The Supreme Virtue: When Blessings from Merit Arrive, See Them as Empty

Do you know how to refuse blessings from merit?

Have you ever wondered: when you have done many good deeds and accumulated great blessings from merit, what should you do? Is there a way to "refuse" those blessings? This is a question many Buddhist practitioners ask, and the answer may surprise you. In the Diamond Sutra, number twenty, the Buddha teaches that a bodhisattva does not receive blessings from merit. But when those blessings come to us, how can we refuse them?

Blessings from merit, once they arrive, are not easy to refuse

Blessings from merit are not like an object. For example, if someone offers you ten taels of gold, you can decline. But when blessings from merit have already manifested as a radiant, beautiful face, as abundant wealth, as transcendent wisdom... how can you simply "discard" them? You cannot cut off your beautiful face and throw it away, you cannot abandon a wealthy family, you cannot make yourself unintelligent. As Master Thich Chan Quang once illustrated: "Some people are so beautiful they say, 'I am a bodhisattva who does not receive blessings from merit,' and then go to a cosmetic clinic to make themselves ugly... No clinic has ever agreed to do that." Once blessings from merit have become karmic results, they cling to us and are not easily released through letting go.

There is only one way: Having, yet seeing as empty

So how does one refuse blessings from merit? Master Chan Quang pointed out: "There is only one way left: to have, yet see as empty — and that means taking the spirit of the Diamond Sutra alone." That is, we do not need to carelessly throw away our money, possessions, beauty, or wisdom. We simply need to see them as empty, so that we are not bound by greed and attachment, not overcome by arrogance. That is the true purpose of "refusing blessings from merit."

"Having, yet seeing as empty — that means taking the spirit of the Diamond Sutra alone"

What is the "emptiness" of the Diamond Sutra?

Many people misunderstand that studying the Diamond Sutra means "everything is nothing." But in truth, that "emptiness" is "the emptiness of virtue, the emptiness of strength, the emptiness of wisdom, so that we act without attachment." It is not passive, not weak. Those who understand correctly become gentle, humble, strong, and use their blessings from merit with precision. Those who understand wrongly become arrogant and reckless, and eventually their moral discipline will collapse.

"That emptiness is the emptiness of virtue, the emptiness of strength, the emptiness of wisdom, so that we act without attachment"

Applying it correctly: Do much, but without attachment

When you have blessings from merit, use them to help others, but do not believe they belong to you. A monastic living in a large, beautiful temple with many Buddhist followers must see it as a temple the Buddha has lent for lodging, not as their own. Master Chan Quang taught: "We are all temporary guests. We are all temporary guests." And as a temporary guest, one is only passing through — one must not claim credit, must not become arrogant. Remember that everything in this world is borrowed, to be used for the Buddha's work, to benefit ourselves and others.

"We are all temporary guests"

The essential condition for becoming a Buddha

If a bodhisattva receives blessings from merit — that is, attaches to karmic results — then supreme enlightenment cannot be attained. But if a bodhisattva sees blessings from merit as empty, rising above everything, then the path can be realized. This is an essential condition. When you feel loved by many people, when you have achieved some small success, remember the Diamond Sutra: "See all of that as empty," and return to gentleness and humility.

Conclusion

The final lesson of the Diamond Sutra is a profound reminder: do a great many good deeds, accumulate boundless blessings from merit, but never attach to them. See blessings from merit as drifting clouds, as flashes of lightning, so that your heart remains light and pure. Each of us can practice this today, in every small act: when helping someone, when experiencing a little success, remind yourself — "having, yet seeing as empty." Just remember one thing: "Do everything you can, but let nothing bind your heart." That is the supreme virtue.