ABSTRACT
The notion of “merit” (Sanskrit: puṇya or kuśala; Pāli: puñña or kusala) is one of the most fundamental concepts in the Buddhist tradition. Intimately associated with the idea of merit and the practise of merit-making is the belief in karma. In its simplest understanding, karma (Pāli: kamma; “action”) is the idea that every individual “reaps what they sow” in the sense that any intentional action of thought, word, or deed leads to a moral consequence at some future point. This agricultural metaphor from the Bible is particularly apt, for the Buddhist tradition itself often understood karma in such terms: actions plant “seeds” (bīja), which later bring forth “fruit” (phala) or results. Thus beneficial actions lead to positive results, while harmful actions elicit negative or painful ones. Merit, briefly stated, is “good karma”; or the result of beneficial past actions conducive to positive future outcomes. Such beneficial actions are therefore “meritorious.” Together with the notions of karma and rebirth, merit forms one of the cornerstones of the traditional Buddhist worldview, which has remained more or less consistent with these basic notions since Buddhism’s inception over two and a half thousand years ago. Moreover, much of Buddhist religious practice is focused on “merit making” – that is, performing activities believed to be particularly efficacious for the production of merit, in order to secure a happy rebirth in a future life.
