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Nirvana is the complete silencing of concepts. - Thich Nhat Hanh
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Money is a very emotional, confusing and often uncomfortable topic. Too little money creates problems. Too much money also creates problems. There's not much written about money from a spiritual viewpoint so I was happy to encounter an editorial in Hinduism Today by the magazine's founder Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. Here are four of his insights:
1. There is good money and bad money - "All seekers of truth know bad money can never do good deeds and refuse soiled funds from any source. Nor can good money used wrongly reap right results. Ill-gotten money is never well-spent, but has a curse upon it." ( Here think about people, for example, who win millions in a lottery. Most end up being destroyed by it or or losing it all rather rapidly)
2. Money is a form of prana or energy - "Yes, there is such a thing as good and bad money, because, after all, money is energy. Why is money energy? Money gives energy. Money is power. Money is a form of prana captured in paper, in silver and most importantly in gold."
3. Bad money does bad things - "Bad money does bad things--money earned through selling arms, drugs, taking bribes, manipulating divorce, performing abortions, gambling, fraud, theft--money gained through a hundred dark and devious ways. Bad money issues from a bad intent which precedes a wrongdoing for gain or profit. That is bad money. When spent or invested, it can be expected to bring unexpected negative consequences. " (Consider issues which emerge when one family member manipulates the will or estate of another family member who soon dies). Sivaya Subramuniyaswami adds this: "Bad money provokes bad acts which are long lasting, and it sours good acts within a short span of time within the lives of the people who receive it."
4. Bad money can't be purified - There are some who believe, erroneously, that bad money can be purified by being accepted and put to good use such as building temple or as a donation to noble cause. Here's the writer's response to this thinking: "Some postulate that using bad money for good purposes purifies it. That is a very unknowledgable and improper concept, because prana, which is money, cannot be transformed so frivolously....
Money cannot be laundered by religious institutions. Money cannot be legally laundered by banks. Money cannot be laundered by individuals."
1. There is good money and bad money - "All seekers of truth know bad money can never do good deeds and refuse soiled funds from any source. Nor can good money used wrongly reap right results. Ill-gotten money is never well-spent, but has a curse upon it." ( Here think about people, for example, who win millions in a lottery. Most end up being destroyed by it or or losing it all rather rapidly)
2. Money is a form of prana or energy - "Yes, there is such a thing as good and bad money, because, after all, money is energy. Why is money energy? Money gives energy. Money is power. Money is a form of prana captured in paper, in silver and most importantly in gold."
3. Bad money does bad things - "Bad money does bad things--money earned through selling arms, drugs, taking bribes, manipulating divorce, performing abortions, gambling, fraud, theft--money gained through a hundred dark and devious ways. Bad money issues from a bad intent which precedes a wrongdoing for gain or profit. That is bad money. When spent or invested, it can be expected to bring unexpected negative consequences. " (Consider issues which emerge when one family member manipulates the will or estate of another family member who soon dies). Sivaya Subramuniyaswami adds this: "Bad money provokes bad acts which are long lasting, and it sours good acts within a short span of time within the lives of the people who receive it."
4. Bad money can't be purified - There are some who believe, erroneously, that bad money can be purified by being accepted and put to good use such as building temple or as a donation to noble cause. Here's the writer's response to this thinking: "Some postulate that using bad money for good purposes purifies it. That is a very unknowledgable and improper concept, because prana, which is money, cannot be transformed so frivolously....
Money cannot be laundered by religious institutions. Money cannot be legally laundered by banks. Money cannot be laundered by individuals."
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Cultivate the friendship of people who are both good and wise. From friendships like these you will learn new ways to help others, while the kindness of these people will inspire you to want to become kinder. - Rabbi Joseph Telushkin
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Danielle LaPorte is a Canadian author whose writing and speaking focus on the "intelligence of love". A few years ago she and a small group had a private audience with the Dalai Lama. Writing for Lion's Roar Buddhist magazine, LaPorte shared the Dalai Lama's answer to her question "what advice do you have for Generation X?"
"“In the West, you have education. This is good. You have technology. This is good. But you do not educate your people in values of the heart, of compassion. This you must do,” the Dalai Lama said. “It does not matter whether you are Buddhist or Christian. Compassion lives in the heart, beyond religion. Even me, a Buddhist, can say that you do not need Buddhism. All you need is the compassion of the heart. Women know this because peace is implicit in women. You put boys together, they make war. You put women together, they make peace. Women are the leaders of the future.”
"“In the West, you have education. This is good. You have technology. This is good. But you do not educate your people in values of the heart, of compassion. This you must do,” the Dalai Lama said. “It does not matter whether you are Buddhist or Christian. Compassion lives in the heart, beyond religion. Even me, a Buddhist, can say that you do not need Buddhism. All you need is the compassion of the heart. Women know this because peace is implicit in women. You put boys together, they make war. You put women together, they make peace. Women are the leaders of the future.”
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Those who are rich in material goods are not necessarily right, and those who lack such wealth are not necessarily poor. - Hsing Yun
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Late one afternoon, Ajahn Brahm spiritual director of the Western Australia Buddhist Society, received from a family in his community. They experienced a parent's worst nightmare when they found their 17 year-old son ended his life by suicide.
In this case - as in many - there were absolutely no warning signs so the parents were in deep shock, massive disbelief and intense guilt. Speaking with Ajahn Brahm days later they expressed a concern over an issue which added greatly to their burden. "What happens to our son in the next life?" they asked reflecting their Buddhist belief in reincarnation. Behind the question was the fear they felt because they'd heard some Buddhists state that those who end their lives by suicide are reborn in the realm of a hell.
Ajahn Brahm responded with both wisdom and compassion. Knowing their son was about to take the required Australian University entrance exams, he asked the parents: "How many essay questions would he have to write as part of the entrance exams." The parents said he had to write out essay answers to 64 questions. "What would happen if a student answers 63 or those questions perfectly but makes a total mess of the very last questions? Would that student get accepted into university?" The parents smiled with relief understanding the metaphor and said "yes, of course he would be admitted for 63 right answers." Ajahn Brahm added this explanation:
"Your son does not get denied a happy rebirth solely because of his suicide, njo more than a student is denied a place at university solely because he gave a wrong answer to the last question on the exam. Your son was a very kind, good youth. He had given so many excellent answers to the tests of life that he well deserved a happy re-birth."
In this case - as in many - there were absolutely no warning signs so the parents were in deep shock, massive disbelief and intense guilt. Speaking with Ajahn Brahm days later they expressed a concern over an issue which added greatly to their burden. "What happens to our son in the next life?" they asked reflecting their Buddhist belief in reincarnation. Behind the question was the fear they felt because they'd heard some Buddhists state that those who end their lives by suicide are reborn in the realm of a hell.
Ajahn Brahm responded with both wisdom and compassion. Knowing their son was about to take the required Australian University entrance exams, he asked the parents: "How many essay questions would he have to write as part of the entrance exams." The parents said he had to write out essay answers to 64 questions. "What would happen if a student answers 63 or those questions perfectly but makes a total mess of the very last questions? Would that student get accepted into university?" The parents smiled with relief understanding the metaphor and said "yes, of course he would be admitted for 63 right answers." Ajahn Brahm added this explanation:
"Your son does not get denied a happy rebirth solely because of his suicide, njo more than a student is denied a place at university solely because he gave a wrong answer to the last question on the exam. Your son was a very kind, good youth. He had given so many excellent answers to the tests of life that he well deserved a happy re-birth."
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It is better to let go now before death forces out hand. give what you ca now and make a strong wish to become able to let go of what you find most difficult to relinquish. - Geshe Sonam Rinchen
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The highest form of generosity is non-attachment. A snake sheds its skin without any attachment to it. How easy it would be if this is how we felt about our possessions. - Geshe Sonam Rinchen
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"With only compassion but no wisdom, problems may arise. The most simple example is that kindhearted people are often swindled by others. Lacking wisdom, compassion fails to reach the ideal goals of goodness. Instead, it only aids and assists the swindlers. We must bring forth compassion within wisdom in order to have true goodness." - Cheng Yen
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Thich Nhat Hanh, 92, known affectionately to his followers as “Thay” (teacher), traveled back to his homeland in Vietnam on 26 October last year from Thailand, where he had been convalescing since late December 2016. The celebrated Zen master, who has been recovering from a severe stroke since 2014, said in a letter to his disciples that he had decided to spend the remainder of his life at Tu Hieu Pagoda, where he was ordained as a novice monk at the age of 16.
“The Buddhist knowledge and wisdom I learned from Tu Hieu is now spreading all over the world, and I believe it’s time for me to get back to my roots,” Thay, who is reported to be in stable health, said in his letter. “Students of Tu Hieu are now living and practicing Buddhism in many different places around the world and as a way to remind them of their roots, I want to die here in Tu Hieu.”
“The Buddhist knowledge and wisdom I learned from Tu Hieu is now spreading all over the world, and I believe it’s time for me to get back to my roots,” Thay, who is reported to be in stable health, said in his letter. “Students of Tu Hieu are now living and practicing Buddhism in many different places around the world and as a way to remind them of their roots, I want to die here in Tu Hieu.”