Dedication of Merit

The dedication of merit is a devotional practice we perform at the end of the evening. By dedicating merit, we express our gratitude for the opportunity to practice and share the dhamma together as a group. The words also serve as a reminder that we practice not only for ourselves, but for the benefit of all the people in our lives and in the world as well.  After someone has dedicated merit, the group responds by chanting "Sadhu!" three times, a phrase that means, "Well said!"

Unlike the refuge chant, the dedication of merit is not a formal recitation. The words are chosen by whomever has volunteered to perform the dedication. Below are some examples.

A Simple Dedication

We dedicate the merit of our practice this evening
to the benefit of all beings, in full measure to each.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings be healthy.
May all beings be peaceful and at ease.
May all beings be free from suffering.

Four Dedications by Betsy Hearne

1.
May all beings find peace
may all beings find kindnesss
may all beings find moments of grace
may all be in each and each be in all
may we give to the world generously
and receive from the world gratefully
and may these thoughts reach all in need
and the merits of our practice benefit all beings. 

2.
May all beings meet change with equanimity
may all beings reach havens from suffering
may all beings foster the wellness of others
may all beings benefit the worlds we inhabit
may all be mindful in the moments of life
may all be accepting in the moments of death
and may these thoughts nourish all in need
and the merits of our practice benefit all beings.

3.
May all beings live free
may all beings live free from fear
may all beings live free from pain
may all beings live free from hunger and cold
may all beings live free from prejudice and oppression
may all beings life free from greed, hatred, and delusion
may all beings live free to care for themselves and others
and may the merits of our practice benefit all beings.

4.
May we be well
may we be contented
may we learn to let go
may we love ourselves as we are
may we live creatively and mindfully
may we live patiently with illness and loss
may we feel free in daylight and in dark
and may the merits of our practice benefit all beings.

From True Refuge by Tara Brach

May all beings realize their essence as loving awareness.
May all beings live their lives from this awakened heart.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings touch great, natural peace.
May there be peace on earth, peace everywhere.
May all beings awaken and be free.

Adapted from “Verses on the Sharing of Merit” (Amaravati Monastery)

May whatever living beings,
Without measure, without end,
Partake of all the merit,
From the good deeds we have done:
Those loved and full of goodness,
Beings seen and those unseen,
Those neutral and averse.
May all beings live at ease,
In freedom from hostility,
May their good wishes be fulfilled,
And may they all reach safety.

Adapted from “Reflections on Sharing Blessings” (Abhayagiri Monastery)

Through the goodness that arises from this practice,
And through this act of sharing,
May all beings receive the blessings of this life.
May all desires and attachments quickly cease
And all harmful states of mind.
Until we realize Nibbana,
In every kind of birth, may we have an upright mind,
With mindfulness and wisdom, austerity and vigor.
May the forces of delusion not take hold or weaken our resolve.
The Buddha is our excellent refuge,
Unsurpassed is the protection of the Dhamma,
The Sangha is our supreme support.
Through the power of all these,
May darkness and delusion be dispelled.

Adapted from the Karaniya Metta Sutta

Wishing: In gladness and in safety
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be,
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short, or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to be born,
May all beings be at ease.
Let none deceive another
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings,
Radiating kindness over the entire world:
Spreading upwards to the skies
And downwards to the depths,
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.