ALMS-GIVING NOT BEING CONSIDERED
AS DOING MERIT IN BUDDHISM
If one understands about doing merit, he will surely do it correctly. He should know what is merit and what is the benefit of doing merit. It is a cause and effect relationship.
This means that if we perform good causes, we will certainly receive good results. This is the Dhamma of wise people.
If we use our wisdom in doing merit we will get a great deal of merit. On the contrary, doing merit without wisdom will receive less merit. It is just following what other people do without understanding the reason for doing so. Somebody might think that if we offer anything to the monk we will gain merit. Actually, it might not be as he expects. There are many examples.
Will we gain merit if we donate a fish net, an animal trap to somebody so that they can use these instruments for earning their living? How about donating poisonous or chemical things and pesticides to a farmer for killing insects - will we gain merit?
How about donating a baby for adopting to people who have
no children? And, how about teaching arts, decorating, and crafts to a
monk, will we gain merit? AIl these examples are worth being considered
in doing merit according to Buddhist teaching.
Donating living animals to the monk.
Some may think that they will gain merit if they donate living animals such as elephant, horse, cow, buffalo, pig, dog, duck, chicken, bird, etc., to the monk to be looked after. We will not gain merit in doing so. The monk is not expected to feed or take care of animals. It is not the monk’s duty. The monk would rather do his duty as a monk; praeticing meditation, studying religious knowledge, performing religious activities.
If we donate living animals to the Wat, the monk has to
take care of them. This is to put more burden on him. Moreover, animals
like cattle might destroy the trees and flowers in the Wat’s compound.
The whole Wat would be covered and dirtied with animals’ dung. Donating
living animals to the monk is looked as if to give more work to the monk.
The monk will have less time to concentrate on his religious duty. Therefore,
we will not gain merit in donating living animals to be taken care of the
monk. The monk will be unhappy because it is not expected to be his
duty.
Donating weapons to the monk.
Some people might want to offer weapons such as guns,
and grenades to the monk for his safety and for protecting himself, particularly
to the monk who lives in the jungle or in the remote areas. But weapons
are for fighting and for killing. Lord Buddha did not allow monks
to own and handle weapons. This is why we will not receive merit from such
alms offering.
Offering animal traps to the monk.
One will not receive any merit in offering animal nets,
bag net or fish trap to the monk. Such an instrument is useless for the
monk. If the monk gives it to other people, this means that he encourages
others to kill animals. We will not gain merit from such alms-giving.
Offering a baby-girl to the monk.
Offering a little baby girl to the monk is not considered in doing merit. The monk has to look after her and feed her. He has to look for money to buy food or milk for her. This certainly causes a lot of trouble for the monk. In addition, the monk is not suppose to touch a baby-girl since she is the opposite sex.
On the other hand, if one only requests the monk to tie
the sacred cotton thread on the baby’s wrist and give her a magic blow
above her head to bless her with good wish, this is considered acceptable.
Teaching artwork to the monk.
It is not quite doing merit in teaching artwork to the monk. Suppose we graduate from a school of art and would like to extend our knowledge to the monk and novice, for example, carving, glass work, construction, furniture making, painting, and so on. The monk and novice may be interested in learning such artwork.
They may dedicate their time to do artwork, with hammer and chisel for carving, instead of working on their religious studies.
When the monk and the novice are good enough at artwork,
they might think of making a business, for example, to sell their products.
Eventually, they leave priesthood or novicehood and are employed in a wood
carving shop in Chiangmai or in other big cities. This is a way to spoil
the priesthood of the monk. In Buddhism, this is not considered as doing
merit, but the outside world may think it is.
Offering liquor and addicting drugs.
Offering liquor and other addicting drugs to someone is to kill him in instalments. This is considered a sin rather than doing merit. Once people try drugs or liquor, they may be addicted to those things and have to have them all the time. Soon they will spend all their money and sell their belongings - car, boat, house, farm, orchard, garden, and so on—in order to get money in a moral way, they may become thieves and steal things from others. Finally, they may end up their lives in the jail. This means that we kill somebody indirectly if we offer drugs to him or her. We commit a sin in doing so.
In the case of offering liquor, as well as other addicting drugs, to the monk, since he cannot take such a thing, he might give it away to other people. This will cause them to get drunk or be addicted. This is not considered doing merit and is also against the law of the country.
At the wedding reception or other auspicious ceremony; we should not celebrate with liquor. The drunkards may cause trouble. The wedding couple may have a quarrel with each other if they drink. According to Buddhism, they should do merit by having a peaceful reception without having liquor or any other addicting drugs.
Some people, whom I have met, like to buy liquor and show a big bottle of it in a cupboard in their house as if to show off their richness or good taste. I think it would be better if they show the Buddha image instead.
Couples should try not to drink liquor. If they do, soon they might get drunk and start a quarrel and will not be responsible to their family. What is worse is that they will not pray and not perform their religious activities.
They will even stay away from Wats and lead unpleasant and unhappy lives.
This is why we say that it is a killing work when we offer liquor to somebody. Some housewives asked me whether buying liquor for their husbands is wrong. This is absolutely wrong because they support their husbands in drinking and cause them to get drunk. Offence from addiction to liquor as well as other intoxicants are:-
1. actual loss of wealth,
2. increase of quarrels,
3. liability to disease,
4. source of disgrace,
5. indecent exposure, and
6. weakening of oneus intelligence.
We should never encourage others to drink liquor or take any intoxicants. It is a way of committing a sin in Buddhism. A drunkard or a drug addict will lose his presence of mind and will do any unexpected thing which can cause all kinds of trouble to himself as well as to society.
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