Gaining merit is a fundamental part Buddhism. As it relates to the Buddhist way of life it means: a beneficial and protective force which accumulates as a result of good deeds, acts, or thoughts.  You may notice I referred to the Buddhist "way of life" and not the Buddhist "religion".  That's because from my experiences the gaining of merit is a ritual practiced by Buddhists who may not spend an extensive amount of time practicing their religion but they would never neglect the responsibility of gaining merit. 

Merit is what sets you up for the next cycle of life.  It is, of course, the goal to come back in your cycle as a step ahead of where you are in this life. The key determiner of your next life is what you do in this one.  So, you can see why attempts to gain merit are popular!

'Merit Making' as its referred to can be accomplished in many ways. In general it has to do with good deeds or good thoughts. Donations to the temple and alms to the monks give merit, helping someone in need gives merit. Often, it can involve animals. Setting fish or birds free is a popular merit making practice.

Temples along a waterway often give the opportunity to feed the fish for merit. As you can imagine, this leads to prolific aquatic life in small ponds. 

This week we were at a temple in the Old Siam region of Thailand. After touring and admiring the amazing art work found in Buddhist temples we figured a little merit making couldn't hurt.

The temple is surrounded by a moat and accessed by a foot bridge. Makes for a lovely quaint setting.

Buddhist Wats (temples) dot the countryside all over Thailand. This temple has a beautiful sitting golden Buddha who looks out over the Gulf of Thailand.  The pictures below don't really show it, but you can see the glimmering gold of Buddha for quite a distance.

I love how stunning a big Buddha is up close.

Besides the picturesque location, this Budhha is special because there is the heart of Buddha here. (well, a replica of Buddha's heart)

Buddhists are continually making offerings to the temples and Buddha in a pledge for merit which will help them in the next life cycle. The goal is to attain enough merit that in your next life you will be born into a better position. They also give offerings before praying to Buddha with a request. A prayer for good grades, a new baby, a new job or the winning lotto numbers are all accompanied by an offering to Buddha. Offerings are often monetary but they can also be gold leaf or lotus flowers or other symbols of respect and almost always lit incense.

I was introduced to the ceremony of prayer specific to Buddha's heart.  There is a line of boxes each designated to a day of the week.  You must put your money in the box for the day you were born on. Not your birthday but your Birth Day. The amount must be more than your current age. 

Behind each donation box is a bowl of small clay Buddha images.

You put your money in the box and take a small clay Buddha tablet.  

I recently celebrated my 40th birthday. My friends and family will tell you I have a little (read 'large') complex about reaching this milestone. As I placed 45Baht (Thai currency) into the box I made a little joke about looking too young to put that much money into the box.  I was met with a stern look from the caretaker which definitely broke the language barrier to say 'blessing from Buddha are not a time for giggles'.

Returned appropriately solemn for the situation, I removed my shoes and knelt before Buddha's heart and said a short prayer.

I put my small sandstone Buddha into the back of Buddha's heart to rest with all of the other prayers.

I then returned to the front of the heart and knelt to repeat my prayer.

From what I have read about Sidhhartha (the man who became Buddha) he was a gentle and forgiving man. A favourite quote from Buddha is "We are what we think. With our thoughts, we make our world." Considering my prayer was a sincere request for safety on the rest of our trip and for the health and safety of our family at home I trust that Buddha, if he was listening, would forgive my giggles and know my heart was in the right place.