Index

A Precious Human Life

Everyday, Think as you wake up, Today I am fortunate to have woken up, I am alive, I have a precious Human Life, I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, To expand my heart out to others, To achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all beings, I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry, or think badly about others, I am going to benefit others as much as i can.

The Dalai Lama

Buddha

The Buddha once summarised his entire teachings in one beautiful sentence: I teach about suffering and the way to end it.

Avatamsaka Sutra

The supreme and endless blessings of Samantabhadra’s deeds, I now universally transfer. May every living being, drowning and adrift, Soon return to the Land of Limitless Light!

Transference of merit

 

Transference of one’s merit as a way of making merit should be understood in the case of one who made a gift or offering and transfers his accumulated merit thus: ‘May this merit be for so and so!’ or ‘May it be for all beings!’

Now, will there be a loss of merit to him who thus transfers it? No. Just as when one lights an oil lamp and with it lights a thousand oil lamps, it cannot be said that his original lamp is exhausted. On the contrary, the light of his original lamp being one with the light of the thousand oil lamps increases immensely. Likewise, there is no decrease of merit to him who transfers it thus; on the contrary, there is an increase only.

Under this category would fall the transference of merit to the dead. Thus, The Buddha declares that one of the duties of children towards their dead parents is to transfer merit to them.