Are you accumulating enough merits?

-->During animal liberation activities, I often mention to members and attendees, we need to accumulate worldly merits 福報 as well as spiritual merits 功德.

Worldly merits will benefit your luck in this life and spiritual merits will help us achieve higher re-births in our future lives.

What does it mean by not having enough Worldly Merits? It is similar to a situation where someone cooks a really good and tasty meal to serve you. However, you have tooth ache and stomach ache. So no matter how tasty the meal will be, you are unable to eat it. That is not having enough Worldly Merits.

Other situations that indicates lack of worldly merits.

1. Similarly you have a lot of good skills, knowledge and experiences but somehow you are unable to get the work package that you desire.

2. You have a good company, willing to give high salary for competent people but cannot seem to find the right employee to help you in growing the business.

3. Have many outstanding children. When they grow up, all leave the nest and seldom come back. Even though you have good relationship with them.

And the list goes on.

Even in spiritual cultivation, we need large worldly merits and spiritual merits. Without these 2, no matter how hard you cultivate, you will not have any realizations. The most is just a healthy body.

Why do we need merits? Because to reach certain cultivation level means that your forth-coming rebirth will be a higher one compare to existing life. Therefore, those who are born in higher plane, definitely have more merits that us. Without it, how can you reach the next level.

Just like computer or arcade game, to reach the next level, you will definitely need a certain score and accomplishment. You cannot start at beginner level and hope to straight jump to the expert level. Similarly in life and cultivation, we will need to accumulate worldly and spiritual merits to help us move along and upwards.

How to gain more worldly merits and spiritual merits?

1. Charity of Body, Speech and Mind
   Body means action – physically help out in charitable causes (refer No. 2 Action below)
   Speech – encourage others to perform charity and good deeds. Inform others where they can get help or participate in good spiritual activities.
   Mind – Think good thoughts about others. Make dedication to others. Think of how others would benefit.
2. Action – do good deeds for community and society.
3. Encourage others to perform charity and good deeds.

Start immediately and do it consistently and good surprise will happen swiftly!