POSITIVE THOUGHTS CAN ENGENDER MERITS
Master Jun Hong Lu: This is how a lot of Master’s meritorious blessings come from: I take pity on everyone that I cross paths with. All of you must learn to ‘halt’ and ‘contemplate’, that is to regularly reflect on yourself through the “eye of the mind” and forbid yourself from committing wrongdoings. By doing so, compassion will constantly proliferate in your heart, allowing you to always amass meritorious blessings.
Wisdom is gained through concentration. As highlighted earlier, the concepts of ‘halt’ and ‘contemplate’ are interrelated. When you tell yourself, “I’m not going to look at it today. After all, what’s so great about it!”, you have effectively put a stop to it.
“When you do so, you ‘halt’ and you ‘contemplate’. With such a thought, merits are engendered. In this way, you are able to break away from your vexations.” What a wonderful statement this is! But what does it actually mean? It essentially means that you can generate meritorious blessings through the power of your thoughts.
The moment you ponder “My mom is so pitiful and I must help her”, merits are generated. When you tell yourself, “I feel really sorry for this person and I must help him”, merit is gained. When you chance upon someone who is starving and you say, “Come on, let me grab you some food to eat!”, once again, merits are generated. A mere thought can help you gain merits. This is how important one’s thoughts are.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Buddhism In Plain Terms, Volume 12 Chapter 28