāsāva + kaṇṭhā = clan + becoming + robe-colours + neck). Commonly translated as Yellow Necks, this group wears the colours of a bhikkhus’ robe around their necks.

This teaching is not legitimising evil Saṅgha. It is saying that evil characters will succeed in passing themselves off as Saṅgha. However, those who give to the Yellow Necks, believing they are legitimate, will still receive the same merit as giving to innocent Saṅgha.

Seven Types Of Gifts To The Saṅgha

Once every two months, on alternate full moon days (Uposatha Day) laity has the opportunity to give to the Saṅgha. These offerings are distinguished into seven kinds, according to whom the donor stipulates will receive their gift.

Table 33 Seven Kinds Of Offering MN142:7

A precedent for the dedication of gifts appears to have occurred between the Buddha and Saccaka, the Nigaṇṭha’s son. Although in this case it was the merit arising from the gift that was dedicated. Taking a low seat beside the Buddha, Saccaka dedicated the fruition of merit, he had earned by giving the meal, to the happiness of the givers. But the Buddha divided the merit another way:

Discussion

The Buddha taught Subha that we cannot expect to do a good deed and immediately reap, and recognise, the merit returning from it. Were this possible, we would all have learned to perform miracles to order. As the Buddha pointed out, not a single Brahmin going back seven generations, nor ancient rishi, witnessed the realisation of merit through the performance of truth, asceticism, celibacy, study, and generosity. Despite this, the Pāli canon does teach merit-making as a way to generate protection¹. There are Five Faultless Behaviours², which yield immeasurable freedom from fear, hostility, and oppression. These five behaviours are to abstain from taking life, what is not given, sexual misconduct, wrong speech and intoxicating drink (AN8.36).

Some teachings even state visible here-and-now rewards can be expected. For example, the bhikkhu gone forth into homelessness is said to receive respect and freedom from slavery (DN2:35-38). But donning robes didn’t prevent Angulimāla taking a beating, or the Buddha from getting slightly injured by Devadatta’s assassination attempts. Regardless of our efforts and successes, we can expect an admix of dark and light kamma.

Whilst we cannot predict dark and bright kammic returns, we read the Buddha could upon reaching fourth jhaṅaṃ. He saw beings passing away and reappearing, inferior and superior, fair and ugly, fortunate and unfortunate, according to their actions (MN4:29. MN36:40. MN39:20. MN119:41. MN130:2. MN136:9-14). He said he could see these occurrences, as confidently as a man with good eyesight, viewing a crossroad, from a tall building, watching people stop, come and go, entering and leaving (DN2:95-96).

Despite this clear explanation, one still wonders if the Buddha literally saw in three dimensions, and in colour, or was it more like a feeling, an intuition he had? The Angutarra Nikāya puts us off spending too much time on this question, and kamma in general. We are told, “The fruit of action (kamma³), monks, is unthinkable, not to be thought of, thinking of which would make one distraught and come to grief (AN II:80).”

The Angutarra Nikāya says, there are four imponderable areas of life. These are the nature and extent of kamma and its effects. The nature and extent of enlightenment, the nature and extent of psychic powers, and the nature and extent of world systems (AN II:79). There are few astrophysicists who would disagree that contemplating the universe is not without some vexation, and grief. There is something ineffable, and infinite, about the four imponderables that puts them beyond the ken of ordinary intellect.

The dedication of merit is another area of ancient practice today’s Saṅgha has managed to tamper with. I have known some Saṅgha groups refuse the right of a layperson to dedicate a gift as they please. Whilst they may claim they are following the Buddha’s precedent, the fact remains they are not Buddhas. They should not look a gift horse in the mouth, let alone impose authority on the laity.

Rather than merit, it presents bliss that can be earned by being versed in the Vedas.