Is Merit in the Milk Powder? Pursuing Puñña in contemporary Sri Lanka

Abstract

This article examines merit making in contemporary Sri Lankan practice. Exploring the role of emotions, most generally defined as “happiness in the heart/mind,” in this important Buddhist activity, this article seeks not only to move beyond a more mechanical view of merit making as generalized exchange, but also to introduce an affective quality to the notion of intention (cetanā). Finally, this article questions the tendency to judge Buddhist behavior and appearance solely against the norms set forth in the Buddhist monastic code by investigating how people's histories, experiences, and backgrounds shape their own understandings of who constitutes an ideal monastic.