“We all have past merit and that is why we are born as humans... If you live just to indulge in sensual pleasures, the past merit that you accumulated will soon be gone.”

The Teachings of Ajahn Suchart

7 March 2024

“We all have past merit and that is why we are born as humans... If you live just to indulge in sensual pleasures, the past merit that you accumulated will soon be gone.”

We all have past merit (puñña) and that is why we are born as humans. It is just a matter of whether you make use of this past merit. It could also be that the past merit is being thwarted by past actions (kamma).

To be born as a human means that you already possess a lot of good merit. To come across Buddhism is, in fact, the highest form of merit. But the amount of benefit you may gain from it does vary. It is like how you choose to spend money you’ve gained. You could invest it to make a profit. You could also spend it on gambling, eating and drinking, and partying and going out, but it will all soon be gone.

This is also how it is with our lives. If you live just to indulge in sensual pleasures, the past merit that you accumulated will soon be gone. However, if you live to cultivate merit through meditation practice and listening to Dhamma talks, the amount of merit you own will increase.

By Ajaan Suchart Abhijāto

www.phrasuchart.com

Youtube: Dhamma in English

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g

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