What is the difference between Merit and Karma?

[angelica]

Merits and Karma are just like the Fixed Deposit ?FD? and Saving Account in Banking system. For FD?our monies are locked, whereas in Saving Account, we can use the money any time.

Whether our action will collect merits or karma, it depends on our motivation. If we doing an action for the benefits of others, then we are collecting merits. If we are doing a good deed for the benefit of ourself, then we gain good karma.

[DharmaSpace]

Merit is always bringing us that much closer towards enlightenment, karma keeps us in samsara.

Merit if dedicated towards enlightenment stays on to support us until we reach that goal, once karma is exhausted or used up it is finished.

[grandmapele]

So, we generate karma when an action is done to do good. But to get merit one has take it a step further by having an untainted motivation to help others out of sheer outward thought of benefiting others without a single thought of benefiting oneself in anyway whatsoever.

Sounds real tough to get any merits in this degenerated samsaric world of ours.