Merit and The Ten Great Vows of Samantabhadra.

“I vow to rejoice in the merits of others.”

Samantabhadra

“In order to really rejoice in the merits of others we have to be selfless.”

Guo Gu

Merit shapes our connections with other sentient beings and is built upon recognizing the goodness in others. People serve as mirrors, revealing what needs to be done in our practice by exposing how the self manifests—through arrogance, liking, disliking, othering, judging and other ways. By gaining distance from these habitual tendencies, we can begin to truly see the goodness in others.

Guo Gu shows how we can use our One-Minute Chan practice to practice seeing the goodness in ourselves and others; building new neural pathways that will then lead to merit.

The Ten Great Vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, outlined in the Avatamsaka Sutra, are profound principles for those on the path to Buddhahood. These vows represent a complete path of dedication, compassion, and commitment to benefiting all beings. They provide a framework for practice that not only transforms the self but also brings wisdom and compassion into the world.

The Ten Great Vows of Samantabhadra

1. To pay homage to all the buddhas
2. To glorify the qualities of all the tathagatas
3. To make ample offerings to all the buddhas
4. To confess and repent of all one's misdeeds
5. To rejoice in the merits of others
6. To always to request the preaching of the dharma
7. To entreat enlightened beings to remain in the world
8. To always to study the teachings of the buddha
9. To always to respond to sentient beings according to their various needs
10. To dedicate all merits to sentient beings that they may achieve Buddhahood.

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