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Throughout the Perfection of Wisdom, there are these passages that compare the amount of merit generated by actions of practice and worship with the merit generated by the thought of enlightenment when supported by what is essentially Right View (as understood by this lineage)—that all Dharmas are empty.

Merit (Pāli: puñña) is a concept from Early Buddhism of a kind of fungible blessing force. It is generated when wholesome actions are performed, and can be transferred between beings through intention—sort of! The action of dedicating merit is both a kind of magical energetic offering, like prayer, that calls upon the virtue of the giver to effect a good result in the life of the receiver, and a contemplative slight of hand: nothing is actually magical, and what is really happening is that compassion and generosity are strengthening in the practitioner as they ritually give away even the blessing created by their own practice. One paradox of this gift is that the act of giving it away only causes it to increase.

A deeper paradox, once this concept comes into the Perfection of Wisdom ecosystem, is that there is no distinct thing that can be earned, owned, created, or given away. Because of this, the Bodhisattva earns the most merit by conceiving of the thought of infinite giving, but importantly without seeing the thought or the gift as a sign—as a substantial thing, process, or entity of any kind. So we are to create a prayer that is only effective if we don’t believe in it in the way we might ordinarily (as religious people who believe that a prayer is a real thing) think of a prayer and its result.

Where does this leave us post-faith postmoderns? I already think of prayer, including the deep Buddhist prayers like the thought of enlightenment (bodhicitta), as psychological slight of hand, projection screens for the healing process of practice to play out on. Does that mean that I’m already in the stream of the Perfection of Wisdom? I don’t think so.

Merit in this literature is a way of talking about how powerful it is to hold a non-dual orientation even as we’re praying for the welfare of beings. I think of these comparative exercises that fill the text as teachings on how fully the view of emptiness eclipses all other cognitive material and narrative.

The practical teaching in part amounts to holding a paradox always in the heart as we move through the world: all our experiences and actions are best held as insubstantial, even when we’re engaging quite vigorously with them. A different way to say this is that the text suggests that it’s possible to stay at peace amid anything as long as we keep things in the perspective of emptiness. Yes, this veers dangerously close to bypass. But this is the knife-edge of the Mahāyāna.

You can’t have a robust socially-engaged Dharma without the view of emptiness continually present. When the view is lost, the Dharma is lost, because without emptiness, experience when engaged with quickly reifies into identity, narrative, and conflict. Merit arises when the view is maintained, and the actions Bodhisattvas undertake from that basis are protected from the defilements and can become a true condition for blessing to arise and spread.

SEAN OAKES
Sean Feit Oakes, PhD (he/they, queer, Puerto Rican & English, living on Pomo ancestral land in Northern California), teaches Buddhism and somatic practice focusing on the integration of meditation, trauma resolution, and social justice. He received Insight Meditation teaching authorization from Jack Kornfield, and wrote his dissertation on extraordinary states in Buddhist meditation and experimental dance. Sean holds certifications in Somatic Experiencing (SEP, assistant), and Yoga (E-RYT 500, YACEP), and teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, East Bay Meditation Center, Insight Timer, and elsewhere.

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GIVING
All of Dr. Oakes’ independent teaching is offered on the model of Gift Economy, in the Buddhist tradition of dāna, inspired giving. Support of our teaching and community is gratefully received. Thank you for your generosity.

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Blessings on your path.