Merit (punna) is defined as actions that purify and cleanse the mind of negative qualities like greed, hatred, and delusion.

It is vital because it improves the quality of the mind, leading to a balanced, righteous, and harmonious life. Making merit opens doors, ensuring an unobstructed and smooth path in this life and future lives. The Buddha said that merit is indestructible by fire, earthquake, or water, meaning that one's accumulated good deeds cannot be destroyed.

The ten meritorious deeds are:

1. Charity (Dana): Giving alms to the poor, blood or organ donation to the sick, and providing education. Providing monks with the four requisites (food, medicine, shelter, robes) is also a form of charity.
2. Moral Conduct/Virtue (Sila): Observing the five precepts (abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, and intoxicants) and being mindful of moral actions.
3. Meditation (Bhavana): Practicing tranquility (Samatha) and insight (Vipassana) meditation to calm the mind and develop wisdom.
4. Respect or Reverence (Apacayana): Showing respect to the Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, parents, elders, and teachers.
5. Rendering Service in Helping Others/Volunteerism (Veyyavacca): Volunteering in animal shelters, distributing food to the needy, or helping clean a temple.
6. Transference of Merits (Pattidana): Sharing merits by saying, "May this merit be for so and so," or "May it be for all beings."
7. Rejoicing in Others’ Merit (Pattanumodana): Expressing joy with the words "Sadhu" (Good, well done) when others share merits or perform meritorious acts.
8. Teaching the Dhamma (Dhamma-desana): Explaining and teaching the Dhamma to guide others away from wrong paths.
9. Listening to the Dhamma (Dhamma-savana): Attending Buddhist courses, talks, and forums to learn about the Dhamma.
10. Correcting One’s View (Ditthiju-kamma): Developing right view and understanding of the Four Noble Truths

Note: This podcast uses AI to interpret Buddhist texts. While we strive for accuracy, some discrepancies and mispronunciations may occur. Misquoting Buddha is considered a Bad Kamma and I would consider this to be wrong on my part to not warn you of errors in this episodes. Thus, Explore the original teachings for deeper clarity and use these podcasts only as a push to read the books and original teachings.The following episode was adapted from the excerpts of The Advantages of Merit by Bhikkhu Khantipalo.