Money; Against The Stream: A Buddhist Manual for Spiritual Revolutionaries

Against The Stream Meditation Center, Venice, California.

Read Part ONE and TWO of Against The Stream: A Buddhist Manual for Spiritual Revolutionaries here.

Money; $$$

Against The Stream: A Buddhist Manual for Spiritual Revolutionaries

Money is energy: we exert our energy in some sort of livelihood, and in exchange we are offered currency.

In and of itself, money is nothing more than paper and metal to which societies have assigned great meaning. Yet it has become a necessity for most of us. We need money to survive in the modern world. Regrettably, the human tendencies toward greed and jealousy often turn money into a source of suffering.

We are constantly fed messages about how money equals happiness. But money never equals true happiness. It affords us comfort and pleasure, but that is all—and pleasure isn’t the same thing as happiness. The proof, should we need it, is that rich people suffer too.

As with everything else, money is not the problem; it is our relationship to money that causes us to suffer

There is a common misunderstanding in spiritual circles that we should live simply and humbly or even be poor, but the Buddha made no such stipulation. He taught that we should either truly renounce all possessions and enter into full-time meditative practice or obtain our livelihood in a nonharming way. He encouraged his nonmonastic followers to work hard and honestly and to earn as much money as they potentially could, so that they could do good things with their earnings. If we are intentionally poor, out of some sort of pseudo-renunciation, we will not have the ability to practice generosity with those who are truly in need. Consider the following story, which illustrates the Buddha’s attitude toward money:

A rich man once said to the Buddha, “I see that you are the Awakened One, and I would like to open my mind to you and ask your advice. My life is full of work, and having made a great deal of money, I am surrounded by cares. I employ many people who depend on me to be successful. However, I enjoy my work and like working hard. But having heard your followers talk of the happiness of the renunciate’s life and seeing you as one who gave up a kingdom in order to become a homeless wanderer and find the truth, I wonder if I should do the same. I long to be a blessing to my people. Should I give up everything to find the truth?”

The Buddha replied:
“The happiness of a truth-seeking life is attainable for anyone who follows the path of unselfishness (generosity). If you cling to your wealth, it is better to throw it away than to let it poison your heart. But if you don’t cling to it but use it wisely, then you will be a blessing to people. It’s not wealth and power that enslave people, but the clinging to wealth and power.
My teaching does not require anyone to become homeless or resign the world unless they want to, but it does require everyone to free themselves from the illusion that they are a permanent self and to act with integrity while giving up craving for pleasure.
And whatever people do, whether in the world or as a recluse, let them put their whole heart into it. Let them be committed and energetic, and if they have to struggle, let them do it without envy or hatred. Let them live not a life of self, but a life of truth, and in that way happiness will enter their hearts.”

It is said, as was noted in the earlier discussion of generosity, that the first teaching the Buddha gave to people who came to see him was often on the importance of generosity. Even before he taught the four noble truths or meditation, he taught people the necessity of sharing with each other their life’s energy. This can take the form of money, food, resources, or attitude (a smile, kind word, helpful action). He said that if people really understood the importance of generosity, we would not let a single meal go by without offering a portion of our food to another.

Heartfelt generosity works to balance some of the greed and selfishness that seem to be a natural part of the human mind. The practice of generosity offsets the negative karmic effect of all of the times when we are so self-centered that we forget others and focus solely on our own desires.

Money is a challenging issue in most people’s lives. Very few people seem to feel like they have enough of it, even the extremely rich. I once heard that Bill Gates, when starting out in the computer business that he founded (Microsoft), had said that he would be happy when he made a million dollars. Well, that happened fairly early on in his career, but he didn’t stop there. Did he reset his goal, shooting for satisfaction at ten million dollars, and then one hundred million, and then a billion?

When greed is our motivation, no matter how much we have, it’s never enough. Some of the happiest people I’ve ever met have been the poorest. In my travels through Asia I met so many incredibly poor people who were still, despite their poverty, willing to share their time, energy, and resources with each other. When generosity is our motivation, we can find satisfaction in the simplest things.