What Buddhist Scriptures Reveal about the Evolution of Merit Transfer

How do you go about dedicating your merit? How can you make your merit transfer more effective and beneficial, both to yourself and others? Let us find the answers to these questions from Buddhist scriptures.

When it comes to merit transfer, most people tend to dedicate the merit of their practice to their family and friends, to sentient beings in general, or to specific people. According to Master Hui Yuan from the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there are three categories of merit transfer, as stated in his Essay on the Meaning of Mahayana:

Transference of merit for attainment of Bodhi (ultimate enlightenment): Merit is transferred to achieve the fruition of Buddhahood.

Transference of merit to sentient beings: Merit is transferred for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Transference of merit to the ultimate reality: Merit is transferred for the realization of our true Dharma nature (Dharmatā).

We can therefore conclude that merit transfer means much more than what most people think it is. That is, far from being limited to benefitting some specific person, merit transfer actually entails more profound possibilities. Generally speaking, besides dedicating the merit of our benevolent acts to a few particular individuals, we can also dedicate it for specific purposes, such as attaining a heavenly rebirth, liberation, or even Buddhahood.

Extended reading:

Transfer of Merit –The Practice of Generating a Great Mind

The Transfer of Merit: the Giving of Dharma that could be Practiced at any Time

What Buddhist Scriptures Reveal about the Evolution of Merit Transfer

Dedicating the merit for attainment of nirvana is superior to praying for karmic blessing in the human and heavenly realms

To practice the Buddhist teaching is to transfer merit in its true sense

Compassionately delivering sentient beings, dedicating the merit for supreme Bodhi

Dedication verses commonly seen in the Chinese Buddhist tradition

Tibetan Buddhism: The most sublime chapter on the Practices and Vows of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra

Q1: How is merit transfer different from the blessings we give to others in our everyday life?

Q2: Must we first accumulate merit before we can transfer it to others?

Q3: Would it matter if I don't transfer merits after chanting?

Q4: When we transfer the merit generated from self-cultivation to our family, friends, and deceased loved ones, can they really receive it?

Q5: Should we still transfer merit to specific people after we have already transferred it to all sentient beings in the Dharma realm?

Q6: The terms "making vows" and "transfer of merit" are often used alongside each other in Mahayana Buddhist scriptures. What are the differences between them?

Q7: Are there corresponding dedication verses for different Dharma methods? Can these dedication verses be used interchangeably?


Resource: Humanity Magazine Issue #413
Photo: Humanity Magazine Issue #413
Translation: Ariel Shen
Editing: Keith Brown, Chiacheng Chang