Sharing of Merits Pattidana
Pattidana - Sharing of Merits
Gratitude towards the departed relatives
"Pattidana" means sharing of merits. In this practice, one should perform meritorious deeds with pure and undefiled thoughts so that merits could be transferred/shared to ancestors and departed relatives who may have been reborn as hungry ghosts (peta). In the Anguttara Nikaya, it is mentioned that parents wish for sharing of merits from the children, once they are gone.
Dasa Kusala Kamma (10 Meritorious Deeds) gives the actions whereby merits made be accrued by the doer.
Dana (giving, charity, generosity)
Sila (virtue, morality)
Bhavana (mental culture - meditation)
Apacayana (reverence, act of respect)
Veyyavacca (service, rendering help)
Pattidana (transference of merits/sharing merits with others)
Pattanumodana (rejoicing in and appreciation of merits of others)
Dhammasavana (listening to the Dhamma)
Dhammadesana (teaching the Dhamma)
Ditthijjukamma (straightening one's views) forming correct views, establishing right understanding.
The Buddhist ritual of sharing merits was first established with the story of King Bimbisara.
The Background of
TIROKUDDA SUTTA
('OUTSIDE THE WALLS' SERMON)
Pv 1.5
Introduction
After Buddha Gotama gained Perfect Enlightenment in Bodh Gaya under the Bodhi Tree, he spent seven weeks in the Bliss of Emancipation. At the end of the seven weeks, he wanted to teach the Sublime Dhamma to the two old ascetics (who had taught him meditation up to the Arupajjahanas only when he was yet a Bodhisatta): Alara Kalama and Uddaka Ramaputta. But seeing that they had passed away, he turned his attention to the five ascetics who had once fared with him (but later forsook him).
Thus, at Isipatana Deer Park, the Buddha expounded the Dhammacakka- pavatana Sutta to the five ascetics and they became the first disciples in the Sangha with Anna Kondanna Maha Thera as the first. Later, the Buddha went to Gaya and converted the three matted-hair ascetic brothers, Uruvela, Nadi, and Gaya Kassapa, and their one thousand followers with the Aditthapariyaya Sutta.
While proceeding to Rajagaha, King Bimbisara [who had tried to offer his kingdom to the Bodhisatta earlier] went to visit him with thousands of brahmins. King Bimbisara was established in the fruit of Sotapatti on that very day and he invited the Buddha to a meal in the palace the following day.
During the alms-giving, the departed next-of-kin petas of King Bimbisara stood outside the walls of the palace thinking, "The king will dedicate the merits of the alms-giving to us."
However, after the alms-giving, King Bimbisara did not dedicate the merits of the merit-making to his departed next-of-kin petas but instead, his mind was thinking about where to site the vihara for the Buddha. Not receiving the merits, the petas made dreadful cries and wailings outside the palace walls in the dead of night.
The king heard these 'unearthly' noises and became very frightened. At daybreak, the king told the Buddha about his dreadful experience and asked what would become of him. The Buddha explained to the king: "Former relatives of yours who have been reborn as petas have been going round for an immeasurably long time since the last Buddha kappa [Buddha Phussa's time, about 92 kappas ago] expecting to be released from their suffering.
They had expected you to dedicate the alms-giving done yesterday to them but you did not. They were extremely distressed by this and lamented their lost hope." The king said, "O Blessed One, would they receive the merits, if I give alms today and dedicate the merits to them?"
The Buddha was affirmative. "Then let the Blessed One accept my invitation of alms-giving today." The Blessed One consented by his silence. During the alms-giving to the Buddha and his Order of Ariya Sangha, strange things happened. The Buddha, using his supernormal powers, caused the petas from outside the walls of the palace to be clearly seen by the king.
As the king gave the gift of water saying, "Let this be for my relatives!" At that moment, lotus ponds appeared around the petas. The petas bathed in them and their weariness and thirst were allayed; their body became the color of gold. The king gave rice gruel and both hard and soft food and dedicated these actions.
All at once, the petas had food to eat and their faculties were refreshed. The king gave robes and lodging and dedicated these actions. Instantly, the petas were richly adorned and they had well-furnished palaces to live in. The king was extremely delighted by what he did and saw the effects. When the Blessed One had finished his meal, he expounded the Tirokudda Sutta.
A further Background
The reason why these petas in the story of Tirokudda Sutta suffered greatly for an immeasurably long time dates back to the time of Buddha Phussa.
It came to pass that during that time, the father (a king) of Bodhisatta Phussa did not allow anyone else to perform alms-giving to the Buddha. The king's three younger sons (by another mother) devised a stratagem to elicit from their father a chance to give alms to Buddha Phussa.
They made it as if there was a disturbance in the border and the father send the three sons to solve the problem. The king was pleased and granted them a boon saying: "Take whatever you wish." "We wish to give alms and attend to the Buddha. The king refused and asked his sons to choose another boon.
They pleaded for seven years to attend to the Buddha but were refused; and negotiated successively for six, five, down to three months. At last, the sons finally succeeded in getting three months to wait upon the Buddha (during Vassa season). They planned what they wanted to do and had many thousands of helpers carry out the various duties.
A vihara was also built for the Buddha and the disciples to stay. Many thousands of devotees gave gifts to be offered and everything had went on smoothly if not for an untoward incident.
One fateful day, some utterly depraved people intercepted the alms and ate them themselves; and set fire to the dining hall. The incident did not obstruct the good deeds of the people and three months soon passed by.
After the Pavarana ceremony marking the end of the Vassa, Buddha Phussa and his disciples went their way. Whatever evil actions perpetrated by the evil people had to be reaped by them. The good people were reborn in heaven and the evil went to hell.
Ninety-two kappas passed and during this auspicious Buddha Kappa (a Baddhakappa), at the time of Buddha Kassapa, the same evil people who had been reborn in hell ceased their life in hell and rose to gain rebirth as petas. One day, these petas saw with their very own eyes certain other petas who gain excellence as a result of the dedication of merits from their living next-of-kin who performed alms-giving.
They approach Buddha Kassapa and asked: "How, O Blessed One, may we attain such excellence too?" Buddha Kassapa answered the petas: "You will not attain it now2. However, in the future, there will be a Perfectly Enlightened One called Buddha Gotama.
At that time a king called King Bimbisara who is your relative 92 kappas ago, will give alms to that Buddha and dedicate them to you and you will attain excellence." Time passed by and during this Buddha Sasana, King Bimbisara arose and thus the story of the petas wailing outside the walls of the palace of King Bimbisara had come to be.
TIROKUDDA SUTTA ('OUTSIDE THE WALLS' SERMON) Pv 1.5
Sharing of Merits
Outside the walls they stand,
& at crossroads.
At door posts they stand,
returning to their old homes.
But when a meal with plentiful food & drink is served,
no one remembers them:
Such is the kamma of living beings.
Thus those who feel sympathy for
their dead relatives
give timely donations of proper food & drink
— exquisite, clean —
[thinking:] "May this be for our relatives.
May our relatives be happy!"
And those who have gathered there,
the assembled shades of the relatives,
with appreciation give their blessing
for the plentiful food & drink:
"May our relatives live long
because of whom we have gained [this gift].
We have been honored,
and the donors are not without reward!"
For there [in their realm] there's
no farming,
no herding of cattle,
no commerce,
no trading with money.
They live on what is given here,
hungry shades
whose time here is done.
As water raining on a hill
flows down to the valley,
even so does what is given here
benefit the dead.
As rivers full of water
fill the ocean full,
even so does what is given here
benefit the dead.
"He gave to me, she acted on my behalf,
they were my relatives, companions, friends":
Offerings should be given for the dead
when one reflects thus
on things done in the past.
For no weeping,
no sorrowing
no other lamentation
benefits the dead
whose relatives persist in that way.
But when this offering is given, well-placed in the Sangha,
it works for their long-term benefit
and they profit immediately.
In this way
the proper duty to relatives has been shown,
great honor has been done to the dead,
and monks have been given strength:
The merit you've acquired
isn't small.
Source: "Tirokudda Kanda: Hungry Shades Outside the Walls" (Pv 1.5), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight (BCBS Edition), 4 August 2010, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/pv/pv.1.05.than.html .
- Posted by CFFong