merit

v. be worthy of, be eligible for; deserve

n. value; character or accomplishment that commends praise; excellence; state of being worthy of appreciation

The term merit is used in both Christianity and Buddhism. See:Merit (Catholicism) Merit (Buddhism)Meritocracymerit can also mean:Merit (band), a rock band from Syracuse, New York.Merit (cigarettes), a brand of cigarettes made by Altria.Merit (legal), a legal term used in deciding a legal case.Merit, a trading name used by the British toy manufacturer J & L Randall.Merit, in Mathematics, Number Theory, the value of gn / log(pn) (see Prime gap)
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Noun
1. any admirable quality or attribute; "work of great merit"
(synonym) virtue
(antonym) demerit, fault
(hypernym) worth
2. the quality of being deserving (e.g., deserving assistance); "there were many children whose deservingness he recognized and rewarded"
(synonym) deservingness, meritoriousness
(hypernym) worthiness
(derivation) deserve
Verb
1. be worthy or deserving; "You deserve a promotion after all the hard work you have done"
(synonym) deserve
(hypernym) be
(hyponym) have it coming
(derivation) deservingness, meritoriousness

(v. i.)
To acquire desert; to gain value; to receive benefit; to profit.
  

(n.)
To reward.
  

(n.)
To earn by service or performance; to have a right to claim as reward; to deserve; sometimes, to deserve in a bad sense; as, to merit punishment.
  

(n.)
The quality or state of deserving well or ill; desert.
  

(n.)
Reward deserved; any mark or token of excellence or approbation; as, his teacher gave him ten merits.
  

(n.)
Esp. in a good sense: The quality or state of deserving well; worth; excellence.
  

Merit is essentially "good Karma." It can be gained in a number of ways. Many of these involve interaction between the sangha and the laity. For example, when a lay person gives a monk food, they gain merit. Acting in a moral manner, teaching the proper belief, preaching, and chanting also gain an individual merit. Worship of the Buddha can also bring merit. The notion of merit plays the largest role in Theravada Buddhism.