Merits - Can they be transferred? By Ven Aggacitta

Merits - Can they be transferred?By Ven Aggacitta

'.. According to the Theravada understanding of the Law of Kamma, we are the makers and heirs of our own kamma. Therefore, there is no question of “sharing/transferring” meritorious kamma to another. The concept of transference of merits contradicts this understanding. ..

'.. Buddha said that all those who either gave dana or offered their services as well as those who were not involved at all but witnessed the offering and then rejoiced in it, share the same amount of merits. It is clear now that while merit cannot actually be shared or transferred (for each of us is the heir of our own karma), it can be gained when a person rejoices in the good that is done. Merit is thus 'shared' in this way...'

'.. After dana, we frequently chant these lines from this verse “Idam vo ñatinam hotu sukhita hontu ñatayo”. We are actually saying “May this be for you all departed relatives, may (you) relatives be well and happy.”

[NB: Sometimes different words are used. Instead of “Idam vo ñatinam”, “Idam no/me ñatinam” are chanted. They can all be used, but they have slightly different meanings:

vo means “you all”
no means “our”
me means “my”.] ..'

'.. Such a disembodied spirit might be restricted in their movements by certain laws that we do not yet understand. So, when we invite them to partake of the food offered, perhaps they rejoice in the good that we do and in this way, they create merits for themselves. As I said in the last part of my book Honouring the Departed, giving dana is a low end type of merit-making. Apparently, the beneficiary of our dana must be aware that we are offering the dana and they must rejoice in order to be able to benefit from it. ..'


Read in full here ..
https://sasanarakkha.org/2007/03/17/can-merits-be-transferred/

https://sasanarakkha.org/2004/07/01/honouring-the-departed/



Dhamma Talk by Bhante Aggacitta on "Forgiveness - Efficacy and Ritual": 
https://soundcloud.com/sasanarakkha/aggacitta-bhikkhu-forgiveness-efficacy-and-ritual