The journey of a 1000 miles begins with a single step

Merit

Dedicating illusion like merit

In absolute truth, all phenomena are devoid of any intrinsic nature, and therefore merit too cannot be objectified, being entirely free of the three concepts.
In relative, conventional truth, every aspect of a positive action – the agent who performs the action, the object of the action, and the action itself – is like a dream or a magical illusion: although it appears, it has no intrinsic nature.
It is with this approach that the dedication should be made, for as we read in the Middle Sutra of Transcendent Wisdom:
“Subhuti, all phenomena are like a dream,
like a magical illusion.”
Virtue too should be dedicated in the manner of its being like a dream.
– Dudjom Rinpoche
from the book “A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom: Complete Instructions on the Preliminary Practices”

February 14, 2024 | Categories: Dedication, Delusion, Merit, Phenomena, Samsara, Zen | Leave a comment

There is no merit at all

When Bodhidharma was presented to the Emperor by the magistrate of Canton, Hsiao Ang, the Emperor said, “I cannot enumerate the number of monks that I have supported, since I ascended the throne, in erecting monasteries and transcribing the sutras.
I wonder what merit is gained by all this.”
Bodhidharma answered, “There is no merit at all.”
The Emperor asked, “What achievement is considered without merit?”
Bodhidharma answered, “All these are insignificant doings that would not free the doer from being reborn into this earth again. These deeds still show traces of worldliness; they are like the shadows following objects.
“Although they appear actually existing, they are no more than mere nonentities.”
The Emperor asked, “What then can be considered true merit?”
Bodhidharma answered, “A deed of true merit is full of pure wisdom and is perfect and mysterious, and its real nature is beyond the grasp of human intelligence.
Such as this is not to be sought after by any worldly achievement.”
The Emperor asked, “What is the principle of the sacred truth?”
Bodhidharma answered, “Emptiness, and not sacred.”
The Emperor asked, “Then who is it that stands before me?”
Bodhidharma answered, “I do not know.”
—
[The dialogue between Emperor Wu and Bodhidharma is recorded in the book, Fu-tsu li tai t’ung tsai]

November 27, 2022 | Categories: Merit, Samsara, Zen | Leave a comment

No greater virtue

It is said that there is no greater evil than hatred and no greater virtue than patience. While a single moment of anger destroys countless aeons of merits and leads to unmitigated suffering in the hell realms, patience towards those who harm you and the sincere wish to bring them happiness will bring you swiftly onto the path taken by all the Buddhas.

There is no better way to deal with enemies than to feel great love for them, realizing that in former lives they have been your loving parents. There is no better way to nurture your family and look after others than to practice the Dharma and dedicate to all beings the merit you thereby obtain. There is no better or more bountiful harvest than the one you sow in the soil of your faith and endeavor so that it ripens into the richness of merit and wisdom.

– Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

from the book “The Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones”

With thanks to Just Dharma Quotes

April 23, 2020 | Categories: Hatred, Merit, Patience, Tibetan Buddhism, Wisdom | Leave a comment

By offering no more than a single flower petal to the Buddha we accumulate merit

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By offering no more than a single flower petal to the Buddha we accumulate merit, and if that merit is then dedicated to the ultimate happiness of all sentient beings, it is multiplied billions of times over. If we then apply the wisdom of emptiness by considering the flower (the offering), the Buddha (the one to whom the offering is made), and ourselves (the one making the offering) to be nothing more than illusions, not only do we accumulate an enormous amount of merit, but also tremendous wisdom. And this is how offering a single flower petal can lead us to wisdom.

~ Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche –

Nonviolence & Peace

April 15, 2018 | Categories: Buddhism, Merit | Leave a comment

Cultivating trust in simplicity

The quintessential teaching of the Buddha — the nature of mind — is difficult to understand, not because it is complicated but because of its unbearably naked quality. One common method for deciphering the truth is through commentaries, analysis, arguments, and research. But the more we try to decipher this simplicity through academic studies and intellectual analysis, the more we get sidetracked, deterred, or worse, we end up constructing very convincing concepts that we mistake for the simplicity itself. Therefore, one must work hard to accumulate merit. Accumulating merit is the one and only way to cultivate trust in simplicity. But many of us have to first convince ourselves that accumulation of merit works.

– Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche

March 14, 2018 | Categories: Merit, Mind, Simplicity, Thinking | Leave a comment