What Merits
Friday, Oct 9, 2009 11:46PM / Standard Entry
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The Chinese has longed had traditions and customs for almost everything, I have always asked my grandmother when I was a little boy why was it necessary to have such a bang whenever there was a Chinese funeral. They have a so called brass band playing loud marching like music accompanying the casket to it's burial or crematory grounds. I never had any convincing answers even until the death of my grandmother. When I asked my dad he too did not gave me any assuring answers. When I got older some elderly people told me that all the things that went with the funeral was for merit making. I asked what was merit making. They said that it was to enlighten the soul of the departed and that he will have a smooth journey to heaven. So I questioned, why would someone do merits for another when he has already passed away, in what way would the departed benefit from such an act? What if the departed was a murderer and had all his life done nothing but vice and lead a negative life....would all these merits benefit the departed?
In real life if someone committed a crime, he would be sentenced depending upon the seriousness of the crime itself, nothing anyone can do would lighten his criminal act, it is only he himself who would bear the degree of the crime and accept his punishment. So back to the so called merits done for the departed....will they really be freed from their sins that they have committed just because merits has been done for them?
I've heard from many of my close friends and people about their encounters and abuses they have experience in their lives, most of them said that the people who abused them never came to a good end. I believe it's true too, you get what you give, even though the events my have happened many years ago and some people may say that God is unfair to let such people off when they are still suffering the agony while the culprit gets away scot free.
Whether there is a God or not or whether it is fair or unfair, I always believe that there is always a cause and effect in everything that takes place. it may not happen now but it will happen later because when something is activated it will react to it.
People are born different, different mentality, different egos, different motives and different backgrounds, all these makes someone to be what they are as we are brought up and being instigated by the nature of it. Ultimately we still have the will of choice, we can choose to do things in anyway we want it to be.There is no right or wrong just good or bad.
The Story Of Angulimala
Angulimala or Anguliman was a child who went thru much misunderstandings and abuse by his family and even his own Guru thus he became outraged and turned himself against the world, he started killing anyone who gets into his way and cuts off their fingers to make them into a a garland which he wore.
One day he saw the Buddha walking along his way and immediately tried to attack him, after several attempts in vain he prostrated before the Buddha and followed the life of an ascetic just like his Master. Even after he has become a monk and repented truly,people still recognized him and one day attacked and killed him. Prior his death the Buddha asked him " Were you angry when they beat you up?" Anguliman said " No Father, when I killed people I did not know what I was doing, similarly they too did not know what they were doing"
Even upon ones sincere repentance no one escapes his karma, however Anguliman upon his death has attained nirvana and became one of the best known Arahant(Arhats)
I believe in doing merits when you are alive and that is to do things within ones means but to do it sincerely. There are many people who are more unfortunate than us and to do merits is to help as many as we can. Help in the right manner, help with common sense, help so they can help themselves. Giving or lending money blindly is not helping but encouraging bad habits to form, donating blindly to any entity without first finding out how and where the money is being distributed can be very demoralizing.
When my grandma passed away there were no brass band although a grand traditional event took place, it was quiet and peaceful throughout the procession, quite unlikely for someone whose roots went back all the way to the last emperors era but it was quiet. My dad's was even quieter. Of course the usual rites were carried out but nothing of the loud type.
I met a lot of good people in my life especially those who have passed away, till this very day their memories stays intact and vividly clear. If their impression to me was so clear and good, I think that they have accumulated good merits in their life here already. We only want to remember what is good don't we ?
Ignorant is not an excuse whether it is intentional or not. No law in the world would overlook someone for being ignorant, you break it you pay for it.
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