อารัมภบทI shall now explain and expand upon the meaning of the Dhamma theme written above, as a guide for study and practice.

อธิบายบทตั้งTo explain: The word "merit" means the goodness that arises in the mind from giving, keeping the precepts, developing meditation and doing other good deeds. This saying teaches that merit is a treasure that thieves cannot carry off, unlike external wealth such as money and gold, houses, cars and jewellery, which may be stolen, burnt in a fire, swept away by a flood or lost at any time.

ขยายความบทตั้งIn the sutta from which this saying comes, there are questions: What is good until old age? What is good when firmly established? What is the treasure of human beings? And what cannot be carried off by thieves? The answers are: virtue is good until old age, faith is good when firmly established, wisdom is the treasure of human beings, and merit cannot be carried off by thieves. The reason thieves cannot carry off merit is that merit is not kept in a safe or in a bank, but in the mind of the one who makes it. No one can reach in and steal it, no natural disaster can destroy it, and that merit follows its maker everywhere, even across lives.

ประโยคสะพาน + ที่มา ๑When life is coming to an end, wealth, rank, and loved ones cannot help at all, but the merit one has made becomes a refuge for the mind, allowing one to pass away peacefully. This accords with the Buddha's saying found in Khuddaka Nikāya, Dhammapada:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑To explain: The words "the end of life" mean the time when life is about to come to a close, a time that most people fear because they must be parted from everything they love. This saying teaches that merit brings happiness at such a time; in other words, when wealth and possessions, rank and position, and loved ones can no longer help, the merit one has made becomes a refuge for the mind, enabling one to pass away peacefully and without fear.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๑When death is near, people's minds often recall what they have done. Those who have done much evil recall that evil with distress and fear the results that will follow, while those who have made much merit recall their own goodness with contentment, having nothing to regret or leave unfinished. This happiness of mind at the final moment is a clearly visible result of merit, and in Buddhism, a clear and bright mind at the end of life is also a cause for going to a good destination.

ประโยคสะพาน + ที่มา ๒When a person steadily accumulates merit little by little, happiness grows along with it, the very opposite of one who accumulates evil and reaps only suffering. This accords with the Buddha's saying found in Khuddaka Nikāya, Dhammapada:

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๒To explain: The words "the accumulation of merit" mean always doing good, doing it again and again, until goodness builds up and becomes a habit. This saying teaches that such accumulation of merit brings happiness. It is the opposite of the saying that the accumulation of evil brings suffering, and it shows that what we accumulate in life determines whether our life will be happy or unhappy.

อธิบายบทเชื่อม ๒In the Dhammapada, the Buddha said that if a person makes merit, he should make it again and again and take delight in it, because the accumulation of merit brings happiness. In another place he said that one should not look down on merit, thinking that it is small and will surely bring no result, because a water jar is filled by drops of water falling one drop at a time; the wise one, accumulating merit little by little, becomes full of merit. Small good deeds done regularly therefore have more power than great good deeds done only occasionally.

ตัวอย่างในชีวิตIn real life, we can see that some people with great wealth may one day lose everything because they are cheated, their business goes bankrupt or they meet with a disaster. But the good they have done, such as helping others, honesty and kindness, remains in people's memory and often leads others to reach out and help them in hard times. For a student who has sincerely helped his friends, that goodness always remains his own; no one can take it away.

สรุปTo conclude: Those who wish for wealth that is secure and safe should therefore not accumulate only external wealth, but should always accumulate merit, because merit is the true wealth that is never lost. This accords with the Dhamma saying set forth as the theme at the beginning:

ปิดท้ายThus has the meaning been explained, as set forth above.