42 excerpts, 3:20:28 total duration
15. “Can you please talk a little bit about merit. How do you make it?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Merit]
16. “Does [merit] have to be intentional?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Merit] [Volition]
17. “Is there a difference in doing a good deed for a monastic versus a lay-person in regards to generating merit? Can only humans create merit..devas..animals?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Kamma] [Merit] [Realms of existence]
20. “Today is the 23rd anniversary of my grandmother’s passing. I am particularly thinking of her today and dedicating loving kindness. Is this a meritorious act or is this fantasy?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Death] [Family] [Merit] [Goodwill]
2. “How does one incline the mind towards recollecting one’s own good actions?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Recollection/Virtue ] [Merit] [Aversion] [Gladdening the mind] // [Emotion] [Feeling] [Kamma] [Investigation of states] [Vajrayāna]
19. “Is it possible to dedicate merit to our four-legged companions after they pass?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Animal] [Merit] [Grief] [Death] // [Generosity]
Sutta: AN 10.177: Jāṇussoṇī
21. “Can you dedicate merit to someone who is approaching death?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Merit] [Death]
Story: Ajahn Paññānanda speaks out against superstition but tells the story of a shipwrecked sailor who benefited from dedication of merit. [Ajahn Paññānanda] [Superstition] [Merit] [Suffering]
24. “If beings are reborn immediately, how does ritual [sharing of merit] benefit the person who has passed?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Rebirth] [Ceremony/ritual] [Merit] [Death] // [Theravāda] [Realms of existence] [Goodwill]
Sutta: AN 10.177: Jāṇussoṇī
3. “Would you say more about the meaning of merit (puñña)? Are there other words or definitions in English? Thanks again for your teachings.” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Merit ] [Translation] // [Skillful qualities] [Happiness] [Anumodanā]
2. “Can sharing merit with many types of beings tie one to society?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Merit] // [Right Effort] [Right Intention]
Story: Lama Zopa delights in sharing merit. [Lama Zopa] [Merit]
14. Comment: This speaks to a Boddhisattva/Zen approach to karma. It’s more your attitude towards your karma. [Bodhisattva] [Zen] [Kamma] [Merit] [Tudong] [Harsh speech]
Response by Ajahn Pasanno. [Impermanence]
4. “I was wondering if the merit we have done for meditation practice can be dedicated to the people (dead or alive) we pray for? How do we know it? Also, I have heard that the merit from practicing meditation will accumulate and stay with ones who have practiced that, which also carries over throughout the life or the subsequent incarnations. Can you clarify this?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Merit] [Prayer] [Rebirth] // [Theravāda] [Mahāyāna] [Vajrayāna] [Science] [Faith] [Selfishness]
Stories told by Ajahn Paññānanda about dedication of merit. [Ajahn Paññānanda] [Culture/Thailand] [Superstition] [Merit] [Death]
4. “Can you clarify what “field of merit” means?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Saṅgha] [Recollection/Saṅgha] [Generosity] [Recollection/Generosity] [Monastic life] [Merit]
2. “How do we overcome regret and remorse associated with not being able to do good or meet our loved ones at the time of passing away?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Restlessness and worry] [Merit] [Death] [Pandemic] [Grief] // [Goodwill] [Self-identity view] [Discernment] [Determination]
2. “Early on in practice, I learned that practicing sīla (virtue) leads to the bliss of the blamelessness life and creates the conditions for samādhi. What is the Pāli word that translates to ‘the bliss of the blameless life?’” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Virtue ] [Merit] [Happiness ] [Concentration] [Pāli] // [Right Livelihood] [Generosity] [Right Intention]
Quote: “Sīla is the opportunity to rise up to a life of integrity.”
5. “I have had many losses over the year, and both my parents passed away six years ago. I found that taking refuge in the Buddha, Dhamma, and Saṅgha, keeping the precepts, and having daily meditation practice helps. There is peacefulness and gratitude. I have heard that if one wants to share merits with the deceased, one could. What is the proper way? Could you give some guidance?” Answered by Ajahn Pasanno. [Death] [Grief] [Parents] [Merit ] // [Recollection/Virtue] [Goodwill] [Translation] [Three Refuges] [Precepts] [Generosity] [Happiness]
Sutta: Iti 22: “Do not be afraid of puñña.” [Merit ]
Quote: “Puñña is accomplished through the heart itself.” [Merit ] [Heart/mind] [Cultural context]
Quote: “A spark of merit is worth more than a mountain of effort.” — Tibetan saying [Merit ] [Vajrayāna] [Self-identity view]