Merit and Wisdom: The Two Wings of the Bird of Enlightenment

Have you ever wondered why some people encounter the Buddha's teachings (Dharma) and attain enlightenment as an Arhat within just a few days, while we practice for so long yet still feel our minds scattered, our bodies in pain, and find no trace of peace? The answer does not lie in your inadequacy. It lies in merit—the seed we are gradually planting in this life and across many future lives.

In Buddhist history, there are those who attained enlightenment very quickly. Consider the Venerable Bakula, who ordained after having a family and achieved Arhatship just seven days after meeting the Buddha, living healthily until the age of one hundred and twenty. Or consider the Sixth Patriarch Huineng, a woodcutter who heard the Diamond Sutra recited and had his mind instantly awakened. These were individuals of superior capacity. Their merit from past lives was fully matured, so they returned to this world only to harvest the results. We, however, are still in the stage of planting.

We are human beings currently sowing merit. Because this merit has not yet ripened or borne fruit, it is not easy for us to achieve enlightenment. We must understand this truth clearly.

When practicing, we engage in two activities: cultivating blessings from merit and cultivating wisdom. Master Thich Chan Quang defines them simply: blessings from merit mean helping others, while wisdom means turning toward non-self (anatta). Sitting in meditation is cultivating wisdom. Bowing to the Buddha, giving alms, making offerings, and living kindly with everyone is cultivating blessings from merit. These two practices are like the two wings of a bird. If a bird has only one wing, it cannot fly. If one wing is large and the other small, it flies crookedly and never reaches its destination.

Remember these words by heart: Blessings from merit are about helping others. Wisdom is about directing the mind toward non-self (anatta).

There is a subtle point that few know: helping certain people increases your blessings from merit, while helping others may cause them to shrink. Why is this? If the person you help lives ethically and benefits many others, your merit multiplies. Conversely, if you help someone who lives selfishly, driven by greed, hatred and delusion, your merit dissipates. The teacher calls this a "secret method," often shared within the community. However, practitioners should be skillful. When your merit is small, focus on making offerings to genuine practitioners, as this allows merit to grow rapidly. Once your merit is substantial, do not discriminate; give freely everywhere to save all sentient beings.

Money used to support spiritual practice generates immense merit. But money spent on worldly desires and emotional attachments vanishes completely.

The teacher speaks frankly: Spiritual practice is not always pleasant. In meditation, legs ache, minds wander, and bodies tire. Those without good roots will give up. But those who possess the seed of enlightenment persist despite pain and fatigue. This is right effort—a stage requiring willpower a hundred or a thousand times stronger than usual. The teacher calls such persistent individuals "the beloved children of the Buddha."

Anyone who remains fiercely determined and persistent through the hardships of practice already possesses the seed of enlightenment.

How do we cultivate both merit and wisdom together? Start with small actions. Every time you return to a meditation retreat, you plant the conditions for cultivating wisdom. Every time you encourage others to practice and invite them to meditate with you, you create immeasurable blessings from merit. Using money to build temples or support retreats generates great merit. Using speech to praise practice and share the path of non-self (anatta) with others is also merit. Using physical energy to clean, cook, and assist others in their practice creates merit that is beyond comparison.

Consider this: One million given to a genuine practitioner transforms into principles that spread throughout society. That single contribution becomes worth billions in terms of spiritual impact.

Do not look down on those who progress slowly. Accepting that we are long-term practitioners with lower accumulated merit, we must not become discouraged. The key is persistence. Even if your mind wanders and your legs hurt during sitting meditation, as long as you do not quit, the stream of merit continues to be nourished. Like planting rice, you cannot expect a vast field overnight. Yet, today’s seeds are the foundation for future harvests.

It is a fact that supporting and helping certain people increases our merit, while supporting others may cause it to diminish.

Dear friends, look back at your life from childhood until now. Are your blessings from merit full? Is your wisdom full? If not, begin sowing more today. Sow every day using your resources, your speech, and your physical strength. Above all, strive diligently in meditation. Do not let leg pain or a wandering mind defeat you. Have confidence that every step on the path of cultivating merit and wisdom brings you closer to liberation. It is like flapping the wings of a bird, allowing it to soar high and far into the sky of enlightenment. Cultivating merit and wisdom together is the essential guide for a disciple of the Buddha on this long journey. Persistence is the lamp that lights the way until merit ripens and the fruit of the path is attained.