Upon making merit, let this aspiration be held firmly as an accompaniment to the act:
“May I never turn back and give rise to regret over the wealth with which I have made merit — for in times past, there were many great men of immense fortune who, having prospered abundantly in the early years of their lives, fell into ruin and bankruptcy in their middle years. When the Perfectly Enlightened One, the Lord Buddha, was asked why this had come to pass, He examined the matter with penetrating clarity and found that in a former existence, such a person had at first made merit with great joy and gladness — yet at some point thereafter, for reasons unknown, regret over the wealth thus offered had arisen within them, and they had thought: ‘Had I known it would come to this, I would never have given at all.’ Through this arising of regret, the continuity of their merit was severed and broken. And so it was that one who had once known great wealth and success — at the very moment when regret arose within them — saw their merit vanish in an instant, and ruin came upon them with ease.”
Let this aspiration therefore be cultivated and held with the utmost steadfastness and care.
May 12th, 2014
