Looking for sutta on merit of thinking about Dhamma

Q & A
1

I’d appreciate it if someone here recalls which sutta is it in which the Buddha says something like, a single Dhamma thought in a day brings about great merit.

Thanks in advance.

2 Likes
2

The “Thousands” chapter of the Dhammapada has some verses along these lines.

2 Likes
3

Thanks a lot, I recall the other was a discourse though … and was not in verse …

1 Like
4

Is it where monks found someone to kill them and the Buddha said if they practice metta even for a moment they are fit to be called monks?

2 Likes
5

Hi @Mat and thanks … it wasn’t this one, the reference was rather to dhamma thought or contemplation rather than metta. I don’t recall the pāli expression and that’s why I can’t find it via search.

1 Like
6

I could not find the words “day” and “merit” together in any single segment of Bhante Sujato’s 3999 AN,SN,Thig,Thag,MN,DN translations.

However, I did find some things related with suttas having all three words single day merit

The lay life is like farming in that it’s work with many requirements and when it fails it’s not very fruitful; but when it succeeds it is very fruitful.

The renunciate life is like trade in that it’s work with few requirements and when it fails it’s not very fruitful; but when it succeeds it is very fruitful.”

In MN99, Subha argues with the Buddha about the relative merits of lay and monastic work. In this argument, the Buddha compares farming with trade to indicate that effort does not always correlate with success or merit. There are few requirements for practice, but the benefit is there. The implication of this dialog with Subha is that there really is no excuse for lay people (even busy ones) to not practice, which is perhaps related to what you sought.

2 Likes
7

AN 10.46: “Let alone two days, take one of my disciples who lives diligent, keen, and resolute for one day, practicing in line with my instructions. They can experience perfect happiness for a hundred years, ten thousand years, or a hundred thousand years. And they could become a once-returner or a non-returner, or guaranteed a stream-enterer.”

Search entry was the combination of thousand and single.

2 Likes
8

…there was also a peyyala of meditations that was good at least once daily.

1 Like
9

@sabbamitta
:O)

2 Likes