Real merit has no merit

maybe its because more media attention is being brought to bear on the problems in Africa?

World leaders are making documentaries on climate change. Today's Andrew Carnegies are donating pieces of their hoard to good causes, following in the footsteps of the man who said something about money being like manure. idealism (for lack of a better word) is filling the air. If concentrated it begins to stink, so spread it around.

Reggae, triphop, African, brazilian, progressive, regressive...sounds blasts at some show, where marketing managers or investment officers or some kind of officer shouts in my ear about wanting to dedicate himself to a higher cause, when he's got the dough. Its in the air. Its everywhere and nowhere.

Makes me think of our much revered and cited anti-imperialist friend who said "We do no benevolences whose first benefit is not for ourselves." Which brings me conveniently to the diamond sutra. Yes, even buddhists know the value of a shiny rock.

須菩提、於意云何。若人滿三千大千世界、七寶以用布施、是人所得福德寧爲多不。須菩提言、甚多世尊。何以故。是福德卽非福德性。是故如來說福德多。若復有 人於此經中、受持乃至四句偈等爲他人說、其福勝彼。何以故。須菩提、一切諸佛及諸佛阿耨多羅三藐三菩提法皆從此經出。須菩提。所謂佛法者卽非佛法

"Subhūti, what do you think? If a person were to fill a chiliocosm with the seven kinds of jewels and give them away charitably, wouldn't the merit attained by this person be great?"

Subhūti said, "Extremely great, World Honored One. And why? This merit has no nature of merit; therefore the tathāgata says that this merit is great."

The Buddha said: "But if there were a person well-attentive to this sūtra such that he or she could teach a four line verse from it to others, this person's merit would exceed that of the former example. Why? Subhūti, all of the buddhas and all of their teachings of peerless perfect enlightenment spring forth from this sūtra. Subhūti, that which is called the buddhadharma is not the buddhadharma."