<p>It is rather the motivation than the act that determines how much merit is accumulated.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-30T19:54:19.990Z
2023-11-30T19:54:19.990Z
stonux
<p>There are many kinds of Doctors. There are greedy doctors. There are doctors who treat patients at nominal fees, they are saintly. There are Paramedics, they treat at the level of consciousness. There are technological Doctors, they treat using AI and automatic robots. There are uneducated doctors. There are ayurvedic doctors, Allopathic doctors , Muslim doctors , Chinese Doctors.The list of types of Doctors can be as big as the diversity of characters found in the world.</p>
<p>Not all doctors can be called good.</p>
<p>Doctors , patient , diseases , treatment are a result of combination and separation in time and place. For example-Some treatments are only possible in USA. Some treatments are only possible in future.
But all combinations and separations are impermanent.</p>
<p>Consider the Dhamma of Doctor: Treat all patients without discrimination.</p>
<p>However this Dhamma can not be Self. Why ? Because the Sankharas of Doctor are impermanent. Form of Doctor is impermanent, Feelings of Doctor are impermanent. Perceptions of Doctor are impermanent. Choices of Doctors are impermanent. Consciousness of Doctors are impermanent.</p>
<p>Therefore it is not a good idea to get attached to the idea of Doctor. In the end the cravings to exist in any form , feeling, perception, choice and consciousness must diminish and eventually end.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-30T18:57:33.417Z
Thank you for the answer. However I should have been more specific in my framing of the question. Assuming that the doctor is a good person, with no history of inflicting harm on others or violating of the precepts is generally a good person. All things considered, would his/her treatment of patients and curing them of their illnesses considered a meritorious act?
Nithin Manmohan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-30T19:00:32.183Z
@NithinManmohan As I said Doctor ,no matter how good, is not worth calling Self because form,feelings,perceptions,choices and consciousness of all doctors are impermanent.
SacrificialEquation
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-11-30T16:27:41.263Z
2023-11-30T16:27:41.263Z
SacrificialEquation
<p>As stonux' answer says, it's the intention that's meritorious -- the act of doing good because of that intention, preserves the merit (see <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/lee/startsmall3.html#merit" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Essence of Merit</a>).</p>
<p>My guess is that when someone says, &quot;I want to become a doctor&quot;, the intention is, &quot;because I want to help people&quot;, which I think is generous.</p>
<p>Secondly, <a href="https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/merit.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Merit - A Study Guide</a> talks about developing &quot;a wise sense of self&quot;. It seems to me that a doctor has an opportunity to do that -- to see that the body is impermanent, and what it &quot;requires&quot;, and so on.</p>
<p>So I think that answer is yes, but also no -- because I'm not sure you could say that &quot;all&quot; doctors earn merit, nor &quot;on a regular basis&quot;, nor because of their &quot;acts&quot;. It is my experience, though, that many of them seem to be well-intentioned, and I suppose that their profession gives them opportunities for meritorious activity.</p>
<p>Even so I think (I don't want to find the reference) that the suttas say that (monks') giving dhamma is more meritorious than other activities, such as (doctors') giving medical advice.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-12-02T07:22:22.603Z
2023-12-02T08:02:05.687Z
2023-12-02T08:02:05.687Z
ChrisW
<p>Do doctors earn merit on a regular basis as a result of their good acts of treating and curing illnesses of their patients? Is their profession an excellent one because of their chance to earn merit?</p>

<merit>
Do anesthesiologists (and doctors in general) earn merit
# Do anesthesiologists (and doctors in general) earn merit

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-11-30)

Do doctors earn merit on a regular basis as a result of their good acts of treating and curing illnesses of their patients? Is their profession an excellent one because of their chance to earn merit?

**Tags:** merit


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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2023-11-30. Score: 1

It is rather the motivation than the act that determines how much merit is accumulated.


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### Answer by username_2 on 2023-11-30. Score: 0

There are many kinds of Doctors. There are greedy doctors. There are doctors who treat patients at nominal fees, they are saintly. There are Paramedics, they treat at the level of consciousness. There are technological Doctors, they treat using AI and automatic robots. There are uneducated doctors. There are ayurvedic doctors, Allopathic doctors , Muslim doctors , Chinese Doctors.The list of types of Doctors can be as big as the diversity of characters found in the world.

Not all doctors can be called good.

Doctors , patient , diseases , treatment are a result of combination and separation in time and place. For example-Some treatments are only possible in USA. Some treatments are only possible in future.
But all combinations and separations are impermanent.

Consider the Dhamma of Doctor: Treat all patients without discrimination.

However this Dhamma can not be Self. Why ? Because the Sankharas of Doctor are impermanent. Form of Doctor is impermanent, Feelings of Doctor are impermanent. Perceptions of Doctor are impermanent. Choices of Doctors are impermanent. Consciousness of Doctors are impermanent.

Therefore it is not a good idea to get attached to the idea of Doctor. In the end the cravings to exist in any form , feeling, perception, choice and consciousness must diminish and eventually end.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thank you for the answer. However I should have been more specific in my framing of the question. Assuming that the doctor is a good person, with no history of inflicting harm on others or violating of the precepts is generally a good person. All things considered, would his/her treatment of patients and curing them of their illnesses considered a meritorious act?  
> **username_2**: @NithinManmohan As I said Doctor ,no matter how good, is not worth calling Self because form,feelings,perceptions,choices and consciousness of all doctors are impermanent.  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2023-12-02. Score: 0

As username_1' answer says, it's the intention that's meritorious -- the act of doing good because of that intention, preserves the merit (see [The Essence of Merit](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/lee/startsmall3.html#merit)).

My guess is that when someone says, "I want to become a doctor", the intention is, "because I want to help people", which I think is generous.

Secondly, [Merit - A Study Guide](https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/merit.html) talks about developing "a wise sense of self". It seems to me that a doctor has an opportunity to do that -- to see that the body is impermanent, and what it "requires", and so on.

So I think that answer is yes, but also no -- because I'm not sure you could say that "all" doctors earn merit, nor "on a regular basis", nor because of their "acts". It is my experience, though, that many of them seem to be well-intentioned, and I suppose that their profession gives them opportunities for meritorious activity.

Even so I think (I don't want to find the reference) that the suttas say that (monks') giving dhamma is more meritorious than other activities, such as (doctors') giving medical advice.


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