A person stores his savings
in a deep pit close to water thinking:
“When a duty or need has arisen
it will be there to help me,
“To free me from a king if slandered,
or from a thief, or from a debt, or famine.”
For this kind of help,
savings are stored up in the world.
Although it is well stored
in a deep pit, close to water,
still, it cannot help him
in all things on every occasion,
For perhaps those savings are removed from that place,
or he forgets the signs telling where they are,
or nāgas take them away,
or yakkhas carry them off,
or the heirs he dislikes
steal them unseen,
and when his merit comes to an end
all of his savings will be destroyed.
However if a woman or a man who through giving, virtue,
meditation, and self-control
store his or her savings up, that is said to be the best saving.
If one respects stūpas, or the community of Buddhist monks,
or in an individual, or a guest,
Or his mother or father,
also an elder brother and sister,
those savings called merits, are well stored up,
those merits follow when going to the next life.
He gives up wealth when he has to leave this life.
But saving, called merits, go along with him.
It is not shared with others,
no thief carries those savings away,
The wise person should make merit,
for that savings follows one along.
That savings satisfies every desire of gods and humans,
whatever they wish for.
Through this merit they receive all.
A gorgeous look, a sweet voice,
a beautiful body, power, and many friends,
through this merit they receive all.
Leadership in a community, a human kingship,
and whatever happiness a universal king has,
also kingship in the heavens—
through this merit they receive all.
Human pleasures,
Divine pleasures,
even Nibbāna, the end of suffering—
through this merit they receive all.
Mental development by the attainment
of true knowledge and liberation,
with the association of good friends,
and thinking in line with the Dhamma,
continuation of wholesome qualities—
through this merit they receive all.
The higher spiritual attainments, the liberations,
and enlightenment of the disciples of a Buddha,
Awakening of a private Buddha, the awakening of a Fully Enlightened Buddha—
through this merit they receive all.
So this is of great benefit,
that is to say, the accumulation of merit.
therefore the wise and intelligent
always praise the making of merit.
