Kamma, Merit & Pāramī
ทำบุญอะไรได้บุญสูงสุด ถอดรหัสพระไตรปิฎก
Summary
The Velāma Sutta sets merit out as a graded series from giving to cultivation, and that ranking answers everything else in the talk.
The direct questions: does more money mean more merit, and can merit offset wrongdoing?
The last section is the impermanence of heaven, which is why the teaching does not stop at accumulating merit.
Key points
Merit is not measured in money
The sutta ranks by effect on mind, a criterion on which someone with little can still reach the highest rung.
Offsetting wrongdoing with merit is not the mechanism
Good and bad kamma each produce their own results. They do not net off like a ledger.
Heaven is a happy destination and impermanent
When the merit runs out, you move on — which is why a good rebirth is not the final answer.
These questions are answered in the text itself
No interpretation is required, because the sutta states the ranking directly.