We are going to give the departed the opportunity to rejoice in the good we have done.

This essay is a short response to a newspaper article that Ven. Dhammika read in May of 2020. In his respose, the venerable corrects the idea that rituals are not part of the Theravada faith and practice, giving doctrinal support along the way. However, Dhammika does agree that the view of transferring merit is not supported in early Buddhist teachings. Rather, early Buddhism taught that a practitioner can give others the opportunity to share in the happiness of wholesome action.