Chapter 32. The Appreciation of Merit
The
Appreciation of Merit
‘Anumodana’ is the mental, verbal, and physical
appreciation upon others’ meritorious deeds. This allows one to earn additional
merit from making one’s mind wholesome and meritorious. Some may mistaken
that ‘anumodana’ is the situation when the merit appreciator receives a
part of shared merit from the appreciated, so the appreciated loses merit
energy in exchange for the appreciator’s earning. In fact, the merit earned from anumodana
is not from sharing, but from the mutual increase of merit from the meritorious
minds of both the appreciator and the appreciated.
MERIT APPRECIATION EQUATION:
Merit Earned from Appreciating Others’
Merit =
[(Total Merit of the Merit Maker) x
(A%)] + [(Total Merit of the Merit Maker) x (B%)]
(A%) = more or less of 5% to 15% which
depends on:
[The Completeness of Acknowledgment by the Appreciated (Quality of Action +
Speech + Mind)]
(B%) = more or less of 5 % to 15% which
depends on:
[The Completeness of Appreciation by the Appreciator (Quality of Action +
Speech + Mind)]
According to our equation, there are
two major variables which are (1) the quality of action, speech, and mind of
the appreciated, and (2) the quality of action, speech, and mind of the
appreciator. The quality is in the form
of percentage which can be more or less depending on many contributing
factors. Whereas the quality of
commoners can be figured around 5 to 15%, advanced meditators who can do merit
appreciation with their powerful and pure minds are capable of increasing the
quality to 20 to 60%, more or less. The
variables are calculated based on the total original merit volume earned by the
merit maker. This means that if the more
original merit earned, the more additional merit can be possibly earned from
appreciation.
When one thinks, speaks, and acts in an appreciative way
upon others’ merit, the Karma Programme which governs the universes will process the inputs of wholesome appreciative
thought, speech, and action, proportionately to the volume and intensity of original
merit owner. Then, the additional merit energy is calculated, withdrawn
from the source, and transferred to the appreciator. As such, the merit appreciator earns merit
without having to do the merit by oneself, but mostly the merit earned from
appreciation is not powerful like the merit energy earned by the merit makers because
of more ‘dhatu’ or elements.
In the same manner, the merit maker, who welcomes, acknowledges, and
responds to the physical, verbal, and mental merit appreciation of the merit
appreciator, will earn additional merit energy for himself because his mind is
additionally meritorious. Thus, the merit is mutually earned whereas the
appreciator can earn as much as 1 to 80% of the original volume of merit depending
on various factors such as the quality and intensity of the appreciator’s appreciative
physical, verbal, and mental expressions and conditions as well as the quality
and intensity of the appreciated’s pleasing & welcoming physical, verbal,
and mental expressions and conditions.
by
Pirajak Tisuthiwongse
(former
name & pen-name:
Pirajak Suwapatdecha, Pittaya Tisuthiwongse, Pittaya Wong)
First
Version: 16 June 2020
Latest
Revision: 28 June 2021
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