“…at the time of the Buddha, an old man wanted to become a monk, but Śāriputra could not determine if he had created enough merit to receive ordination. The Buddha, with his supernormal power that sees the karma of all sentient beings, observed that in a previous life, the old man had been a fly on a peice of cow dung that floated in water around a stūpa. Although this tiny insect did not have the motivation to take a human rebirth and become a monk, through contact with this holy object he accumulated the merit that enabled him to be ordained. Such merit is called ‘root of virtue concordant with liberation,’ which arises when sentient beings have contact with powerful holy objects.”

— His Holiness The Dalai Lama