Punya is often translated by the English word ‘merit’. This is not a good translation. Generally speaking, Western Buddhists have the wrong impression about punya. They often see it as merit accumulation. When the average Western Buddhist donates to a Buddhist teacher or a Buddhist center, he or she may do so without understanding the implications of punya.
Punya is more akin to the English word ‘luck’. According to the Buddha, luck or punya is based upon giving (dâna), spiritual discipline (shîla) and mind development (bhâvana). When taken together, the three add up to strengthening our powers of deliberation or, the same, choice. As a result of this strengthening, we find that our choices often lead to good fortune. What has to be kept in mind is that the strength or weakness of our connection with the true nature of things is always prior to the choices we make. If our connection is strong, then it follows that we have a certain amount of influence over the trajectory of our choices which lead to luck. If not, our choices will eventually lead to misfortune.
Asian Buddhists generally have the right idea of punya. To strengthen their affinity with the true nature of things, they give, as compared with Western Buddhists, hefty donations to a Buddhist temple or to a great teacher who has spiritual power. In this way they fulfill dâna. When they follow the Five Precepts and cultivate proper discipline, they fulfill shîla. When they mentally cultivate the Buddha’s teaching on a daily basis, trying to actualize his wise words, they fulfill proper bhâvana. All this leads to luck. To appreciate more of the essence of luck, Native Americans say that a hunter can be very skilled with his weapon, but without luck he won’t find any game. This is why most ancient peoples gave to the wise, cultivated virtue, and contemplated wise sayings. It insured that they had strong connections with the ultimate nature of reality so that their choices would often turn out for the better and eventually lead to awakening.
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