Lighting Candles Poem by Brian Taylor

“If I make merit by doing good
and share it with others,
how much will I be left with? ”

“All of it.”

“How can that be?
If I have a hundred baht
and share it with you,
how much will I have? ”

“Fifty.”

“How so? ”

“Merit is not money.
It is Light.
If you light a candle
and share your light
with your friends
by lighting their candles,
you have no less light;
but the room itself becomes brighter.
So it is with merit.
The world becomes brighter.”