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General Buddhism => General Buddhism => Topic started by: icy on August 19, 2012, 03:50:47 PM
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We feel money and power can bring happiness and solve problems, but they are not definite causes of those desired states. If that were so, it would follow that those who have wealth would necessarily have happiness, and those who do not have wealth would always experience suffering. Money and power facilitate, but it is clear that they are not the primary causes of, happiness and solving our problems. It is justified for us to make material and financial development for building our nation and providing shelter, etc. for ourselves; we need to do that. But we also need to seek inner development. As we can see, there are many people who have wealth and power who remain unhappy, due to which their health declines, and they are always taking medicines. On the other hand, we find people who live like beggars but who always remain peaceful and happy.
Therefore, in our daily life a certain way of thinking makes us happy, and a certain way of thinking makes us unhappy. In other words, there are certain states of mind which bring us problems, and they can be removed; we need to make an effort in that direction. Likewise, there are certain states of mind that bring us peace and happiness, and we need to cultivate and enhance them.
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Wealth does solves some problems but it doesn't mean that people have wealth doesn't have problem..
People who poor always think that when they are rich their problems will be solved, it doesn't work that way. Yes, with wealth we won't have problem or difficulty with our monthly commitment and we can get assets and properties and other material things as we wishes but we won't be able to get a happy or a harmony, peace in family if the member of family doesn't have love and care of each other.
Wealth is like sword as one side can bring benefit and another size can be harmful, for people who doesn't have spiritual thought as it will make them more greed, selfish and doesn't know how to give. It's also can destroy the harmony, peace of the family. Did you hear about the wealthy family members fight for properties after their parents died??
We should happy with what we have, and give and share to other always as there always people who have less than us.
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One of the biggest manifestation of our ignorance is the belief that having wealth/money makes us happy and provides us with security. If there is one thing that having money does to us, is that it makes us either want more of it, or have a strong desire to hang on to it. Money increases our attachment.
Money doesn't solve problems...in that money cannot solve our real problems. Our real problem is that we are Ignorant, we are Angry and we are Deluded. These are in fact our real problems and unless we solve them completely, these problems will follow us from one life into another. I liked what Icy said also i.e. if money can solve problems, how come people with money still have problems? In fact, they usually have more problems.
One of the things I hear a lot of is that money gives us "security". How can anything other then the Three Jewels give us any security? Real security in samsara is an illusion and having money cannot in any way pay off our karmic debts. Karma will do what karma does regardless of whether you are Bill Gates or a homeless person.
Having said that, I do not think that money or wealth per se is the problem. The problem is the notion that wealth can solve any or all of our problems. That very thought takes us down the wrong path and creates the causes for that belief to be tested and ultimately proven wrong.
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The answer is obvious. If wealth can solve ALL our problems, all the rich will be problem free and live happily ever after. Wealth can give temporary solutions to life if it's used to feed our cravings, pay our bills and school fees, buy friends and live a comfortable life.
Whether wealth can solve our real inner problems is a new angle which is worth exploring.
If we have wealth, we can donate/help others in need for material support and generate merits for a better future.
If we have wealth, we do not need to spend our precious life chasing for money but instead spend the time with loved ones and helping others. We can build temples and let dharma grow to help alleviate others. The benefits of giving happiness to others is to bring happiness to oneself.
Wealth can solve problems only when it's not for oneself.
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Wealth does not necessarily solve all of our problems. Wealth is a means to solve our problems. However, if we do not have the right motivation when using our wealth, it becomes a problem for us. For example, we use our money to further our samsaric desires. If we use our wealth to benefit others, then having this wealth is beneficial. To solve all our problems, we need a total transformation of our mind from negative to positive. We need to remove the delusions and their imprints completely from our minds to free us from all of our problems.
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Wealth does not solve all our problems. This is such a clear cut answer to the question. As what everyone have mentioned, money helps in a certain aspect to facilitate our daily activities, it does not wipe out the core of our troubles. Sometimes it can even get us deeper into more complicated difficulties. All being said, we need to obtain some wealth too because we are living in this day and age that puts a monetary value on the very basic necessities of life. I like what aurore said that wealth can solve problems only when it's not for oneself.
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Buddhism promotes the virtue of having less wants or non attachment. Contentment is true wealth, not possessions. How we enjoy our riches is dependent on how we define contentment.
A Buddhist's choice to be rich or poor materially should be independent of one's own effort to develop spiritually. When we have cultivated our self with the understanding of the Buddhadharma then we will be spiritually rich, irrespective of whether we are rich or poor, we will be materially happy, thus having less problems.
We must understand that money is good if its use in the right way and to use the wealth that we have towards supporting and promoting Buddhism. Sure, money will not buy happiness or solve our problems but it will at the very least pay for the printing of dharma books, the Buddhist institutions, support the living of the spiritual teachers and their dharma works which will benefit us and many sentient beings.
More recently, Bhutan, which is one of the "poorest" countries in Asia, has been at the forefront of efforts to develop a new index for measuring human well-being: "gross national happiness." This shows that they may not be materially rich but they are spiritually rich and contented. They do not need material wealth to solve their problems.
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People underestimate the emotional complexity that wealth can bring. There is a whole layer of concerns that perhaps the non-affluent clientele wouldn't necessarily experience. It can make life easier in some ways but in other ways it can just make it that much harder.
Clients make their money from all sorts of different places. Some of it was inherited, a lot of it is self made. Those are the two primary sources. A few of them are lottery winners. The person who wins the lottery, if they're not equipped to deal with it and they end up in a lifestyle that they really aren't ready for, it can actually make them pretty miserable. If they're not familiar with how to handle finances, they can find themselves spending it very quickly. They can find themselves with a bad crowd. People who win significant funds are often called upon to loan money or donate money, so the expectations placed upon them can be hard. They also can find themselves in some unhealthy habits. If there is more money, there are more opportunities for substance abuse.
If money isn't the secret to happiness, what is?I honestly think it's attitude. It's working with what you've got, and how you feel about it and the people around you and the life you lead. And being thankful for what you have.
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Money/Wealth is neutral. Much has been written about the "evils" of money. I would say that it is the number 1 cause for many to steer away from religion in general and Buddhism in particular. It is the paradox of religion to say "money does not buy happiness and the poor can be happy" for the reverse is also true. Why emphasize one and not the other? Ultimately, if the above is all true, then money itself is not the problem, is it? Without money, no religion can survive.
It is how we acquire the money, what we do when we have it and the results of having money that is important. It is about the attachment and interestingly aversion to money that is the delusions associated to money.If one is attachment to money, then it cause the person to do whatever it takes to acquire it including throwing out morality out the window. They may steal, cheat, lie and have wrong livelihood as a way of making money. So as long as the money is made the correct way, with the realization of impermanence, then I think it is "good money". Then when the money is use to benefit oneself and family and more importantly others in the practice of charity and dharma it is the highest way of using money. Benefitting oneself with the money earned is not wrong either if we have others in mind and always practice the Dharma.
On the other hand, aversion to money is wrong view. To me, it is not skillful to say "the poor is happier" for I have not seen many happy poor people unless they are the sangha. It is safe to say the majority of the poor are unhappy. Hence, for that to work, one has to practice renunciation first. Ironically, if one is renounced then it does not matter if one is rich or poor.
For me ideally they must be dharmic people, who practice renunciation but at the same time make money to help the Dharma. That is true Wisdom.
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Wealth do solve a lot of matters. In this time and day, money play an important role for us. Who does not want to have a comfortable living environment so that we could concentrate on doing good to the society and practicing Dharma. The poor obviously will have these impression of money will solve their problem because i think most of their issues in due to lack of funding. But money also can be very deceptive if did not handle it in proper. Majority it will slowly create an self projection of "I am Better". It'll lead us to have the sense of pride, hunger for power, greedy and etc...So its very important for us to have Dharma instill in our life be it for the rich or poor so that we have a stable mind with good motivation to guide and help others who are in need.
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Yes, wealth can solve my problems in this life. I have so many problems that I need to solve with money. I am single mother with children and family of whom I have to take care. Working in the secular world doesn't pay much as I am not that smart nor experienced. I don't have any left for my own at the end of the month.What happens if one of them fall sick or die? Wouldn't that require money? How do I travel to Dharma centers or take part in their activities? How do I even support the Dharma center when I don't even have enough. Many of you say that it is not true but you have not experience what the poor have to endure. I am sorry my karma involves my current family members. I hope I can make it up to them one day. A little wealth is a lot to a lot of people you don't know. And yes, it depends how much wealth one is talking about and the motivation.
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In the frenzy of modern life we lose sight of the real value of humanity. People become the sum total of what they produce. Human beings act like machines whose function is to make money. This is absolutely wrong. The purpose of making money is the happiness of humankind, not the other way around. Humans are not for money, money is for humans. We need enough to live, so money is necessary, but we also need to realize that if there is too much attachment to wealth, it does not help at all. As the saints of India and Tibet tell us, the wealthier one becomes, the more suffering one endures.
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Many of us have wondered why some people are blessed with wealth while others are always struggling to make ends meet. Some people are like magnets for wealth. Their homes are beautiful like those showcased in interior decoration magazines; their biggest problem of the day is which car they should drive or where they should go to have lunch. At the other end of the spectrum, some people toil their whole lives and still cannot afford a home of their own. Why is there such a disparity? What exactly is poverty? What do we mean by wealth?
Cause begets effect. How much wealth we have depends on a combination of how hard we work and our past karma. Wealth is not something that is bestowed by the gods. It is the fruit of past generosity. While alms giving is the seed of wealth, hard work is the condition that nurtures the seed to fruition. We cannot change the past, but we can definitely change the future by our present actions.
The amount of money that one has does not determine one’s happiness. True, the rich may not have to worry about where the next meal is coming from, but they can be burdened by social engagements and wearied judging others’ ulterior motives. The poor are not troubled by such problems. As long as they have their dignity and self-esteem, they can stand tall and be proud. In the phenomenal world, everything is subject to impermanence. Wealth and poverty are no exceptions. Wealth can disappear, and people can go from rags to riches. Wealth cannot solve all problems, and our happiness is dependent more on how we feel about ourselves than how much money we have in our bank accounts.
The Buddha shows us by example how we should look at our wealth. He was just as happy with a simple robe as he was with a royal garment. He enjoyed the food that he collected from his alms rounds as much as the food that was offered to him when he was the guest of honor. He could sleep under a tree and yet was equally at ease in a royal palace. Sometimes he lived in solitude, and at other times he lived in the company of his followers and bhiksus. The Buddha was always at ease with his circumstances. The distinctions of rich and poor, coarse and fine, or fame and rejection had no bearing on his inner peace.
The great contemporary monk, Hung-yi, also led a life of equanimity. He never complained about anything. He lived a simple life of little want and great contentment. Whether it is a worn-out handkerchief, a simple plate of pickled vegetable, or a spartan bed, he was equally appreciative. Most of us look at a life of subsistence as a burden, but Hung-yi truly enjoyed what he had. One day, the famous scholar Hsia Mien-tsun visited him while he was finishing his lunch of rice and pickled vegetables. The venerable showed such delight that Hsia Mien-tsun exclaimed, “Only someone wise like the venerable can truly relish such simplicity.”
I want to share with you this parable. Once there was a wealthy businessman who lived in a penthouse with a breath-taking view of the city. He had a childhood friend who was poor but happy. This friend had a loving wife who adored him and greatly appreciated his hard work to provide for the family. The tycoon was a successful business man and had to spend many evenings away from home socializing and finalizing business deals. He was quite enviable of his friend’s simple lifestyle and thought to himself, “What is the point of having all this money if I cannot enjoy it? My friend may be poor, but he is having a grand old time with his wife. Sometimes I wish my life could be more like his.”
One day, someone told him, “If you want to be more like your friend, just give some of your money to him.” He was tickled with the suggestion and decided to give his poor friend two hundred thousand dollars, a small fraction of what he had. The poor couple was ecstatic. They thought the money was the best thing that could happen to them. When night fell, they began to worry about how to safeguard their newfound wealth. Should they put it in the drawer? Someone might steal it. How about under the mattress? That did not sound like such a good hiding place. Worried about their fortune, they hardly got a wink of sleep that night. After a few days, they began to argue how to best use the money. The wife wanted to do one thing, while the husband wanted to do something different. Their fights almost destroyed their marriage. Upon reflection, they realized that all their problems started when they were given the money. They decided to return the money to their tycoon friend instead.
This is, of course, a parable, but there is a valuable lesson here. Money can solve many problems, but it can also create many new ones. One of Confucius’ students, Yen Hwei, was said to have lived a life consisting of “a bowl of rice, a gourdful of drink, and an abode on a humble lane. Many could not tolerate such subsistence, yet Hwei would not change his life of joy a bit.” One of the Buddha’s disciples, Mahakasyapa, practiced a life of poverty and often spent his nights by tombstones without much of a thought. It is one thing to be poor in a monetary sense, it is quite another to be lacking spiritually. The store of treasure within our hearts and minds is inexhaustible, and it is up to us to mine this internal wealth. If we know how to apply the treasure within, we are wealthy in the truest sense of the word.
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Wealth is like medicine. It will relief our ailments and pains, and bring us good health when sick. This is important as we need good health if we to live long and healthy to make our lives worthy of living. It is in pursuing what is worthy to live for which brings us true happiness.
I agree that true happiness cannot be bought. Real happiness does not come in Prada bags nor Ferrragamo shoes but lies within when one knows they have done something good for someone else. I feel good about myself when I know that I have brought happiness to another person. When I can spend time with someone and give them love and care. The result is that person feels care and love, this does not require a single cent spent.
So, no money does not solve all our problems. It merely solves the surface problems. When we have money and we put it to good use then we can say money can solve real problems. So in conclusion - Money is very important because nothing is free. It solves problems but not ALL.
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Wealth can be a good thing and bad thing, it is all depend on the person who had it.
A rich man can use his money to indulge in sinful vises, whilst a poor man could use his last penny to help someone who needed it more than himself.
Kids who are born into rich family grown up to be spoiled and selfish person because money cannot buy wisdom.
Two persons who are given the same amount of money could use their fortune differently.
In summary, it's not the wealth but the person using it could make the difference.
I always wonder what would I do if I strike jackpot and becomes an instant millionaire... Build a charitable hospital? Donate it all away to a cause I truly believe? I guess I would pay off the mortgage first LOL
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If wealth do solve all our problems, we won't be here today. Why waste time here when we can spend more time making money?
If we are happy with the wealth (money) we have, no doubt we are happy but is it true happiness or deluded happiness?
With lots of money we can do a lot but there will be constant worries of kidnaps, cheating, etc. So how does wealth solve those problems? Employ bodyguards? Then we will complain of lack of freedom, then how to solve that problem?
Very simply, wealth will not solve all our problems because with or without wealth, the problems are created by ourselves.
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Money in many ways helps those who are in need and destroy many who are greedy yet not satisfied for whatever they have. Even when they have it they were so miserly about it not even wanting to help others for those who needs and not wanting to spend them too! Keeping them for whatever reasons they think would give them the "security" they aspire. Am sorry to say that these miserly ones saddened me most for they think that the money belongs to them! If only they could realize that all things that we have now are just "borrowed" for this life! It has never been ours to say. Our body, our house, hair, looks, air, water...all are just for this life and are "borrowed" to facilitate us in our journey.
Having said that, am not saying money is not important but it is more so to facilitate us in our present life to tide us along in our journey to find the ultimate happiness that no one can rob us nor loose it for many lifetimes to come!!
There's a saying “Money can buy everything, but it cannot buy happiness.” ...This in my opinion depends very much on how one looks at the statement. Money can in fact buy happiness! Use money to make someone else happy for the fact! Do charity, donate to those who are in need. Everyone has the kind and loving nature in everyone of us. I enjoy in helping others and gain a real sense of happiness and contentment from it. So if you look at this angle, wouldn't one be happy, if we use our money to help someone else who are in need?
I believe that we should shift our center of focus with regards to happiness from ourselves to others. Instead of we thinking and chasing for money as the source of happiness, we should re-evaluate our thoughts and perception. Donating money to charitable causes is another way to buy happiness.
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As Buddhists, we should live our lives according to the ethics and basic principles of Buddhism. With regards to the earning and the use of wealth, Buddhism, as a way of life, also has economic practices stated in some of the sutras as guidelines for laypeople. The Buddha was not only a great religious leader, he was also a very good economist as he was able to discuss economic issues and give solutions to economic problems. The Buddha's teachings reveal that he had spent much time listening to his lay followers' problems and provided them good advice to improve not only their religious life but also their economic situation.
On financial stabilization, the Buddha gave economic advice to Sigala in the long discourse called Sigalovada Sutta, in the Digha Nikaya. It describes the concept of Atthacariya or useful economic behaviour, which is important for a balanced life. In addition, the Buddha advised the rulers to help improve the economy of their kingdoms in order to have a balanced life for their subjects. One of the teachings of the Buddha, the discourse of Cakkavattisihanada, explains that economic instability and unrest in society are interrelated. ...Poverty, revolution, power-related crimes and the uncertain situations in some countries are the results of mismanagement of the responsible authorities.
I think some of the present world leaders in certain countries could do with some simple Buddhist economic principles. E.F. Schumacher, who wrote the book "Small is Beautiful" states, " The keynote of Buddhist Economics... is simplicity and non-violence. from an economist's point of view, the marvel of the Buddhist way of life is the utter rationality of its pattern - amazingly small means leading to extraordinary satisfactory results."
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The Buddha, in his discourses on economic and financial management, had given very precise advice. For example, in the Sigalovada Sutta, the Buddha gave the following guideline for Sigala to organize his financial life: "Whatever income you have, you should only utilize one fourth to consume, half of your earnings you should reinvest to acquire further income and the last portion of your income should be kept for emergency acquisition as future savings."
One of Buddhist economic goals is to have a lawful and righteous working force in line with the eightfold path which stresses right action and right livelihood. The Buddha, when encouraging the production of wealth, made special reference to six professions prevalent at that time. These included careers like business, farming, teaching, supervisory positions, administration and skilled service. These are all lawful and harmless professions. Right action is the fourth step in the eightfold path leading to the cessation of suffering. Right action promotes moral, honourable, and peaceful conduct. Buddhism discourages livelihoods that are harmful to others. Thus, in line with Buddhist economic theory, professions that are suitable for Buddhists are: agriculture, trade, government service, teaching, and skilled services.
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What was the Buddha's advice to laypeople with regard to the use of the wealth they have obtained? Here are the five benefits to be derived from wealth as stated by the Buddha when addressing a group of laymen:
"Herein, householder, there are five uses to which wealth can be used. They are:
1. With the wealth that has been obtained by his own diligent labour... the noble disciple supports himself comfortably, sufficiently; he applies himself to seeing to his own happiness in rightful ways. He supports his father and mother ... wife and children, servants and workers comfortably, to a sufficiency, applying himself to their needs and their happiness as is proper. This is the first benefit to obtain from wealth."
2. Moreover, with wealth that has been obtained by his own... the noble disciple supports his friends and associates comfortably, to a sufficiency, taking an interest in their happiness as is proper. This is the second benefit to be derived from wealth.
3. Moreover, the noble disciple protects his wealth from the dangers of confiscation by kings, theft, fire, flood, and appropriation by unfriendly relatives. He sees to his own security. This is the third benefit to be derived from wealth.
4. Moreover, with the wealth that has been obtained... make the five kinds of sacrifice. They are: supporting relatives, receiving visitors, offering some donations in the name of ancestors, paying taxes to the government, and supporting the religion. This is another benefit to be derived from wealth.
5. Moreover... the noble disciple makes offerings which are of the highest merit, which are rightly gained, the noble disciple makes offerings which are of highest merit, which are conducive to mental well-being, happiness and heaven, to religious mendicants, those who live devoted to heedfulness, are established in patience and gentleness, are trained, calmed, and cooled of defilements. this is the fifth benefit to be obtained from wealth.
It can be seen from the above list of things to do with our wealth that they are actions that will bring us happiness and satisfaction because they are motivated by love and compassion for others. Thus, if we follow these guidelines, we will never go wrong and will never encounter problems as stated by Icy.
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In the Pattakamma Sutta, the manner in which a person should spend his wealth is given in detail as follows:
1. expenditure on food and clothing and other needs;
2. maintenance of parents, wife, children and servants;
3. for illness and other emergencies;
4. for charitable purposes;
5. for the performance of the following:
(a) treating of one's relatives
(b) treating of one's visitors
(c) offering alms in memory of the departed
(d) offering merit to the deities
(e) payment of state taxes and dues in time.
It can be seen from the above list that a layperson not only takes care of his family members but he also has social and religious responsibilities. Filial piety is encouraged as well as support for the sangha who dedicate their lives for the common good. This is found in the Buddha's teachings in the Discourse of Downfalls (Parabhava Sutta):
1. "Whoever, being rich, does not support his aged mother and father, who has passed their youth, this is the cause of one's downfall."
2. " He who, by falsehood, deceives the Sangha community or dedicated ordained persons or any other mendicant: this is the cause of one's downfall." (this is the case of a householder who refuses to give food to an ordained person who arrives at his house expecting some food)
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Money/Wealth is neutral. Much has been written about the "evils" of money. I would say that it is the number 1 cause for many to steer away from religion in general and Buddhism in particular. It is the paradox of religion to say "money does not buy happiness and the poor can be happy" for the reverse is also true. Why emphasize one and not the other? Ultimately, if the above is all true, then money itself is not the problem, is it? Without money, no religion can survive.
It is how we acquire the money, what we do when we have it and the results of having money that is important. It is about the attachment and interestingly aversion to money that is the delusions associated to money.If one is attachment to money, then it cause the person to do whatever it takes to acquire it including throwing out morality out the window. They may steal, cheat, lie and have wrong livelihood as a way of making money. So as long as the money is made the correct way, with the realization of impermanence, then I think it is "good money". Then when the money is use to benefit oneself and family and more importantly others in the practice of charity and dharma it is the highest way of using money. Benefitting oneself with the money earned is not wrong either if we have others in mind and always practice the Dharma.
On the other hand, aversion to money is wrong view. To me, it is not skillful to say "the poor is happier" for I have not seen many happy poor people unless they are the sangha. It is safe to say the majority of the poor are unhappy. Hence, for that to work, one has to practice renunciation first. Ironically, if one is renounced then it does not matter if one is rich or poor.
For me ideally they must be dharmic people, who practice renunciation but at the same time make money to help the Dharma. That is true Wisdom.
Yonten Jamyang, I agree with what you wrote here.
With money I can pay my rent, I can buy food, pay transportation fare, pay my debts, buy me new clothes, buy me a plane ticket to visit far away family, invite friends out for a meal.
That is for me and my close family.
Let's call this portion: A
For others, I can do the same with money surplus.
I can help them pay their rents, feed their families, buy their clothes, pay for their children's education.
Thus money can help others too.
Let's call the surplus: B
And let's call the money donated to others as: C.
So now the big question is this one:
Income - A = B (surplus)
B should be equal to C, right? Right or not? Well, that is, if we hesitate here, then I think we ought to question our generosity...
Most likely, we transform our surplus into A, into needs, and we get bigger houses, bigger cars, nicer holidays, etc... This is when money becomes a downfall.
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The foremost Buddhist economic goal is to have economic stability which is necessary for stability in the world. Stability starts at home. Thus the Buddha encouraged his followers to first maintain stability at home, then in the neighbourhood, one's country and in the end, turn the world into a pleasant place to live in. The Buddha taught four kinds of happiness for laypeople in a teaching given to Anathapindika:
(1) the happiness of ownership (atthisukha). This is happiness derived from the possession of wealth obtained through one's own effort.
(2) the happiness of enjoyment (bhogasukha). This is happiness derived from enjoyment of the wealth obtained through one's own effort.
(3) the happiness of freedom from debt (ananasukha). This is happiness derived from the thought of owing no debts to anyone at all.
(4) the happiness of blamelessness. (anavajjasukha). This is happiness derived from having blameless actions of body, speech and mind.
The Buddha concludes by saying:
"When he (the householder) realizes the happiness of being free from debt, he is in a position to appreciate the happiness of owning possessions. As he uses his possessions, he experiences the happiness of enjoyment. Clearly seeing this, the wise man, comparing the first three kinds of happiness with the last, sees that they are not worth a sixteenth part of the happiness that arises from blameless behaviour."
Thus, blameless behaviour (blameless actions, blameless speech and blameless thoughts) is superior to the other three which constitute happiness of this world. Blameless behaviour leads to the end of suffering and brings ultimate happiness.
The information in this comment as well as the three comments above are taken from a book entitled "Buddhist Economic Thoughts for A Trouble-Free Life" by Ven Kekanadure Dhammasiri.
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What is the correct Buddhist attitude to wealth? The Buddha illustrates the proper attitude to wealth by describing three types of people in this world: the blind, the one-eyed and the two-eyed:
"One who is blind is hounded by misfortune on two counts: he has no wealth, and he performs no good work. The second kind of person, the one-eyed, looks about for wealth irrespective of whether it is right or wrong. It may be obtained through theft, cheating, or fraud. He enjoys pleasures of the senses obtained from his ability to acquire wealth, but as a result, he goes to hell. The one-eyed person suffers according to his deeds.
The two-eyed person is a fine human being, one who shares out a portion of the wealth obtained through his diligent labour. He has noble thought, a resolute mind, and attains to a good bourn, free of suffering. Avoid the blind and the one-eyed, and associate with the two-eyed."
It is clear from Buddha's words that in order to achieve lasting happiness one must be like the two-eyed person. The Buddha said that "Some people in this world possess both the vision that enables them to acquire wealth and to capitalize on it, and the vision that enables them to know what is skillful and what is not... what is blameworthy and what is not... What is coarse and what is refined....good and evil. This I call the two-eyed...".
One can find examples of all these three types of people in the world. Some struggle very hard to make a living. Some, very powerful and rich, use their wealth and power to disrupt global peace and political and economic stability. The balanced individual with the vision to acquire wealth and uses it for the good of mankind and to protect the environment is the ideal type.
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This is a case of what wealth cannot solve all of our problems:
Below is the transcript of the talk of Dr. Richard Teo, who is a 40-year-old millionaire and cosmetic surgeon with a stage-4 lung cancer but selflessly
came to share with the D1 class his life experience on 19-Jan-2012.
Hi good morning to all of you. My voice is a bit hoarse, so please bear with me. I thought I'll just introduce myself. My name is Richard, I'm a medical doctor. And I thought I'll just share some thoughts of my life. It's my pleasure to be invited by prof. Hopefully, it can get you thinking about how... as you pursue this.. embarking on your training to become dental surgeons, to think about other things as well.
Since young, I am a typical product of today's society. Relatively successful product that society requires.. From young, I came from a below average family. I was told by the media... and people around me that happiness is about success. And that success is about being wealthy. With this mind-set, I've always be extremely competitive, since I was young.
Not only do I need to go to the top school, I need to have success in all fields. Uniform groups, track, everything. I needed to get trophies, needed to be successful, I needed to have colours award, national colours award, everything. So I was highly competitive since young. I went on to medical school, graduated as a doctor. Some of you may know that within the medical faculty, ophthalmology is one of the most highly sought after specialities. So I went after that as well. I was given a traineeship in ophthalmology, I was also given a research scholarship by NUS to develop lasers to treat the eye.
So in the process, I was given 2 patents, one for the medical devices, and another for the lasers. And you know what, all this academic achievements did not bring me any wealth. So once I completed my bond with MOH, I decided that this is taking too long, the training in eye surgery is just taking too long. And there's lots of money to be made in the private sector. If you're aware, in the last few years, there is this rise in aesthetic medicine. Tons of money to be made there. So I decided, well, enough of staying in institution, it's time to leave. So I quit my training halfway and I went on to set up my aesthetic clinic... in town, together with a day surgery centre.
You know the irony is that people do not make heroes out average GP (general practitioner), family physicians. They don't. They make heroes out of people who are rich and famous. People who are not happy to pay $20 to see a GP, the same person have no qualms paying ten thousand dollars for a liposuction, 15 thousand dollars for a breast augmentation, and so on and so forth. So it's a no brainer isn't? Why do you want to be a gp? Become an aesthetic physician. So instead of healing the sick and ill, I decided that I'll become a glorified beautician. So, business was good, very good. It started off with waiting of one week, then became 3weeks, then one month, then 2 months, then 3 months. I was overwhelmed; there were just too many patients. Vanities are fantastic business. I employed one doctor, the second doctor, the 3rd doctor, the 4th doctor. And within the 1st year, we're already raking in millions. Just the 1st year. But never is enough because I was so obsessed with it. I started to expand into Indonesia to get all the rich Indonesian tai-tais who wouldn't blink an eye to have a procedure done. So life was really good.
So what do I do with the spare cash. How do I spend my weekends? Typically, I'll have car club gatherings. I take out my track car, with spare cash I got myself a track car. We have car club gatherings. We'll go up to Sepang in Malaysia. We'll go for car racing. And it was my life. With other spare cash, what do i do? I get myself a Ferrari. At that time, the 458 wasn't out, it's just a spider convertible, 430. This is a friend of mine, a schoolmate who is a forex trader, a banker. So he got a red one, he was wanting all along a red one, I was getting the silver one.
So what do I do after getting a car? It's time to buy a house, to build our own bungalows. So we go around looking for a land to build our own bungalows, we went around hunting. So how do i live my life? Well, we all think we have to mix around with the rich and famous. This is one of the Miss Universe. So we hang around with the beautiful, rich and famous. This by the way is an internet founder. So this is how we spend our lives, with dining and all the restaurants and Michelin Chefs you know.
So I reach a point in life that I got everything for my life. I was at the pinnacle of my career and all. That's me one year ago in the gym and I thought I was like, having everything under control and reaching the pinnacle.
Well, I was wrong. I didn't have everything under control. About last year March, I started to develop backache in the middle of nowhere. I thought maybe it was all the heavy squats I was doing. So I went to SGH, saw my classmate to do an MRI, to make sure it's not a slipped disc or anything. And that evening, he called me up and said that we found bone marrow replacement in your spine. I said, sorry what does that mean? I mean I know what it means, but I couldn't accept that. I was like “Are you serious?” I was still running around going to the gym you know. But we had more scans the next day, PET scans - positrons emission scans, they found that actually I have stage 4 terminal lung cancer. I was like "Whoa where did that come from?” It has already spread to the brain, the spine, the liver and the adrenals. And you know one moment I was there, totally thinking that I have everything under control, thinking that I've reached the pinnacle of my life. But the next moment, I have just lost it.
This is a CT scan of the lungs itself. If you look at it, every single dot there is a tumour. We call this miliaries tumour. And in fact, I have tens of thousands of them in the lungs. So, I was told that even with chemotherapy, that I'll have about 3-4months at most. Did my life come crushing on, of course it did, who wouldn't? I went into depression, of course, severe depression and I thought I had everything.
See the irony is that all these things that I have, the success, the trophies, my cars, my house and all. I thought that brought me happiness. But i was feeling really down, having severe depression. Having all these thoughts of my possessions, they brought me no joy. The thought of... You know, I can hug my Ferrari to sleep, no... No, it is not going to happen. It brought not a single comfort during my last ten months. And I thought they were, but they were not true happiness. But it wasn't. What really brought me joy in the last ten months was interaction with people, my loved ones, friends, people who genuinely care about me, they laugh and cry with me, and they are able to identify the pain and suffering I was going through. That brought joy to me, happiness. None of the things I have, all the possessions, and I thought those were supposed to bring me happiness. But it didn't, because if it did, I would have felt happy think about it, when I was feeling most down..
You know the classical Chinese New Year that is coming up. In the past, what do I do? Well, I will usually drive my flashy car to do my rounds, visit my relatives, to show it off to my friends. And I thought that was joy, you know. I thought that was really joy. But do you really think that my relatives and friends, whom some of them have difficulty trying to make ends meet, that will truly share the joy with me? Seeing me driving my flashy car and showing off to them? No, no way. They won’t be sharing joy with me. They were having problems trying to make ends meet, taking public transport. In fact i think, what I have done is more like you know, making them envious, jealous of all I have. In fact, sometimes even hatred.
Those are what we call objects of envy. I have them, I show them off to them and I feel it can fill my own pride and ego. That didn't bring any joy to these people, to my friends and relatives, and I thought they were real joy.
Well, let me just share another story with you. You know when I was about your age, I stayed in king Edward VII hall. I had this friend whom I thought was strange. Her name is Jennifer, we're still good friends. And as I walk along the path, she would, if she sees a snail, she would actually pick up the snail and put it along the grass patch. I was like why do you need to do that? Why dirty your hands? It’s just a snail. The truth is she could feel for the snail. The thought of being crushed to death is real to her, but to me it's just a snail. If you can't get out of the pathway of humans then you deserve to be crushed, it’s part of evolution isn't it? What an irony isn't it?
There I was being trained as a doctor, to be compassionate, to be able to empathise; but I couldn't. As a house officer, I graduated from medical school, posted to the oncology department at NUH. And, every day, every other day I witness death in the cancer department. When I see how they suffered, I see all the pain they went through. I see all the morphine they have to press every few minutes just to relieve their pain. I see them struggling with their oxygen breathing their last breath and all. But it was just a job. When I went to clinic every day, to the wards every day, take blood, give the medication but was the patient real to me? They weren't real to me. It was just a job, I do it, I get out of the ward, I can't wait to get home, I do my own stuff.
Was the pain, was the suffering the patients went through real? No. Of course I know all the medical terms to describe how they feel, all the suffering they went through. But in truth, I did not know how they feel, not until I became a patient. It is until now; I truly understand how they feel. And, if you ask me, would I have been a very different doctor if I were to re-live my life now, I can tell you yes I will. Because I truly understand how the patients feel now. And sometimes, you have to learn it the hard way.
Even as you start just your first year, and you embark this journey to become dental surgeons, let me just challenge you on two fronts.
Inevitably, all of you here will start to go into private practice. You will start to accumulate wealth. I can guarantee you. Just doing an implant can bring you thousands of dollars, it's fantastic money. And actually there is nothing wrong with being successful, with being rich or wealthy, absolutely nothing wrong. The only trouble is that a lot of us like myself couldn't handle it.
Why do I say that? Because when I start to accumulate, the more I have, the more I want. The more I wanted, the more obsessed I became. Like what I showed you earlier on, all I can was basically to get more possessions, to reach the pinnacle of what society did to us, of what society wants us to be. I became so obsessed that nothing else really mattered to me. Patients were just a source of income, and I tried to squeeze every single cent out of these patients.
A lot of times we forget, whom we are supposed to be serving. We become so lost that we serve nobody else but just ourselves. That was what happened to me. Whether it is in the medical, the dental fraternity, I can tell you, right now in the private practice, sometimes we just advise patients on treatment that is not indicated. Grey areas. And even though it is not necessary, we kind of advocate it. Even at this point, I know who are my friends and who genuinely cared for me and who are the ones who try to make money out of me by selling me "hope". We kind of lose our moral compass along the way. Because we just want to make money.
Worse, I can tell you, over the last few years, we bad mouth our fellow colleagues, our fellow competitors in the industry. We have no qualms about it. So if we can put them down to give ourselves an advantage, we do it. And that's what happening right now, medical, dental everywhere. My challenge to you is not to lose that moral compass. I learnt it the hard way, I hope you don't ever have to do it.
Secondly, a lot of us will start to get numb to our patients as we start to practise. Whether is it government hospitals, private practice, I can tell you when I was in the hospital, with stacks of patient folders, I can't wait to get rid of those folders as soon as possible; I can't wait to get patients out of my consultation room as soon as possible because there is just so many, and that's a reality. Because it becomes a job, a very routine job. And this is just part of it. Do I truly know how the patient feels back then? No, I don't. The fears and anxiety and all, do I truly understand what they are going through? I don't, not until when this happens to me and I think that is one of the biggest flaws in our system.
We’re being trained to be healthcare providers, professional, and all and yet we don't know how exactly they feel. I'm not asking you to get involved emotionally, I don't think that is professional but do we actually make a real effort to understand their pain and all? Most of us won’t, alright, I can assure you. So don't lose it, my challenge to you is to always be able to put yourself in your patient's shoes.
Because the pain, the anxiety, the fear are very real even though it's not real to you, it's real to them. So don't lose it and you know, right now I'm in the midst of my 5th cycle of my chemotherapy. I can tell you it’s a terrible feeling. Chemotherapy is one of those things that you don't wish even your enemies to go through because it's just suffering, lousy feeling, throwing out, you don't even know if you can retain your meals or not. Terrible feeling! And even with whatever little energy now I have, I try to reach out to other cancer patients because I truly understand what pain and suffering is like. But it's kind of little too late and too little.
You guys have a bright future ahead of you with all the resource and energy, so I’m going to challenge you to go beyond your immediate patients. To understand that there are people out there who are truly in pain, truly in hardship. Don’t get the idea that only poor people suffer. It is not true. A lot of these poor people do not have much in the first place, they are easily contented. for all you know they are happier than you and me but there are out there, people who are suffering mentally, physically, hardship, emotionally, financially and so on and so forth, and they are real. We choose to ignore them or we just don't want to know that they exist.
So do think about it alright, even as you go on to become professionals and dental surgeons and all. That you can reach out to these people who are in need. Whatever you do can make a large difference to them. I'm now at the receiving end so I know how it feels, someone who genuinely care for you, encourage and all. It makes a lot of difference to me. That’s what happens after treatment. I had a treatment recently, but I’ll leave this for another day. A lot of things happened along the way, that's why I am still able to talk to you today.
I'll just end of with this quote here, it's from this book called Tuesdays with Morris, and some of you may have read it. Everyone knows that they are going to die; every one of us knows that. The truth is, none of us believe it because if we did, we will do things differently. When I faced death, when I had to, I stripped myself off all stuff totally and I focused only on what is essential. The irony is that a lot of times, only when we learn how to die then we learn how to live. I know it sounds very morbid for this morning but it's the truth, this is what I’m going through.
Don’t let society tell you how to live. Don’t let the media tell you what you're supposed to do. Those things happened to me. And I led this life thinking that these are going to bring me happiness. I hope that you will think about it and decide for yourself how you want to live your own life. Not according to what other people tell you to do, and you have to decide whether you want to serve yourself, whether you are going to make a difference in somebody else's life. Because true happiness doesn't come from serving yourself. I thought it was but it didn't turn out that way. With that I thank you, if you have any questions you have for me, please feel free. Thank you.
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We work, we play, we party, have relationships, a family, some friends and children... is this the sum of our lives? A lot of people think that wealth is security, a blanket for life in case of emergency or when we are older.. But what if that day came so suddenly the next minute then what had we done in life besides what the society wants us to be.
We might question ourselves what is the meaning in life besides the standard that our society set for us. We should actually stop focusing in acquiring more things which we think it will make us happy and take a good look inside ourselves... Add an extra subject call spirituality. Wisdom that guide us through life, why not listen to the wise ones who had done it all and know it all?
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Coming from a middle class income group, I believe it will help, but it won’t solve all of our problems. When one problem is solved, another one comes up.
Most people have money problems, work problems, relationship problems, family problems, health problems..... and the list goes on. And we tend to believe that the pasture is greener on the other side; that is, other people are happy and successful and are having less problem than us. They have all the money they needed, they have job they love, they have good friends, they have obedient kids, they have the successful business, they have loving family etc. Everything going well with them. That is why they are happy and successful. But the reality is that the more successful you are, the more problems you have to face. More success means more challenges they have to face, more success means more risk they have to take. The higher you are, the harder you fall.
I once read a Buddhist text that says' "if money can solve all your problems, then all rich people should be really happy. But are they?". I think this answers our question in a nutshell.
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Wealth in a nutshell in itself does not solve or create the problem. It is our perception and how we "use" the wealth that becomes a problem. It is as with any other attachment, has a somewhat neutral aspect as it can go either way. Hence it is important to realize the true value of wealth and what it can and cannot do for us.
It certainly would not bring any happiness if we use every ounce of our being to guard it and it wont serve any purpose if we choose to spend it all on ourselves either. Hence, the true value of money or the true "use" pf money really depends on our mindset and how we view money along with other attachments.
That is my own two cents worth!
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We feel money and power can bring happiness and solve problems,but they are no definite cause of those desired states.If that were so,it would follow that those who do not have wealth would necessarily have happiness,and those who do not have wealth would always experience suffering.Money and power facilitate,but it is clear that they are not the primary causes of,happiness and solving our problems.It is justified for us to make material and financial development for building our nation and providing shelter,etc.for ourselves;we need to do that.But we also need to seek inner development.As we can see,there are many people who have wealth and power who remain unhappy,due to which their health declines,and they are always taking medicines.On the other hand,we find people who live like beggars but who always remain peaceful and happy.
Therefore,in our daily life a certain way of thinking makes us happy, and a certain way of thinking makes us unhappy. In other words ,there are certain states of mind that bring us peace and happiness,and we need to cultivate and enhance them.
From General Wisdom.Commentaries by H.H.the Dalai Lama X1V .
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Money does solve a lot of our daily problems but over indulged in earning it will come back to eat you one day. Money is essential these days for most of us but is it really that necessary? First of all, money can't buy you immortality. You will die one day and not able to take your money along with you and neither it can buy you love and compassion. I am talking about true love and compassion. I don't need to explain to you on this. Money is important but don't make it become like a drug that you are addicted and you would do anything to get it. This is where the harm starts.
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Wealth does solved our problems on the surface. It solves what is needed to be solved as a quick solution a quick fix. Like how most of us solve our problems however these method are temporary. Just to put the problem at bay until it manifest again. In this degenerate era, we are condition to think that wealth is the way out. We are brought up by our parents with the saying goes like this: Study hard get good results and land yourself a good job. With a good job we have good salary and lead a comfortable life. Yes it is comfortable on the physical level. From very young our parents instilled that in our head. We grew up thinking exactly like that and that is the only way we know. However when we look at around us, so much pain anf suffering and that's we are thought to do. The vicious cycle begins. We go through what our parents has gone through and that is using wealth to solve our problem and the results in the end of the day is negative.
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I dont really think that wealth can solve all of our problems. It may make things easier for us at the short term, which is why we need wealth anyway because everything in samsara is based on wealth and needs wealth to actually move, you cant build a house with your bare hands anymore, you have to purchase the actual house itself these days unless you choose not to stay in a place with people. But money bringing happiness? Not really. It just makes things convenient to acquire. Happiness is a state of mind. Money can only bring satisfaction that is temporary, but ultimately, the mind must depend on itself to be truly happy.