Archive for the ‘Buddhist Death’ Category

TIROKUDDA SUTTA is a Recital to Transfer Merits to Departed Ones:

Those who reborn as unfortunate spirits
(because of selfish craving
for their property in a past life),
return to their homes and
create an eerie atmosphere
while lingering beyong the doors

They yearn for human food,
but because of their past kamma,
their living relatives neglect
to make offerings to them

Those who are compassionate,
therefore, should remember
their departed relatives and
make offerings (such as almsgiving)
in their name.
By the whole-hearted transference of merits,
the spirit will gratefully wish
for the well-being of their living relatives
who perform the meritorious deed.

They should remember the spirits
of their departed relatives
who are not at peace with themselves and
gathered in many places

In return, such spirits
thus remembered and satisfied,
will eagerly wish for the well-being
of their living relatives our of gratitude.

For there is never ploughing here,
nor any cattle herding found.
‘Nor merchandizing just the same,
nor bartering for coins of gold
The spirits of the departed kin
live there on the merits
transferred to them.’

As water showered on the hill,
flows down to reach the hollow vale,
So the merits transferred can serve,
the spirits of the departed kin.

As river-beds when full can bear
the water down to fill the sea,
so the merits transferred can serve,
The spirits of the departed kin.

‘He gave to me, he worked for me,
He was my kin, friend, intimate.’
‘Give gifts, then, for departed ones,
Recalling what they used to do.’

No weeping, nor yet sorrowing,
Nor any kind of mourning, helps
Departed Ones, whose kin remain
Acting thus, unhelpful to them.

But when this offering is given
To those members of the Holy Order,
Then it can serve them long
In future and at once as well.

(By offering alms to
the Holy Order in memory of the departed)
The true path of action
For relatives has thus been shown,
And how high honour to
departed ones is done,
and how the Holy Order
can be given sustenance as well,
and how great merit
can be stored away by you

Compiled from “Daily Buddhist Devotion”

The Buddha says that greatest gift one can confer on one’s deed ancestors is to perform ‘acts of merit’ and to transfer these merits so acquired. He also says that those who give also receive the fruits of their deeds. The Buddha encouraged those who did good deeds such as offering alms to holy men, to transfer the merits which they received to their departed ones. Alms should be given in the name of the departed by recalling to mind such things as, ‘When he was alive; he gave me this wealth, he did this for me; he was my relative, my companion,’ etc. There is no use weeping, feeling sorry, lamenting and wailing; such attitudes are of no consequence to the departed ones. Kindly refer to TIROKUDDA SUTTA.

Transferring merits to the departed is based on the popular belief that on a person’s death, his or her ‘merits’ and ‘demerits’ are weighed against one another and destiny is thus determined. Lifetime actions determine whether one is to be reborn in a sphere of happiness or a realm of woe. The belief is that the departed one might have gone to an existence in the spirit world. The beings in these lower forms of existence cannot generate fresh merits, and have to live on the merits which are earned from this world.

Those who did not harm others and who performed many good deeds during their lifetime will certainly have the chance to be reborn in a happy place. Such persons do not require the help of living relatives. However, those who have no chance to be reborn in a happy abode are always waiting to receive merits from their living relatives to offset their deficiency and to enable them to be born in a happy abode.

Those who are reborn in an unfortunate spirit form could be released from their suffering condition through the transferring of merits to them by friends and relatives who do some meritorious deeds. What happens is really quite understandable. When the dead person becomes aware that someone has remembered him or her, then he or she becomes glad, and this happiness relieves the suffering. As there is greater happiness accrued from repeatedly being remembered, the unhappy birth is transformed to a happy one. It has all to do with the power of the mind.

Some people simply waste time and money on meaningless ceremonies and performance in memory of departed ones. These people do not realize that it is impossible to help the departed ones simply by building big graveyards, tombs, paper houses and other paraphernalia. Neither is it possible to help the departed by burning joss-sticks, joss-paper, etc; nor is it possible to help the departed by slaughtering animals and offering them along with other kinds of food. Also one should not waste by burning things used by the departed ones on the assumption that the deceased persons would somehow benefit by the act, when such articles can in fact be distributed among the needy.

The only way to help the departed ones is to do some meritorious deeds in a religious way in memory of them. The meritorious deeds in clued such acts as giving alms to others, building schools, temples, orphanages, libraries, hospitals, printing religious books for free distribution and similar charitable deeds.

The followers of the Buddha should act wisely and should not follow anything blindly. While others pray to god for the departed ones, Buddhists radiate their loving-kindness directly to them. By doing meritorious deeds, they can transfer the merits to their beloved ones for their well being. This is the best way of remembering and giving real honor to and perpetuating the names of the departed ones. In their state of happiness, the departed ones will reciprocate their blessings on their living relatives. It is, therefore, the duty of relatives to remember their departed ones by transferring merits and by radiating loving-kindness directly to them.

According to Buddhism, good deeds or “acts of merit” bring happiness to the doer both in this world and in the hereafter. Acts of merit are also believed to lead towards the final goal of everlasting happiness. The acts of merit can be performed through body, speech or minds. Every good deed produces ‘merit’ (store of positive spiritual well being) which accumulates to the ‘credit’ of the doer. Buddhism also teaches that the acquired merit can be transferred to others; it can be shared vicariously with others. In other words, the merit is ‘transferable’ and so can be shared with other persons. The persons who receive the merit can be either living or departed ones.

The method for transferring merits is quite simple. First some good deeds are performed. The doer of the good deeds has merely to wish that the merit gained accrues to someone in particular. This wish can be purely mental or it can be accompanied by an expression of words.

The wish could be made with the beneficiary being aware of it. When the beneficiary is aware of the act of wish, then a mutual ‘rejoicing in’ merit takes place. Here the beneficiary becomes a participant of the original deed by associating him or herself with the deed done. If the beneficiary identifies him of herself with both the deed and the doer, he or she can sometimes acquire even greater merit than the original doer, either because the elation is greater or because the appreciation of the value of the deed is based on an understanding of Dharma. Buddhist texts contain several stories of such instances.

The ‘joy of transference of merits’ can also take place with or without the knowledge of the doer of the meritorious act. All that is necessary is for the beneficiary to feel gladness in the hearth when he or she becomes aware of the good deed. If one wishes, one can express joy by saying ‘sadhu’ which means ‘well done’. What is being done is creating a kind of mental or verbal applause. In order to share the good deed done by another, what is important is that there must be actual approval of the deed and joy arising in the beneficiary’s heart.

Even if so desired, the doer of a good deed cannot prevent another’s ‘rejoicing in the merit’ because he or she has no power over another’s thoughts. According to the Buddha, in all actions, thought is what really matters. Transference is primarily an act of the mind.

To transfer merit does not mean that a person is deprived of the merit originally acquired from his or her good deed. One the contrary, the very act of ‘transference’ is a good deed in itself and hence enhances the merit already earned.