Merit transfer: Refrain from offering alms with flesh

“One should not kill a living being, nor cause it to be killed, nor should one incite another to kill. Do not injure any being, either strong or weak.” -- Buddha

As a consequence of good actions merit is accrued and carries over through life and the succeeding births. There are a number of ways in which merit can be achieved. According to The Bodhisattva Sutta of Mahayana fame one can transfer one-seventh of the merit of an act to a loved one who is no more, to minimize the deceased’s misery if there is any, in their new lives. Theravadin does not believe in such proportions.

Some Western scholars of Buddhism, think that the transfer of merit was a Mahayana concept developed lately and that it has nothing to do with Buddhist perceptions of karma theory. However, Anthony Barber, the Buddhist scholar, notes that merit transfer was an integral part of Buddhism practised from Buddha’s times in India. Buddhism teaches that the accumulated merit can be transferred, can be shared with others; it is reversible and the persons who receive it can be either living or dead.

The mode of transfer is simple; the doer has merely to wish that the merit gained is transferred to somebody in particular, or to ‘all beings’, the wish can be mental or expressed by words. According to the Buddha, of all actions, what really matters is thought. Transference is mainly an act of the mind. Tirokuddha Sutta – Khuddakapatha says, there is no use in crying, lamenting, feeling sad and grieving; such approaches are of no effect to the departed ones. Doing some meritorious acts like building orphanages, schools, temples, libraries, hospitals, or distributing religious books and other numerous related charitable deeds are equally profitable as offering alms.

The most popularly practised ritual is inviting the Maha Sangha to the residence of the deceased on the death anniversary, along with relatives, friends and neighbours. A large majority uses carcasses of innocent animals brutally slaughtered for food, in preparation of dishes for the Bhikkhus and participants. Those who offer meat commit a crime by aiding and abetting animal killing. It means no merit can be acquired in the process, instead, the exact opposite happens; and if transferred to the dead, obviously there could be disastrous effects. Therefore the practice of offering animal flesh at alms givings for the purpose of merit transfer should be discontinued forthwith. Buddhists should altogether refrain from offering flesh at alms.

In Dhammapada, Danda Wagga verse 129 says,

“Sabbe bayanti maccu no —Na hanneiya- na ghayate”, ‘Na Ghayate’ means NO CAUSE TO KILL.

There is a long passage in the “Lakavatara sutta”, prohibiting the consumption of flesh, killed or dead. In fact the Buddha predicted in the Sutta that later monks will “hold spurious writing to be authentic Dhamma, and will concoct their own suttas and claim that the Buddha allowed eating carcasses of dead animals.” A passage shows Buddha speaks out very forcefully against eating meat, that it is undesirable and karmically unwholesome, and is unambiguously in favour of vegetarianism. Jivaka Sutta says, meat should not be shared under three situations: when it is seen or heard or suspected that the animal has been butchered for the eater; when it is not seen or heard or alleged, in which meat can be eaten. The meat prepared for eaters do not belong to “Thricotika parisuddha” category: it is a myth created through flawed interpretations by those who are greedy for flesh: if you eat you contribute to the sin; it’s killed for you! K.K.S. Perera Via email