Thai Amulet Forum

Recently, a topic in a group chat caught my interest and I personally felt it is a good topic to share.

I shall name both persons as good friend A and B.

Good friend A:
If give up wearing amulets, how ar?

Good friend B:
Just continue to do dana.

Good friend B further emphasised:
Its only during we are in human realm we can make merit.

I personally like the sharing of perspectives between friends, this is a good topic. But likewise, good friend B's perspective is a very good point.

I just wanna share that being in human realm itself, truly allow us to do more merit deeds. If in animal realm, sometimes you will notice the animals in the wildlife also have compassion for other animals, that itself also garners merit.

All in all, it is a good topic that I have learnt from this conversation talk.

What is Merit? Virtue and Sin? Can you put merit in a sack and take it with you? Does merit get weighed by a judge in a post death court case where your good deeds and bad deeds are counted? Why did the universe create a cosmic court with yama as judge, which is designed like the courts humans on earth created billions of trillions of years after the Universe came into existence? Why do the hell worlds have giant frying pans when the frying pan is a human invention maximum 100,000 years old, bvut the universe had some in hell since beginningless time?
Because none of that is true, it is imaginary, and the Buddha never taught these things, other humans did after he was gone and unable to stand up and say 'i never said that!'
Yama and the court of death that judges you is a Brahman belief incorporated into Buddhism by unenlightened post Buddha's Lifetime humans. The Buddha did say something about causes of auspicious and inauspicious effects (what most people think of as 'Karma'... merit or sin, auspicious inauspicious, or skilful/unskilful. good and bad, evil or angelic).
Karma is not a punishment for something you deserve. it is just cause and effect/Causality, like a running stream, the water is forced around the stone in the stream, but it takes the path of least resistance, and goes around it not through it, and the stone, remains steadfast and is not disturbed by the whirling events around it (the water), but is also forced to erode over millions of years, and its square shape will become a smaller rounded pebble at some point, and eventually dissolve into grains of sand, or perhaps be hit by a meteor and be turned into vitrified glass..
Is it the karma of the sand to be vitrified by a meteor? What did the sand to wrong or right to become vitrified? Or is vitrification of sand a punishment or a blessing? You decide!
Did the bad things that happened to you throughout your life become lessons that led you to where you are now?
Who is your greatest teacher? Your friend? or your enemy?
The Buddha said it doesn't matter how much 'merit' you make (perform acts of kindness and  generosity and compassion and avoid acts of thievery dishonesty and harmful unskilful deeds), you will never equal out the unskilful acts, for they will always outweigh our skilful ones. So making merit is good (tam bun) but in truth, only the path to enlightenment and attainment of stream entry and above/onwards is the safe haven.
The belief in the transfer of merit after death is a concept found in various religious and cultural traditions, particularly in Buddhism and Hinduism, among others. However, it's important to note that the understanding and interpretation of this concept can vary widely among different belief systems.

In Thai Buddhism, for example, there is a practice known as "transference of merit" or "dedication of merit." It involves individuals dedicating the positive karma or merit they have accumulated through virtuous actions, such as acts of generosity or meditation, to benefit others, including deceased loved ones. The idea is that by dedicating one's merit to others, especially those who have passed away, it may help alleviate their suffering in the afterlife or support their journey to a favorable rebirth. This assumed 'transfer of merit', is not necessarily viewed as a tangible or physical asset that is carried with an individual after death. Instead, it is a symbolic and spiritual gesture of goodwill and compassion. The belief is that the positive energy generated by virtuous actions can have a positive influence on the well-being of others, both in this life and in potential future existences.

It would be wise in my belief, to recognize that beliefs about the afterlife, karma, and the transfer of merit are matters of faith and spirituality. They can vary widely among individuals and religious traditions. Some people find comfort and meaning in these beliefs, while others may have different perspectives on the nature of the afterlife and the role of merit. Anyway, in the end, whether one believes in the transfer of merit or not, the practice of engaging in virtuous actions and cultivating positive qualities like compassion and generosity is valued in many spiritual and ethical traditions as a means to lead a more meaningful and harmonious life, regardless of what may or may not happen after death.

Interesting. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

My understanding of merit is that those beings (seen and unseen) hearing that you have done good deeds on their behalf will rejoice. This creates a positive mind state that can help increase their chances of a good future rebirth.

Just think it in the 4 values - Metta, Karuna, Mudita, Upekha. Such act also constitutes a way of developing sympathetic joy (mudita) which - along with compassion, metta and equanimity.

How they receive? They receive by being aware. For example; You remember them, You do dhana on their behalf, you help them to do dhana on their behalf, since they are no longer able to dhana in their form as they do not have a human form body. It's akin to you pour water on the soil where it got a seedling of a plant, then it grows. Yet if you pour the water on concrete, not the same thing result also not same, right? Use simple analogy to start finding out and understand it.