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Blessings

Return to Buddhism, Two Collections (Merit and Virtue and Wisdom), Blessings, Merit, Virtue, Buddhism A to Z, Buddhism A to Z Index, 84,000 Dharma Doors Buddhist Encyclopedia, Buddhist Glossary, Buddhist Masters, Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Buddhist Texts

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blessings

One who cultivates blessings but not wisdom

Is like an elephant wearing a necklace;

One who cultivates wisdom and not blessings

Is like a Arhat with an empty bowl.

(DFS 1080)

“How does one accumulate blessings? It is from a number of actions, not just one. There is a saying, 'Don't skip doing a good deed just because it is small, and don't do a bad deed just because you think it is insignificant.…' For example, you should not think that a little lie is of no major importance. If you tell a lot of little lies, they become a big lie. In the same way, you should not think that killing an ant is a small and unimportant matter, because if one day you kill a person, it will have begun with your killing the ant. You should pay attention to little things and not follow your whims and wishes. To cultivate diligently the accumulation of blessings involves being very careful to do the deeds that should be done, even if they accumulate only a small amount of merit and virtue. Gradually they cause an accumulation of great merit and virtue. Mount Tai [a sacred mountain in Shandong Province in China is made up of individual motes of dust, but even though motes of dust are small, many of them gathered together make up a mountain. So too is the creating of blessings.” (UW 77)

The Buddha, said, 'When you see someone practicing the Way of giving, aid him joyously, and you will obtain vast and great blessings.'

A śramaṇa asked, 'Is there an end to those blessings?'

The Buddha said, 'Consider the flame of a single lamp. Though a hundred thousand people come and light their own lamps from it so that they can cook their food and ward off the darkness, the first lamp remains the same as before. Blessings are like this, too.' (S42 23)

Sometimes a distinction is made between worldly 'blessings' (good karma) and world-transcending merit and virtue.

Blessings attached to marks reap the result of the heavens.

But just as an arrow shot into space falls as its velocity wanes,

So, too, what you get in the life after that will make you unhappy.

(FAS Ch24 44)

Building temples and giving sanction to the Sangha, practicing giving and arranging vegetarian feasts, are called 'seeking blessings.' Do not mistake blessings for merit and virtue. Merit and virtue]] are in the Dharma Body, not in the cultivation of blessings. (PS 133)

Making Buddhist statues is one way to create blessings.

A confused person will foster blessings,

But not cultivate the Way, and say,

'To practice for the blessings is to practice the Way.'

While giving and Making Offerings brings blessings without limit,

It is in the mind that the three evils have their origin.

By seeking blessings you may wish to obliterate offenses,

But in the future, though you are blessed, offenses still remain.

You ought to simply strike the evil conditions from your mind

Through true repentance and reform within your own nature.

(PS 194-195)

SEE ALSO: merit, karma

Snippet from Wikipedia: Blessing

In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with grace, holiness, spiritual redemption, or divine will.

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blessings.txt · Last modified: 2023/09/15 12:41 by 127.0.0.1

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