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or small, gross or refined —
whatever the nature 
of the task, the mind made flexible 
will be 
ready for all eventualities. 
6. Merit will make the mind more 
radiant: It will 
increase the potential of the mind 
to gain insight 
to overcome all manner of 
obstacles that arise in 
the course of performing any task. 
7. Merit will increase the potential 
of the mind: You 
will begin to notice the difference 
whenever you 
apply your mind to any task. You 
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might overcome 
the tendency to lose your temper 
easily. 
The mind that is free from anxiety 
and 
Blessing Five: Having Done Good 
Deeds in One's Past 83 
cloudedness, that is spacious and 
pure and steadfast 
will be the mind of the highest 
potential. 
8. Merit will allow better decisions 
to be taken: 
Decisions can be made quickly and 
accurately 
without hesitation. 
9. Merit will allow a more 
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insightful analysis of 
any situation: Thoughts will be 
`on the ball' and 
a correct analysis of the situation 
every time.The 
mind dwells only on subjects that 
are skilful. You 
find yourself unable to think over 
anything potentially 
damaging to your high state of 
mind. 
10.Merit will make your thinking 
thorough and 
comprehensive: You will not 
allow your thought 
to be dragged down into 
shoddiness. 
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11. Merit will help to make your 
thought both noble 
and deep: Merit will incline your 
mind towards 
the higher things of life and away 
from 
the baser side of life. 
All of these features illustrate the 
general beneficial 
effects of merit at the level of the 
mind. They 
are effects that take place equally 
no matter which 
of the ten ways you use to generate 
merit. However, 
the benefits of merit go further 
than this. They 
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are more than just a feeling in the 
heart — leading 
to rebirth in more fortunate realms 
live to come. 
D2. Level of Personality 
This level of the effects of merit is 
easier to observe 
than the effects on the mind. As we 
accrue more 
and more merit, the general 
benefits, no matter 
which way in which we 
accumulate merit, will 
spread to the level of our 
personality and will gradually 
change it for the better. The 
changes in our character 
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originate from the changes 
mentioned above 
in the quality of the mind. 
I. Merit will bring you physical 
grace: from your 
complexion to your voice and even 
your physical 
proportions — all are attractive 
and appropriate 
to the task of pursuing perfection. 
2. Merit will bring knowledge, 
wisdom and mastery: 
because the illumination whch 
merit brings 
will awaken us to the nature of the 
world as it 
really is. Anyone who has set their 
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heart on being 
smart should start by cultivating 
merit. 
3. Merit will help to upgrade our 
tastes and values: 
As the mind dwells on matters that 
are only virtuous 
and leaves aside evil thought, 
thinking 
things through thoroughly and in 
depth, our 
tastes and values will change in 
favour of virtue 
and morality. 
4. Merit will develop our 
character and personality: 
These changes of attitude and and 
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discretion will 
express themselves in changes of 
character and 
personality. 
5. Merit causes our speech to 
become skilful: skilful 
thought becomes habitual and this 
causes our 
speech to be skilful too. 
6. Merit causes our behaviour to 
improve: Good 
speech has its effect on our 
physical actions and 
we find that our behaviour 
gradually changes 
for the better. The way that we 
express ourselves, 
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our deportment when in company, 
no matter 
where we mix socially, will be 
impeccable instead 
of being vulnerable to all forms of 
temptation. 
7. Merit strengthens our patience: 
We no longer 
drool over others' possessions. In 
the olden days, 
others might have been suspicious 
even at the 
sight of us, worrying about when 
we were going 
to rob them of their beloved 
possessions —
but now that there is no more 
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drooling, they can 
enjoy their wealth in peace. 
8. Merit causes us to have more 
control over our 
temper: You certainly wouldn't let 
yourself be 
drawn into a conflict any more. 
This is another 
way in which one's personality 
changes as the 
result of upgrading the quality and 
potential of 
the mind. 
9. Merit improves our personal 
appearance: Personality 
includes your personal appearance. 
Merit accrued will cause our 
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complexion to be 
soft and radiant 
so much more 
refreshing than 
before when you weren't interested 
in merit. 
10.Merit will reduce our 
anxieties: All your misgivings 
and bones you had to pick with 
others, 
which before used to keep you 
awake at night, 
will now be forgiven. 
D3. Level of Lifestyle 
Merit will take its effect on our 
mind and our personality 
immediately whenever we perform 
a meritorious 
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deed. At the third level, that of the 
lifestyle, 
84 A Manual of Peace: 38 Steps 
towards Enlightened Living 
however, we cannot be sure how 
quickly the benefits 
will be manifested because our 
quality of lifetime 
arises as the result of both present 
and past 
deeds. The effects of good and bad 
deeds are mixed 
together inseparably. When there 
are so many contributing 
factors, it becomes very complex 
to determine 
the exact source of the merit that 
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has given 
particular benefit in a particular 
lifetime. It is just 
the same as looking at a particular 
cell in our body 
and not knowing which item of 
food we ate has 
nourished that cell. This is part of 
the reason why 
we are often hesitant to believe 
that doing good 
deeds brings good results or that 
doing bad deeds 
brings bad results. Some of the 
general results of 
our merit are as follows: 
I. Merit will attract success: We 
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will be successful 
whatever we turn our hand to. 
2. Merit will bring us praise: You 
will be praised 
(at least by the wise); 
3. Merit is like a protective 
armour: which protects 
us from dangers and misfortunes 
like a guardian 
angel. 
4. Merit can lead us to 
attainment: allow you to 
make continuous progress in your 
meditation. 
5. Merit brings us the things that 
we wish for: Merit 
acts like a wish-fulfilling gem. 
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Another thing which makes the 
results of merit difficult 
to understand at the level of the 
personality 
is that apart from the general 
benefits, there are also 
differences in the way the outcome 
of merit manifests 
itself, rather like different 
`flavours' associated 
with the ways by which merit has 
been performed. 
D.3.1 Examples of Merit 
Outcomes 
D.3.1.1 Generosity and 
KAlyanamittata 
The benefits that merit brings to 
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different people 
differs according to the differences 
the merits they 
have performed. To take a good 
example — that 
of generosity, the likely results of 
the merits they 
have done are as follows: 
1. Those who make lonely 
donations without encouraging 
their friends will be born rich in 
future 
lives, but won't have many friends. 
They 
will have to look hard to find 
anyone to give 
them their friendship or even 
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understand 
them; 
2. Those who make donations 
themselves and 
encourage others to join them in 
making merit 
too will be born rich in future 
lifetimes and 
will have plenty of friends; 
3. Those who don't make 
donations, but they 
encourage their friends to make 
donations 
will have plenty of rich friends, but 
they will 
be poor themselves. If any of your 
friends are 
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in need, you will be able to tell 
them how to 
solve their problems instantly —
but if you 
are in need you can do nothing to 
help yourself; 
4. Those who don't make 
donations and don't 
encourage others to make 
donations either 
have a begging bowl waiting for 
them in their 
next life. They will have no friends 
either. 
D.3.1.2 Long life: Long life versus 
short life 
Some people are long-lived 
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because in previous 
lives they avoided killing or 
harming animals. 
Long life is useful because it 
allows one plenty of 
time to perform good deeds. 
D. 3. I. 3 Illness: Freedom from 
illness versus 
sickliness 
Some people are always in good 
health. They 
seem invulnerable to disease and 
hardly even 
know their doctor. Again good 
health is the result 
of having not been cruel to animals 
in previous 
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lifetimes. 
D.3.1.4 Complexion: Radiant 
versus dull 
complexion 
Some people never seem to lose 
their temper. 
They seem to be happy the whole 
of the time. 
Such people have a radiant 
complexion. By contrast, 
those who are moody and whose 
faces are 
always in a frown will have a dull 
and rough complexion 
like that of a frog, however many 
lifetimes 
they are born. Thus if you know 
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