What did Miao Nian mean by “depositing money in Heaven”?

“Depositing money in Heaven” was Miao Nian’s way of reframing giving. She said that however much money people save in this world, they cannot take it with them when they leave. Rather than thinking only about how much to leave behind, she imagined efforts to help others as deposits in Heaven. This was her way of understanding merit within her faith.

Someone in the conversation also recalled counting banknotes and feeling, from the soul’s perspective, that they were only paper and not worth being constantly led around by. I valued that insight, because a change in perspective can help loosen attachment to money.

However, she had first spoken of willingly contributing money and effort when one’s means allow it. She was not asking everyone to give away all their money. “Depositing in Heaven” is also not a calculation that turns a donation amount into a guaranteed future return. It concerns the value of giving.

Later, when discussing the Heavenly Official’s Blessing Ceremony, we also relayed the teaching of the Heavenly Official, the Civil God of Wealth: money does not come with us at birth or go with us at death, whereas blessings can accompany us into and out of life. What we should accumulate, then, is actual good work that helps others, rather than merely talking about wanting to help. This is a faith-based understanding of life, death and blessings. A donation amount cannot be used to calculate a guaranteed inheritance of blessings for descendants.