If I were asked to sum up the heart of whatever message it is I am constantly trying to get across on this Signal Fire—to put it succinctly and truthfully, to distill it down to a single word—I think I know which I would choose.
Kindness.
That’s it, really. I’ve called it a thousand things, decorated it up with pretty words and poetry and prosetry (my invention, it’s ok), but in the end it’s all the same. Make tiny changes in this world, be kind, and give it away freely. Always.
Turns out, I’m in really good company with this belief, and the company I keep is far better (in every possible way, I promise) than I am at explaining why this mentality is one we should all be aiming for.
Let’s face it, the Dalai Lama is just a hell of a lot better at this than I am.
In his amazing book “The Art of Happiness,” the Dalai Lama talks a lot about kindness, and dives deeper into the subject than you’d probably imagine possible. He does this because he also speaks at length about the Buddhist concept called “Field of Merit.” It’s this “Field” I wanted to discuss a bit today, explain the concept in simple terms, and tell you why I think it is pretty vital to that crucial Art of Happiness he always refers to.
The point of this place has always been the same, and that aforementioned kindness has always been the vehicle that delivers it. I am just here to share things that have made my life better, made me happier, more honest, more connected to the pulse of this strange planet, more in love with everything and everyone I share it with. I do this not to convince you that my way is the right way, but in hopes that maybe something I say will hit at the moment it’s supposed to hit for you, maybe something I write of will open a door in your own world that you never knew was there, let alone that it was locked. I just want to create things that remind people they are not alone, that they are loved, that they can have what they wish for, that they can feel calm, content, satisfied, elated, curious, and at peace. Anyway, field of merit.
What if you had a piggy bank, a great big hidden piggy bank with the little snout and the little hole in its back and the weird little rubber plug on the underside? What if every single act of kindness, every single moment of patience or restraint, was you dropping a single coin into that bizarre spiritual piggy bank? What if this slow accumulation was actually building you a future you couldn’t yet see?
For Buddhists, you do have this bank and you do have this accumulation and everything you do either adds a coin in, or takes a coin out. This “Store of Merit” determine the “favorable conditions” for one’s future rebirths. Basically, the more kind you are the more full your bank will be, and when it comes to death and the starting over of it all, the better the rebirth will be.
If you really wanna get into it deeper, and you absolutely don’t need to for the lesson I’m trying to share, there are technically two ways of accumulating merit. The first is the “field of the Buddhas” and the second is the “field of other sentient beings.” The field of the Buddhas is basically generating respect, faith and confidence in the Buddhas, who are those who have achieved Enlightenment. You don’t need to know that part right now. The second method is all about kindness, all about generosity, patience, and understanding for all other living and sentient beings.
This is the heart of it, the heart of our lives. This is every interaction with OTHER PEOPLE, instead of those brilliant and enlightened Buddhas. This is every day life, the cashier at the grocery, the guy who cut you off in traffic, the people who deliver your mail or hand you your coffee or who write beautiful newsletters that find their way to your email box every single Sunday come rain or shine and who do so just hoping it makes your life even a fraction easier (and who hope SOME of you will upgrade your subscriptions to help make this sustainable hahaha). According to the Dalai Lama, it’s because this area of merit relies on other people, those other people are our greatest help in actually accumulating merit. They are our biggest supporters, our vehicle towards the happiest life, the happiest rebirth when we do come to the end of this one. They are everything, and as such, they deserve the most kindness we can muster.
Every door we hold for strangers, every person we let cut in line when they are holding heavier items than we are, every time we choose not to lash out when we’re frustrated or scared, every instance of help we offer without any mention or hope of repayment—all these are deposits into your great spiritual piggy bank with that beautiful hidden label: FIELD OF MERIT.
On a personal note, I can think of dozens and dozens of instances where I can feel—on a spiritual, emotional, and even physical level—my “merit” increasing when I am kind for no other reason that to be kind. This is the heart of it, again, the kindness for its own sake. Strangely, as with so many similar things, it is the intention behind the action so much more than the action itself, that truly transforms us. Being kind for some sort of recognition or reward, I and other Buddhists have found, does not pay the same dividends as kindness innate.
The most beautiful thing about this Field of Merit, is its applicability to so many different every day situations. We are bombarded on a daily/weekly/monthly basis with things that challenge us and truly put our Merit to the test. Social media negativity? Choose not to engage with anger, but with patience, or to not engage at all. Overtly consumer culture that keeps targeting you and threatening your ability to even afford your own life? Show generosity in what you give, rather than focusing on what else you can get. In your own personal relationships? Can we not practice more patience, can we not seek understanding rather than judgment?
We are a world obsessed and overrun with instant gratification, and with the overwhelming onslaught of distractions and a dozen reasons to forget the kindness and focus on the survival. We are a world that wants all things faster, shorter, and more exciting, and it can seem like focusing on kindness and fostering more gentle and positive interactions with all of our fellow planet-mates can be dreadfully dull. I’m here to say it’s not. I’m here to say that now, more than ever before, we should build the opposite—the slow, quiet growth of true goodness over time. We should be building our merit, and again not for the positive reward at the end, but for the immediate reward of simply doing so.
This Field of Merit is a lifelong process, it’s one that is supposed to take years, not months. We cannot possibly fill our banks, and we certainly cannot do so overnight—true merit is accumulated over a slow and steady trickle of deposits, it’s the compound interest we never knew we could always invest in.
When you begin seeing life this way, when you adopt this mentality and see every person, every creature, every interaction, hell, even every setback, as a way to build your Field of Merit, everything changes. We’re presented every moment of every day tiny chances to do this, to grow our Merit.
The question remains:
Are we paying attention?
I would love to hear how you have experienced this in your own life—have you ever felt like someone’s small act of kindness changed Your day? How do you, right now already practice building Merit in your own life? Let me know in the comments below.
This concept is too powerful not to share. If it resonated, please, please pass it on!
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