By dedicating to enlightenment, your merit becomes inexhaustible; it cannot end until you achieve enlightenment. By sealing it with emptiness, looking at it as empty, it protects the merits; if anger or heresy arises afterward, not only can it not destroy the merits completely, but it cannot make the merits weaker or less.

It is extremely important to know how to dedicate merits. Even a short dedication prayer like this is very unique, very powerful. So, this is what you should do each time you create merits, each time you recite mantras, or offer charity to the Triple Gems - whenever you finish a practice. After each practice, you should do this. For example, you sit down and begin a practice. Then, before you get up after finishing the practice, after the whole practice is done, then you make this dedication. Usually, with any practice you do there is a motivation, actual body, and completion. The completion is the dedication.

This teaching is given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
Courtesy of Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive.

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