How is your merit bank balance?

39-inch brass statue of Dorje Shugden,
available to invite home from our online store

Did you know that without merits we will not be able to understand or realise the Dharma, Lamrim, the teachings of the holy Buddha, let alone apply it? Do you have doubts, worries and suffer from depression and unresolved problems that never seem to end with obstacle after obstacle stopping you from Dharma practice? If the answer is YES, then this is a sign that your merit bank is pretty low! Basically merits are required to attain success both in our mundane as well as spiritual goals.

So how do we accumulate merits?

It is written in the Guhyasamaja root text that, “Those sentient beings who do not have the fortune actually to meet the Buddha need the holy objects of body, speech and mind as the field in which to accumulate merit. These holy objects are necessary.”

So what are some of the ways we can boost our merit-making bank and fatten the bank balance?

Well, one of the most powerful ways to accumulate an enormous amount of merits is by making offerings to Buddha images as the holy text recommends. One way to begin, is to have a Buddha image or statue to make offerings to. That is why you see Buddha statues in every dharma center or monastery.

Many people misunderstand this part, thinking and saying that Buddhists are idol worshippers but this is a huge misconception! Buddhists are not making offerings to the statue but rather to what the object represents, and in this case, the statue of a Buddha represents a fully enlightened being. Every single atom of the Buddha’s form and body is the direct result of many aeons of practice and realisations. And making offerings to an enlightened being’s form and image creates the causes for one to also achieve the same results… to become an enlightened Buddha.

Having a Buddha statue does not merely help you collect merits; others who see your Buddha statue receive the seeds of enlightenment which are planted in their mind streams. As these seeds open and these people begin to practice the Dharma, you also partake of the good energy being created. This is why so many countries around the world build towering statues of the holy Buddha and stupas, turning each location into a power pligrimage site! It is a practice that is very popular and widespread across all Buddhist traditions around the world as it blesses the surrounding environment. It’s well known that having huge Buddha statues, like the 354-foot Guan Yin statue in China’s Hainan Island, also help to calm the land and protect the people from calamities

It is said that the amount of atoms there are in a Buddha statue is equivalent to the amount of merits one will accumulate from a single offering of water, candle, mantra, prostrations… So imagine the amount of precious merit you can accumulate by making offerings to a 39-ft Buddha of Wisdom in wrathful form – Dorje Shugden, who by great compassion comes in a form that is easy for us to make a connection with. Dorje Shugden is precisely the Buddha we need in this age.

Dorje Shugden as we all know is an emanation of Manjushri. They have the same enlightened mind stream; so by having Dorje Shugden and making offerings to Dorje Shugden, not only will one be protected from inner and outer obstacles but also accumulate immeasurable merits to develop the wisdom mind of Manjushri. Double bonus merit-making points for your bank! The wisdom that one developes by propitiating Manjushri in all its forms is a critical key to enlightenment.

In other words having a statue of Dorje Shugden equates to having the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri on your altar. And making offerings to Manjushri Dorje Shugden is, without a doubt, creating the causes for enlightenment. So what are you waiting for? Time to fatten up that merit bank of yours… visit DorjeShugden.com’s eShop!

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