Making merit is a quite popular term in Thailand. It is an important process that has become a part of the everyday life of most individuals in the country. If you don’t know what merit-making means, let’s dive into everything you need to know about the term.
Basically, making merit refers to the process of offering a donation that is meant to promote a well-valued cause. Merit making involves some sort of force that can lead to positive results in the life of the donor. As you donate, you will expect a benefit in various forms, especially improved karma. That is, merit making can influence the next lives of an individual as well as the destination where such a person will be reborn.
When done properly, merit making can play a vital role in bringing great circumstances into the life of an individual. Merit making can also enhance the inner wellbeing and mind of a person.
Who can make merit?
Considering the numerous benefits of merit-making, you may want to understand who it is designed for. In general, merit-making is usually carried out by Thai Buddhists. They believe that it is a religious practice that can improve the outcome of their afterlife. However, like other religious people, some Thai Buddhists are more enthusiastic about making merit than others. So, while some people are heavily involved in doing things to make merit, other Thai Buddhists may be less interested in them.
Nonetheless, people that don’t practice Buddhism can also make merit. Factually, lots of tourists usually take part in taking actions to make merit as long as they are interested in attaining a better future rebirth.
What is Tam Boon? And how does it relate to making merit?
Tam Boon is a popular term closely associated with making merit. The term can be loosely translated as a merit-making ceremony. The ceremony is conducted to help people to make merit. However, Tam Boon is usually carried out along with other things such as remembering a lost friend or family or requesting some blessings.
How can you make merit in Thailand?
If you are interested in making merit in Thailand, there are tons of things you can do. While some of these things may involve financial commitments, others don’t. Here are a few things you can do to make merit in Thailand:
- Offering food to others
To make merit in Thailand, you can take up the responsibility of providing drinks, food, snacks, flowers, and other things to monks. You can either buy the food from a local market or prepare it yourself. Apart from feeding the monks, this step will also promote Buddhism. Lots of Thai Buddhists dedicate their mornings to this cause.
- Providing sankatan to Buddhist monks
Another thing you can do to make merit is to give sankatan to Buddhist monks. Simply put, sankatan refers to a utensil or basket filled with salt, water, medicine, detergent, toothbrush, and other things useful for the everyday life of a Buddhist monk. Notably, these items are usually shared among the Buddhists in the temple.
- Listening to the sermon
The chanting ceremony usually takes place in the morning and evening. Normally, it requires you to sit calmly and listen to rhyme chanting for around 30 to 45 minutes. After the ceremony changing, a Buddhist monk may take the time to talk about an issue that can help you to live a better and more peaceful life.
Although most individuals involved in listening to the sermon are old people, young people can also join. So, if you want to make merit, you shouldn’t hesitate to join the chant.
- Meditation
Meditation is also a popular method for making merit. It is an important activity that can bring calmness to your mind and also have a better understanding of yourself. This activity will take your mind away from the worries of this present world and help you to control your mind. All these factors ensure that meditation can increase your life in the afterward or next life.
- Releasing turtles, fishes, frogs, etc. to the river close to a Buddhist temple
You can also make merit by purchasing frogs, fishes, or turtles and releasing them back into a river close to a Buddhist temple. This act is believed to protect the lives of these animals; hence, you are promoting a valued cause. In fact, some individuals have dedicated their lives to abstaining from eating such animals.
Apart from making merit, this activity can also be used to pray against an illness or ill-luck for themselves or their loved ones.
- Applying a gold leaf to the Buddha statue
When visiting a Buddhist temple, you can make merit by applying a gold leaf to the Buddha statue. It is an important method for making merit for a group of people or community. In addition to making merit, this act can also be done for other things.
- Offering soy milk for evening meditation
You should understand that the Buddhist monks don’t eat after noon. However, whenever the Buddhist rain retreat is going on, lots of individuals usually use the opportunity to have an evening session of meditation at the temple. During this period, Buddhist monks can take drinks such as soy milk. So, as you are coming for the evening meditation, bring some milk for the monks. This is a good act that can assist you to make merit.
- Joining vian tean
Vian tean is a Buddhist procession usually held at night. It involves the lighting of candles and incense sticks as well as walking around the temple. It is targeted at worshipping Lord Buddha. When you join vian tean, you are making merit.
Conclusion
Making merit is a religious activity that lots of Thai Buddhists usually participate in. It helps to nurture better karma that can ensure a more enjoyable and comfortable future rebirth. Apart from the aforementioned activities, there are numerous other things you can do to make merit in Thailand. Each activity can make your current life and afterlife better.
