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puṇya

A Dictionary of Buddhism | 2004 | | Copyright

puṇya (Skt.; Pāli, puñña). Term meaning ‘merit’, meritorious action’, or ‘virtue’. Sometimes also used to refer to the results or potential results of good karma such as a heavenly rebirth and a future blissful existence, the enjoyment and duration of which depends of the amount of merit accumulated in a previous life. Pāli sources mention three factors known as puñña-kiriya-vatthūni (grounds of meritorious action) which produce merit: these are dāna (generosity), sīla (Skt., śīla, good conduct), and bhāvanā (contemplation). See also puṇya-jñāna-saṃbhāra; puṇya-kṣetra.

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DAMIEN KEOWN. "puṇya." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

DAMIEN KEOWN. "puṇya." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-puya.html

DAMIEN KEOWN. "puṇya." A Dictionary of Buddhism. 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O108-puya.html

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Puṇya

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions | 1997 | | Copyright

Puṇya (Skt.; Pāli, puñña). The accumulation of beneficial consequence (loosely, merit) in Eastern religions, through the process of karma. In Buddhism, the transfer of puṇya to the dead is an important function of saṅgha and other monastic rituals.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Puṇya." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Puṇya." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Puya.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Puṇya." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Puya.html

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