UNDERSTANDING THE “PERFECTION OF MERITS AND VIRTUES”
Caller: Master, there’s a Buddhism phrase that says, “the perfection of merits and virtues”. How should we comprehend this phrase?
Master Jun Hong Lu: When performing meritorious deeds, many people fail to achieve the perfection of merits and virtues.
Let’s take the example you mentioned just now: By giving a helping hand to others or propagating Buddhism to others, isn’t it a meritorious deed? However, after doing so, if you don’t follow up or keep guiding them, your merits will not be perfected because there will be an outflow, which could diminish all that you have accrued.
Today, if you perform recitation and life liberation without even making a vow, your merits will be imperfect; however, if you make a vow and perform life liberation, but you don’t even recite the Buddhist scriptures, there is no perfection of merits too.
So, what is “perfection”? Perfection is to accomplish everything that you set out to do and you do it to your best possible capacity – be it making vow, performing recitation, life liberation, helping others to be awakened spiritually, following up with them and performing good deeds – all of which should be brought to perfection. If you merely support a person by his arm and walk away soon after, the onus is still on you if this person trips and falls subsequently.
Source: Wenda20160925B 02:38, Master Jun Hong Lu’s call-in radio program