What is 观功念恩 (Observing Merits and Appreciate Kindness or OMAK)?

Venerable Jing Yuan has talked about Master Ri-Chang’s method of 观功念恩 (Observing Merits and Appreciate Kindness or OMAK) and how it can help in our practice:

“Observing Merits and Appreciate Kindness (OMAK) is a method used not only to observe others’ good qualities/merits, but to rejoice with our own virtuous deeds as well, thereby heightening our spirit in Dharma learning.”
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But how do we actually go about practising OMAK?

如得法师 gives his discourse on this here:

At the 6:23 mark of the video, 如得法师 provides two ways of thinking that can help us turn negatives into positives.

1
虽然 … , 但是
Although something negative happened, but I see the positive from it

2
因为 … , 所以
Because of something negative, and so something positive happened.

Jump to the 6:23 mark here:

This discourse from 如得法师 has some specific steps we can take to do OMAK:

At the 4:36 mark:

  • Understand the benefits of doing OMAK
  • Understand the harm of not doing OMAK
  • Knowing the benefit and harm will motivate us to want to get better at OMAK
  • Practise with the 1,2,3 method everyday for a duration of at least 3 months.
    (1) record one good you have done
    (2) record one good that someone else has done
    (3) record one good that someone has done for you
  • Observe yourself getting better at OMAK

法师 leaves a quote “久習不成易,此事定非有” that best describes what we have to do:
with much practising and not making things easier, such an occurrence does not happen.
(or simply said, with practice comes ease)

:pray:

Ajahn Brahm gives a variant of 观功念恩 when he addressed the question of how to deal with people that irritate you.

I summarise as

  1. tolerate the person by thinking of all the other things they do, not just the irritating things, but all the beautiful things they do
  2. if they really irritate you a lot, they become your teachers!

Venerable Ru Jun has more advice on 观功念恩 (Observing Merits and Appreciate Kindness or OMAK);

如俊法师介绍观功念恩怎么一点一点地练

福智真如老師《廣海明月》開示,第130講:

像僧團的法師們常常堅持寫觀功念恩日記,有的是寫厚厚的好多本,有的是從小沙彌的時候就開始寫。你會看到他說開始先觀察旁邊的小朋友,就從借個橡皮呀、借個尺子啊,這樣的事情開始感恩。然後說教務法師怎麼約談我、關心我,然後感恩。

慢慢地、慢慢地就發現這個出家人,在常住裡他就會看到越來越多他值得感恩的事情。然後他就跨越了他的班級,然後跨越很多班,甚至看到常住很多大的法師。在他並不是很瞭解大法師在做什麼的時候,他能從眼前的這些好像看起來星星點點的事情裡,看到我現在有這樣的順緣、能學法的福報,實際上是很多很多人的奉獻成就的。

一旦一個人活在很多人的奉獻之中,並且用他的心真實地感受到這一點的時候,其實怎麼生憍慢啊?因為我們的一舉一動,我們的衣、食、住、行,都是很多人的奉獻才能夠達成學法的環境,所以只有好好學法去報恩了。這句話說起來就是這樣、是很容易的,但是要把它做到,真的要下一番功夫!

从中我也了解两点:

  • 要养成一种看到任何事情都要去想到它来源的思路
  • 一旦去追踪自己所有的这种学法的因缘的源头最后就很容易对师长修信念恩

:pray:

如俊法师分享他一个观功念恩的经验:
从4:00 分

my learning from the story:

  • it would be easy to jump into a conclusion and blame the other party
  • but by staying your anger through applying OMAK, one can think and react more kindly
  • the outcome will more likely be positive!