Honoring One's Father with a Donation to Monks
A generous donation was recently made by a meditator overseas, in memory of a beloved father, with a heartfelt request that it be earmarked specifically for supporting Myanmar monastics. In Buddhist traditions, acts of giving, especially in memory of a departed loved one, hold deep spiritual significance as they foster merit and honor the memory of the deceased. We were deeply fulfilled in carrying out this meaningful gesture at the historic Ledi Monastery, a revered institution with a long legacy of preserving and teaching the Dhamma, inspired by the great Ledi Sayadaw. His teachings have long been a beacon for insight meditation and the well-being of the monastic community. We share the report of this event below.
Recently, we visited the Shwe Ledi International Vipassanā Meditation Center in Naung Wei Village in the mountains to arrange a meal donation for the merit of this donor’s father.
With the help of a few volunteers from Naung Wei village, we prepared the alms meal for the 6 residing monastics in the monastery and 2 other meditator monks from a nearby forestry solitude monastery.
The following day, we offered lunch for the 8 monks and 5 villagers who came and took a meditation retreat on Pre-Uposatha Day and Uposatha Day. We also donated to each monk as a Navakarma Dāna and listened to a Dhamma Speech in memory of her father. The monk explained to us the essence of merit that one does in memory of his/her late family members. Here is part of what he said to us:
"With gratitude, we traditionally do a good deed such as donating to the poor or needy monks, as a merit transfer. According to early Buddhist ideas, if a dead relative takes a new life (rebirth) in a human's womb, or takes a new life in Deva's realms or Brahma's realms, he or she cannot receive the merit. For the first idea, a human baby does not have a natural ability to hear or know the doing of merit. Meanwhile, the second idea, rebirth as a Deva or Brahma, he/she already attained a happy life and perhaps he/she is enjoying it. It is just like the example of a rich one who does not need to expect help from others. Anyway, if he/she hears or sees his/her relative/family member doing merit for him/her, he/she might be happy. The rest idea is that dead relatives do not receive the merit if they are reborn as animals or in hell. Naturally, animals cannot hear or see the doing of merit, as a human baby in the womb. For those suffering in hell, they can't hear or know the doing of merit. They can only receive the merit if they are born as Pretas, meaning spirits or ghosts. When their relatives do merit for them, they rejoice in it and then receive the merit. The transfer of merit can be done through rejoicing. Also, one important essence of this act is that it is still meritorious for the doer of merit.
Also, according to Singālovāda Sutta, a good child must attend to his/her parents. It is truly an obligation of a child. It is truly a good act of a thankful child. One's departed parents would be happy to know that their child does merit in honor of them. This is one of the Mingala (meaning 'greatest blessings').
After the Dhamma speech, the abbot invited the departed to rejoice in the merit done by his daughter. He wished, "May you receive the merit from any realm. Even if you're a Deva, may you be happy for your obligated daughter!" In the end, we shared the merit of the donor’s alms meal donation for monastics and meditators, and that of our Veyyāvacca Dāna (meaning 'merit of volunteer service'). We stayed there overnight and until the following Uposatha Day.
Please, kindly pass these delightful words of Shwe Ledi Sayadaw to Karine. I hope she is delighted and insightful about her good deed with gratitude. Sadhu. Sadhu. Sadhu.
