Lecture Notes on the Sūtra of the Collection of the Father and Son (229)

How can we make our blessings and merit complete?

If we want to compare with one another, we should not compare who enjoys more wealth; rather, we should compare who has the largest deposit in the tathāgatagarbha bank. Whoever has the largest deposit in the tathāgatagarbha bank is the most wealthy and noble, and will attain buddhahood first. Even if we do not have much wealth to enjoy right now, if the deposits in our tathāgatagarbha are very abundant, then we are greatly wealthy and noble; whether one is wealthy and noble depends on the deposits, not entirely on the cash on hand. Therefore, we should enjoy as little as possible, so that our deposits grow ever more abundant, or we should take these deposits out to benefit and bring joy to sentient beings, and then cultivate merit and store merit again.

Take one dollar out of the tathāgatagarbha deposits to benefit and bring joy to sentient beings, and the rate of return is over a thousandfold, or even immeasurably manyfold. If you give one dollar in generosity (dāna) to a person without cultivation, the return is one thousand dollars—a thousandfold return; if you give it to a person with cultivation, the return becomes a hundred-thousandfold, a millionfold, or immeasurably manyfold, all returned into the bank of the tathāgatagarbha. Once we understand this principle, we will know how to cultivate merit. If one dollar is spent on ourselves, the bank deposit decreases by one dollar; if it is spent on others, then one thousand, two thousand, one hundred thousand, one million, or immeasurable tens of thousands are deposited back into the bank. Those who know how to cultivate merit should enjoy as little as possible—the more one enjoys, the less merit one has. Instead, let others enjoy, benefit and bring joy to others more, and your return will be ten-millionfold and immeasurably manyfold. When the blessings are sufficient, when the bank deposits are sufficient, and when the causes and conditions are complete, we will attain realization and enter the first bhūmi, the second bhūmi, the tenth bhūmi, and ultimately attain buddhahood.