Some
information on dedication, which is a very important part of
Buddhist practice...
Merit is
dedicated generally to all sentient beings so that they will attain
Buddhahood. When we dedicate merit, it is to put the merit to work
to the highest purpose of all, so that we don't waste the merit. As
long as the purpose is not fulfilled, merit will remain and
continue to increase towards that. And also because this merit is
locked in an aspiration for all beings to attain the highest
perfected state, it will never diminish, just as a drop of water
(your drop of merit) is merged into an ocean (all sentient beings'
merit) can never dry up completely.
Merit can be
destroyed when one:
1. Regrets
the positive act later
2. Makes a
negative/perverted dedication
3. Fails to
dedicate the merit
4. One loses
one's temper and get angry
If one does
not dedicate the merit, merit ripens one time and is finished. But
if one dedicates the merit for all beings to attain full liberation
or Buddhahood then the merit increases never-endingly... In
dedication prayers, we dedicate not only the present merit of our
positive acts, but merits accumulated in the past, present and
future by ourselves and all sentient beings... it is said that the
act of dedication itself will also increase the strength of the
merit.
Also, the
merit of one's acts depends on the motivation. If one's motivation
is for one being, the magnitude of the merit is reflecting that of
one being... and correspondingly if your motivation is for all
beings, the merit is very vast. So if you are always practising and
dedicating for all beings, your accumulation of merits will be very
great.
Merit should
be dedicated ideally within the emptiness of the 3 spheres, ie. the
dedicator is empty of inherent existence, sentient beings are empty
of inherent existence, and the act of dedicating is empty of
inherent existence. However, many people do not yet possess the
realisation of emptiness so it is traditionally prescribed that one
dedicates the merit "just as the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the
past, present and future have dedicated, are dedicating and will be
dedicating". This covers all the ground.
A short way
to dedicate here:
(With folded
hands, and in respect...)
Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas, please pay attention to me,
By all the
merit accumulated in the past, present and future by myself and all
sentient beings, may all sentient beings attain
Buddhahood.
Just as the
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the past, present and future
have dedicated, are dedicating and will be dedicating, i
dedicate this merit in the same way.
____
Nagajuna
said that reciting these verses from the Avatamsaka sutra will be
equivalent to reciting the entire chapter of the dedication. And it
is one of the best dedication prayers that encapsulates all the
wishes and dedications of all the Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas...
JAM PÄL PA
WÖ JI TAR KHYEN PA DANG
Just as the
brave Manjushri and Samantabhadra, too,
KÜN TU
ZANG PO
DE YANG DE
ZHIN TE
Realized
things as they are,
DE DAG KÜN
GYI JE SU DAG LOB CHHIR
I, too,
dedicate all these merits in the best way,
GE WA DI DAG
THAM CHÄY RAB TU NGO
That I may
follow their perfect example.
DÜ SUM SHEG
PÄI GYÄL WA THAM CHÄY KYI
I dedicate
all these roots of virtue
NGO
WA GANG
LA CHHOG TU NGAG PA DE
With the
dedication praised as the best
DAG GI GE
WÄI TSA WA DI KÜN KYANG
By the
victorious ones thus gone of the three times,
ZANG
PO
CHÖ CHHIR
RAB TU NGO WAR GYI
So I might
perform good works.
Note that
when reciting prayers of dedication or aspiration prayers, it is
better to recite prayers composed by realised beings rather than
making it up ourselves although it is also ok to do so. The reason
is that compositions by realised beings and best by Buddha carry
more blessings through their enlightened aspirations, realisations
and bodhichitta. The higher the level of realisation of the
composer, the greater the benefit of using his composition as a
prayer.