TRANSFER OF MERIT229tradition—from Plato and the Stoics to
Boehme and Kant—both Emerson and
Henry David Thoreau also actively sought
new sources of inspiration in the sacred
texts of Asia. Later transcendentalists
turned their attention increasingly to the
observation of natural phenomena or of
current politics.
Prominent transcendentalist figures
include, in addition to Emerson, Henry
David Thoreau, Orestes Brownson, James
Marsh, Amos Bronson Alcott, George
Ripley, Margaret Fuller, and Frederick
Henry Hedge. Transcendentalism was a
significant influence on the development
of both American Pragmatism and envi-
ronmentalism. See also EMERSON.
TRANSFER OF MERIT. Merit is that
which accrues to one as a result of per-
forming morally good actions. At times
this is construed as a reward or standing.
Merit can accrue both in the case of oblig-
atory actions and in non-obligatory
(supererogatory) actions. The notion of
merit appears in a wide range of tradi-
tions. In the Buddhist tradition, merit is
associated with the karmic benefits of
morally good actions; however, merit can
also be attained by various ritual actions
beyond the scope of normal morality.
Bodhisattvas, as they develop, create vir-
tually infinite storehouses of merit which
they intend to use compassionately to
assist sentient beings. The transfer of merit
under the strict interpretation of the law
of karma would seem to be impossible
since karmic doctrine is that karmic
effects must be worked out in each indi-
vidual’s causal stream. However, Buddhist
practice developed a variety of methods
of transfer of merit. The merit from a
ritual action or good deed could inten-
tionally be directed toward the benefit
of some other being (e.g., an ancestor,
a hungry ghost, a family member). Fields
of merit—where the merit is sown, so to
speak—are also significant in Buddhism.
Thus, meritorious deeds to help the reli-
gious community (sangha) create more
merit than similar deeds done outside
of that context. The transfer of merit itself
is a meritorious action, so there is no
net loss of one’s own accrued merit when
one intentionally directs the fruits of an
action to another. Spells and incantations
(dharani) in some traditions are recited to
invoke the transfer of merit from the
merit storehouses of buddhas, etc. when
one is in distress.
In the Christian tradition, the concept
of merit is associated with rewards
received from God due to God’s prom-
ises; in addition, meritorious action is
usually held to be possible due to the
assistance of God’s grace. Merit (in the
sense of good works) was part of the con-
troversy which led to the split between
Catholics and Protestants. In the Roman
Catholic Church, transfer of merit is
possible through prayer requesting aid
from Christ, Mary, and the saints, due to
the surplus merit they possess. See also
FORGIVENESS.