Merit-Making through Printing, Distributing and Reading Buddhist Scriptures

In general, Buddhists believe that one can improve one’s karmic fortunes and generate merit through copying, printing, distributing, or reading Buddhist scriptures (John Kieschnick, 2003, chapter three). In my fifteen year study of the Ming dynasty Yongle Northern Canon, I have discovered that the colophons, inscriptions, notes and prefaces attached to this project indicate that emperors, empresses, officials, eunuchs, and many others believed that if they gave donations for the printing and distributing of the Buddhist canon, they could accumulate enough merit for a better rebirth or to be reborn in the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha. This paper will analyze these paracanonical sources in order to highlight how members of the court understood karma and used their positions and financial resources to print and distribute this multi-volume set. I will focus on references to this merit-making in the writings of members of the royal family, eunuchs, and monks.