There is a common practice in Theravāda Buddhism of sharing the merit of one’s practice with others. You will not find this practice in the Early Buddhist Texts. Nor is it depicted as something the Buddha practiced.
If you approach it with a little critical thinking, you will recognize it as an example of magical thinking. “Merit” translates the Pāli word puñña, which refers to the beneficial effects associated with a wholesome action: the favorable results that action produces in a person’s life. Merit is not a magical energy that can literally be stored and transmitted from one person to another.
The only ways a wholesome action can benefit others are for them to be the recipients of the action, to be positively influenced to follow the person’s example, or to rejoice in the good deed and be inspired by it.
Sharing merit with others is rooted in the questionable belief that good deeds generate a positive energy that can be transferred to others, thereby benefiting them, whether living or dead. This is often done through rituals, prayers, and offerings. From a critical perspective, this belief can be regarded as a form of magical thinking.
