{"product_id":"2940152918793","title":"Making Merit: Is it really Meritorious?","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhether raised in Eastern or Western societies many people adhere to the concept of 'karma' - that doing good brings good things, bad brings bad - in some form or another. Every normal person wants to receive ‘good’, and so we see many people ‘being good’, with a double-sided motivation - they not only want to receive good, but they also fear that bad things will happen if they are not good. However, if a person is truly good, wouldn’t they do good simply because they are a good person, not because they want something in return, or because they are scared something negative might occur to them?\u003cbr\u003eThis article, originally written with Thai Buddhists in mind, takes a closer look at the commonplace act of 'merit-making' and challenges the concepts and attitudes behind this ancient practice.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tim McLachlan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47158387966192,"sku":"2940152918793","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940152918793_p0.jpg?v=1764025663","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940152918793","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}