San Lo Bi Vb Pc 23Transferring to Another
Pāli / Sanskrit:Vikappana
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THE VIKAPPANA RULE: TRANSFERRING MERIT
Background
The Vikappana rule, “Transferring,” belongs to the Vinaya Piṭaka, a sacred component of the Pāli Canon in the Theravāda tradition. In the system of the Vinaya Piṭaka, the San Lo Bi Vb section, identified here with Samantapāsādikā Vibhaṅga, concerns topics related to the training rules of bhikkhus and bhikkhunīs. This rule is presented in the context of matters related to merit, ways of giving, and especially the transfer of merit from one person to another.
In the early periods of Buddhism, the question of transferring merit (puññānumodana) was an important topic connected with the ethics of action. This rule reflects the profound Theravāda Buddhist understanding of the nature of action (karma) and the way compassion and sympathetic joy can extend the effect of merit to many beings.
Main Content
The Vikappana rule concerns a very important principle in the practice of the Buddhadhamma: when a person performs a wholesome action (kusala-kamma), they may express the intention to transfer merit (vikappana) from themselves to others, or even to all beings.
According to the Theravāda tradition, the act of transferring merit is not a way to directly move energy from one person to another in a mysterious manner. Rather, it is an expression of noble intention (cetanā), the most fundamental factor in the Buddhadhamma. When you perform a wholesome deed with the clear intention of benefiting others or sending wishes of well-being, you expand the scope of loving-kindness (mettā) and create wholesome causes.
In the Vinaya Piṭaka, the details of how the transfer of merit is to be performed are carefully regulated. This includes specific cases in which a bhikkhu or bhikkhunī performs merit and may transfer it so that others may also benefit. What matters is that the intention be pure and truly altruistic.
Practical Meaning
The Vikappana rule teaches us that merit is not something to be possessed selfishly.
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