พระอาจารย์อธิบายว่าผู้ร่วมบุญหรือแม้เพียงอนุโมทนาก็ได้บุญตามกำลังกุศลจิตที่ตั้งขึ้น ส่วนใจที่ขุ่นมัวจากการยอมรับอารมณ์ไม่พอใจจะเป็นช่องให้บาปแทรกคั่นสายบุญ จึงต้องหมั่นรักษาใจให้ใสตลอดช่วงงานบุญใหญ่The teacher explains that both those who join in person and those who merely rejoice in the merit receive it according to the strength of the wholesome mind that arises. A mind that accepts irritation opens a gap for demerit to sever the flow of merit, so the mind must be kept clear throughout a great ceremony.
Before a great merit-making ceremony, the teacher reminded everyone to keep their minds clear so they could receive the great merit about to arise. Two follow-up questions came from this teaching. First: does someone who has already made an offering but doesn't attend the ceremony that day — whether joining online or not joining at all — still receive the merit layered into the same way as those physically present? Second: regarding the line "a clear mind receives merit without spilling, and Mara finds no opening to cut the thread of wealth" — if the mind isn't clear, how exactly does Mara cut that thread?
How Merit Differs Between Those Who Give and Those Who Simply Rejoice
The teacher explained that anyone who joins in giving, or even simply rejoices in another's giving, receives merit the moment mind arises. When someone is invited to make merit, a mind that happily rejoices already draws merit inward. Merit is the and that flows in and cools the heart. Those who personally make the offering also carry the specific fruits of that giving within their sphere of merit. Those who only rejoice still receive merit, but they gain the right to use the resulting wealth as a participant in the rejoicing, not as its direct owner.
For those whose minds never connect to that occasion of merit at all, for whatever reason, it's like tuning a radio or switching a television channel — if the mind isn't tuned to the wholesome frequency of that activity, it's hard to receive merit through that channel; a connection has to be made. Among those who do attend together, the amount of merit received still varies according to each person's purity of mind — the purer the mind, the greater a vessel it becomes for receiving the subtle, refined flow of merit.
Why an Irritated Mind Opens a Gap for Demerit to Cut the Thread of Merit
The teacher explained that during a great merit ceremony, the system of wholesome states tries to keep unwholesome ones from intruding. But if something unpleasant happens or is said, and we accept that irritation into our hearts, unwholesomeness gains an opening — a dark sphere forms, and demerit slips in to interrupt the thread of merit. It's this interruption that becomes an obstacle in life — a business doing well suddenly stumbles, a client slips away, goods develop problems, or accidents occur — all of which can trace back to this dark sphere cutting into the thread of merit. That is why, during a great ceremony, it is essential to guard the mind: don't hold on to displeasure, keep the heart at ease, let go of whatever problems arise, and simply help resolve what can be resolved.
He added that not every act of merit carries the same weight. A great and hard-won merit carries protection for seven days before and seven days after the ceremony, while smaller, more easily made merit carries a correspondingly shorter period of protection, according to the scale of the success it was destined to bring.