[kristloken]

It is a little strange to consider my meditation as having any sort of cosmic bank account into which I am depositing...what? karma points? frequent flyer miles? And what kind of supernatural experience is supposed to occur that I can transfer those points to another? I like the idea of keeping our loved ones in our thoughts and hope that they will transcend suffering, but aside from not harming them, I don't see this action as anymore beneficial than asking for prayers because my grandma is sick, or lighting a candle so my dead relatives will be able to find their way home. It seems more like our natural human inclination towards superstition, because it's a ritualistic "connection" to something other, something more, something powerful, and we want to bask in the light of it's favor. That being said though, it is a difficult question because we don't really know how much or how little we can influence the unseen realms.