I’m not sure what’s happening after we share merits to the deceased and how about the ritual of pouring water?

The Teaching of Ajahn Suchart.

23 September 2024

Question:  I’m not sure what’s happening after we share merits to the deceased and how about the ritual of pouring water?

Than Ajahn:  Merit is what you have in your mind when you give dāna - you feel a sense of happiness and fulfilment. You can share this feeling for the people who have departed from this world because they exist on these good feelings that you get from giving dāna.

If they are in the position waiting to receive the merit, then you can send it to them by your thought - by saying, ‘I would like to share this merit with this and that persons.’ If the persons are waiting, then they can receive that feelings that you sent to them. You don’t need to use water. You don’t need to have monks to chant for you before you can do it. You don’t need monks to chant ‘anumodana’ before you can share your merits.

You can share your merits as soon as you finished giving dāna. Like when you finished putting food in the bowl and you feel a sense of happiness from that dāna, then you share that sense of happiness for the departed ones. You have to mention who you’d want to share it with otherwise they would not be able to receive it. 

But you don’t need water to do it because water is just a symbol of the happiness that you sent to the departed ones. People don’t understand what this merit is so they use water as a symbol of merit that they share. When they pour the water into a container, it’s like they’re sharing their good feeling from their heart to the heart of the deceased. However, the departed ones might not be waiting for the merits because it depends on how much merits they had made during their life time. If they had made a lot of merits, then they don’t need to wait for our merits because they have their own merits to experience, but if they don’t have merits with them, then they might have to come and wait for the sharing of our merits.

“Dhamma in English, Oct 4, 2018.”

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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