Dedicating Merit to Petas

We humans have all been wandering through birth and death in saṃsāra (the round of rebirth), born and dying through more lives than can be counted. So our relatives are very many indeed. Yet when most people make merit, they count as relatives only those of this life. Those who passed away in earlier lives we do not count as family. This shows how short our memory is: as soon as the breath stops, we forget everyone.

In truth, our relatives are not only those. Take the relatives of King Bimbisāra, who had been born together with him in the time of earlier Buddhas. Later these relatives did wrong: they secretly took things belonging to the saṅgha (the community of monks). Because of this, when they died they were reborn as petas (hungry ghosts), and had to wait for King Bimbisāra to be born in the time of Gotama, the Perfectly Self-Awakened Buddha, through a whole interval between Buddhas. Then King Bimbisāra made merit and dedicated it to them, and these petas were freed from their suffering.

One day, King Bimbisāra gave a great offering to the saṅgha headed by the Perfectly Self-Awakened Buddha, but he did not dedicate the merit to them. The petas were bitterly disappointed and went wailing loudly in the royal palace. The next morning, King Bimbisāra went to the Buddha to ask about it. The Buddha answered that it was the sound of Your Majesty’s relatives in distress, because Your Majesty made merit but did not dedicate it to them, since they are not relatives of the present life but relatives separated by long ages of saṃsāra.

King Bimbisāra then asked how to set this right. The Buddha replied: since those relatives have no dwelling, build a dwelling, offer it to the saṅgha, and dedicate the merit. Since they have no food, offer food to the saṅgha and dedicate the merit. Since they have no clothes, offer robes to the saṅgha and dedicate the merit. Since they have no means of travel, offer umbrellas and sandals and dedicate the merit, and so on.

When he respectfully presented the offerings to the saṅgha, King Bimbisāra was to say these words of dedication: “May this merit accrue to my relatives. May my relatives be happy, be happy.”

The Buddha let King Bimbisāra see those petas. When the petas rejoiced in the merit, some of them died from the peta state and were reborn as devas; others received food, clothing and celestial mansions.

When Dedicating Merit, Think of All Your Relatives Through Saṃsāra

For example, when you take food to offer to the monks, give rise to a wholesome mind and think of all the relatives who have journeyed with you through saṃsāra. Put your present mother and father first, with all your relatives, without limit, as their company. Do not give only to your parents of this life. You must also dedicate to your parents and the great company of others in saṃsāra who have shared the stream of your life: “I dedicate this merit without measure to them all.”

For Merit to Succeed, They Must Rejoice in It Themselves

Your father, mother, grandparents who have died, if they are reborn as non-human beings who know and see the merit you dedicate, they must be glad at heart, give rise to a wholesome mind, and rejoice in it (anumodanā). But if anyone cannot give rise to a wholesome mind through rejoicing, the merit does not succeed for that relative.

If We Make Merit Without Dedicating It, Can They Still Rejoice in It?

In truth, if those peta relatives can arouse muditā, a mind of sympathetic joy, and rejoice in the merit, they can do so without our having to say any words of dedication. But in reality, those peta relatives will feel that we are hoarding our merit: we made merit but would not dedicate it or share it with them. Thinking this way, their minds grow dark and they cannot give rise to a wholesome mind and rejoice. Then the fruit of merit that comes from rejoicing does not arise.

How Do Peta Relatives Receive Things?

We tend to think of monks as postmen: whatever food we offer, our peta relatives will receive that food; offer a robe, and they will get a robe. In fact, they receive whatever suits their realm of existence. For example, when we offer a robe and dedicate the merit, heavenly clothing suited to their particular realm will appear to them. So whether offering food or other gifts, we must consider what is suitable for the monks who receive them. This counts as giving with respect.

Do We Need to Pour Water?

Pouring water appears in the account of King Bimbisāra giving the great offering to the saṅgha and then pouring water onto the palm of the Perfectly Self-Awakened Buddha’s hand. It gathers the mind in concentration and makes it steady and unified before the merit is dedicated. If we have no water, that is no problem: we can settle the mind in concentration and then dedicate the merit straight away.

How Do Relatives Who Are Devas Benefit from Dedicated Merit?

As for relatives who are devas in the deva realms, who lack nothing in clothing, dwellings, medicine or food, they too can share in merit. For example, when we listen to the true Dhamma and virtue, concentration, wisdom, faith, effort and so on arise in us, we dedicate the merit of listening to the Dhamma to all our relatives. When they know of it and rejoice, they receive the merit and are gladdened. It adorns and shapes their minds, and they carry it further, on to gladness, rapture, tranquility, happiness and concentration (pāmojja, pīti, passaddhi, sukha, samādhi).

Does Dedicating Merit Leave Us with Less?

Dedicating merit is one of the ten bases of meritorious action (puññakiriyāvatthu): pattidāna, the sharing of merit. Dedicating merit does not make our merit disappear. On the contrary, it makes that merit grow and widens its reach, like lighting lamps and candles: when you keep lighting one from another, there is only more and more light. So once we have made merit, we should incline our minds to dedicate all of it.

If we do it knowing and understanding that we are helping our relatives, much wholesomeness arises. If we do not know this, we give only as a ritual, and once it is given, that is the end. But when we listen to the true Dhamma rightly, or make other merit with the right attitude of mind, we will be gladdened that we have supported, helped and cared for the relatives who have shared birth, ageing, sickness and death with us so very many times. May you all be well in body and mind and safe, joyful, happy and free from suffering; whatever you wish for, may it come true. And we will keep dedicating merit to them without end, for as long as we live. As time goes by, whenever we recall these wholesome deeds, the mind will be truly filled with the joy of cultivating wholesomeness.