It is said that when the great Master Bodhidharma came to China, Emperor Wu called him and asked him: “I’ve built many temples and I’ve offered many lands to the path of the Buddha; now please tell me what merits have I gained? Bodhidharma’s answer came shocking but true: “None, not one merit.”
In Buddhism we speak about two kinds of merits: mundane and supramundane. The mundane good is the effect of every good deed fulfilled with the purpose (conscious or unconscious) that there will be positive consequences: happiness in this life or in the next, a better rebirth, etc. This good deed doesn’t escape the subtle or gross forms of greed, which is one of the “Three Poisons” along with anger and ignorance (delusion). No matter how spiritually advanced we think we are, any good we do while we still identify ourselves with