Understanding Merit and the Law of Cause and Effect : หน้า 96/115

Merit Results We benefit from merit in four levels: 1. The mind -- improving the quality and the potentiality of the mind. 2. The personality -- improving our demeanor and the way we project ourselves. A meritorious person is a likeable person. 3. Lifestyle -- providing us with favorable conditions that allow us to achieve good social status, fame and fortune. 4. Society -- bringing peace, progress and prosperity to ourselves and our society. We Are What We Have Done — Law of Cause and Effect There is a cause for every consequence as dictated to the Law of Karma. Each specific type of deeds brings specific consequence. Here, we will learn the causes that make a person lucky or unlucky, rich or poor, beautiful or ugly, smart or stupid, etc. Consequence Cause Long life - not killing people or animals Short life - killing people or animals Good health - kindness to living beings; giving food to others Ill health - cruelty to people or animals Beauty - being kind, loving; keeping the precepts; forgiving Ugliness - bad temper; moody; being unkind, hateful, vengeful Wealth, good fortune - generosity; charity Poverty, misfortune - stinginess; selfishness; stealing; cheating; taking advantage of others; not charitable Intelligence/smart - mental development; meditation; association with the Wise; not engaged in any form of intoxication Ignorance/stupid - resistant to mental development; association with fools; being intoxicated Being powerful - rejoicing in others’ merit or success; absence of jealousy or ill will