Meritorious deeds for Buddhist

Many of us are familiar with the offering of food, scents, water, flower etc. in the morning or in the evening to the image of the Buddha or to His disciples as a daily Buddhist practice. I thought, as a modern thinker (!) that that is merely a foolishness, because the offerer is not getting any visible benefit. But I was wrong. As I was studying the Tipitaka, I found that this type of offering is good and beneficiary for the doer. In the Kutadanta Discourse (in the collection of long discourses, Tipitaka), the Buddha said thus:

Offering and sacrifice

"Even if sacrifice or offering is done just for the welfare for all, that is also fruitful. With  no expensive items, but with ghee, and oil, and butter, and milk, and honey, and sugar only can a sacrifice be accomplished. He who celebrates such a sacrifice, or causes it to be celebrated, is reborn at the dissolution of the body, after death, into some state of happiness in heaven."

However, as the Buddha said, there is another way, that is more fruitful, more advantageous, more meritorious than this sacrificial ceremony. And what is it?

Traditional daily offerings to virtuous recluses

The traditional practice of daily offering of food and other appropriate items, specifically to virtuous recluses is more fruitful, more advantageous and more meritorious than the previous one, because the former sacrifice is offered to none, whereas the traditional daily offering is worthier in merits because of offering to virtuous recluses, and there  may come an opportunity that arahatas (the liberated ones) might come to accept the food offerings while they are collecting alms.

However, as the Buddha said, there is another way, that is more fruitful, more advantageous, more meritorious than this one. And what is it?

Setting up a dwelling place for monks

The putting up of a dwelling place (Vihara) on behalf of the Order of Monks in all the four directions is more advantageous and meritorious, and more fruitful in this life and afterlife, better than open largesse and better than daily offering of food.

But there is another way, that is more fruitful, more advantageous, more meritorious than this one. And what is it?

Taking Three Gems (Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha) as a guide

He who with trusting heart takes a Buddha as his guide, and the Dhamma the truth and the Order  of Monks-- that is a sacrifice better than open largesse, better than perpetual alms, better than the gift to a dwelling place.

But there is another way, that is more fruitful, more advantageous, more meritorious than this one. And what is it?

The five precepts - stay away from evil deeds

When a man with trusting heart takes upon himself the precepts -- abstinence from destroying life; abstinence from taking what has not been given; abstinence from sexual misconduct; abstinence from lying words; abstinence from strong, intoxicating, maddening drinks, the root of carelessness -- that is a sacrifice better than open largesse, better than perpetual alms, better than the gift of dwelling places, better than accepting guidance of Buddha, Dhamma and the Order of Monks.

(See! You don't need to take Buddhism as your religion to get benefited, rather the law works for all buddhists and non-buddhists equally. And don't distrust it. Because the Buddha said it in the Kutadanta Discourse. The Buddha said the cosmic laws.)

But there is still another way, that is more fruitful, more advantageous, more meritorious than this one. And what is it?

The last and ultimate sacrifice- the contemplative life

The contemplative life is the one, the last and ultimate sacrifice, that is more fruitful, more advantageous and more meritorious, because it brings the ultimate liberation from all this tangles in the world, beyond the sufferings of birth and death.
Do you want to know about this ultimate sacrifice? Then Read: The practical way to Nibbana.