Question:
Of late I have been reading a lot of books on quantum physics, spirituality and leadership. I have read your books as well and in fact keep reading them repetitively. The more I think and ponder, the more I am convinced that the path to true joy and happiness is through living with less and giving up on materialistic attitude. I teach leadership and systems thinking approaches to Corporations and teenagers. My question is "How do I tell my CEO’s and Teens to pursue their goals of growth and prosperity on a material plane and yet teach them to live a simple, selfless life? The more I wish to grow the more I wish to give away my material wealth. I am caught in this duality and ambiguity. Am I being a hypocrite?
Answer:
I think you need to become clear that your path to happiness through giving up your material wealth may be right for you at this time in your life, but it is not necessarily right for everyone else at their stage of life.
Even though you may no longer feel driven by desires to accumulate things, you are still pursuing an external ideal of simplicity as a means to become happy. That is not that different from others who are pursuing an external ideal of abundance as a means to happiness. In truth happiness is a state of consciousness that is independent of external circumstances. If you attain happiness first, through self-awareness, then it doesn’t matter how you express that happiness in your external life—whether it is modest or elaborate.
Love,
Deepak
Thank you Deepak, this clarity is so needed for me now and also as I head to the soon approaching holiday season in December…this is wonderful.
Great perspective and clear, as always. Thank you. http://www.liveinfreedomtoday.com
Dying to find out.
"It is more difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle."
You might find Bob that that statement was gematric code ( jargon for the initiates used in Qabala ) for the letter G – gimel ( camel ) and O ayin ( eye ) with GO ( one of the gates ) which are the initials of Gan Odin – garden of pleasure paradise Eden and the eye in the triangle .. and the lowing of that Zen Ox…..
I could add that if we put the letter D on that making GOD or DOG ( usually referring to Canis Major and the Sirius system ) we have DOOR porch tent flap vagina ( entrance or gate ) and a few other things as well ..
Spiritual wealth and good karma has a habit of echoing on this plane as well .. it isn't the riches but the reaction to those riches and the grasping on to them that is the problem .. the acquisition of spiritual wealth is no different to the acquisition of material wealth is it ?
Kay, I haven't studied the Bible, I've only read it. I'm not sure I understand your point regarding the code. And I realized the Bible had to be translated into Greek, and then Latin, and then English–and scores of other languages. And things certainly do get lost in translation.
But I've always found great power in this statement. I've never been rich, but years ago my ex-wife and I had good corporate jobs and were climbing the ladder. With everything that entails: new house, new cars, company-funded IRAs and so forth. We were comfortable. But the environments we were in were highly competitive and held great promise of advancement and financial rewards. And we got wrapped up in it and lost our compass. Then I had my health problems and that was the end of that. Looking back, I realize the danger we were in. It's very easy to lose one's horizon.
Bob
If you have wealth of either spiritual or material abundance then I guess sharing it out with those who are in need or have a lack is obvious and is done with joy and generous heart
well Bob yes, but having wealth doesn't mean necessarily loosing sight of one's horizons
It depends on how you react to ' wealth' . There is spiritual greed and egotism as well and the mistake of continually seeking and trying to grab onto this and that explanation or text and every Guru on the planet !! Some people collect texts and names more than some people collect money in the bank – which is fine if you know what to do with the abundance ..hehe.
I MEAN how many words do we need to understand.. right now countless billions .. this book that book this text that text .. this master that master .. this thing and that things.. ad nauseam
As for Bible code it is just that every letter of the Hebrew alphabet had a numerical equivalent Thus AL or EL as God would be the number 30 – the number 30 had other meanings as well. So one thinks about those associations that have the same numerical value. It gets very complicated and I have but a beginners knowledge of that system…
This is not the place to go into it so I suggest themighty Google genie if you are interested.. if not it is of no consequence – other than to follow the lowing of the ox wherever those footprints lead you
A camel laden on both sides with material goods had to be off-loaded before it could possibly enter the narrow gate, known as 'the Needle,' into Jerusalem. That's how an R Catholic explained it to me
The common man might gather that analogy, perhaps.
I am a common man.
For me things don't come with concepts attached – these are added by the human mind – for example wealth – it IS what it IS – as Mr Chopra would say ' it is a noun' .. of itself it is not good or bad .. it is simply ' wealth ' . It is the human mind that adds on the concepts ( adjectives adverbs etc ) to give it meanings and concepts and putting it into those dualistic hells and boxes of judgement – i.e. f one person says it is bad and another says it is good.. this is such nonsense for me !
How you see it is how you see it .. that being with obvious negative or positive attributes which are clearly coming only from each individual perception and experience
That doesn't make your experience invalid – just temporary and relative ….
YOU are not a common man.. take off the man and take off the common.. hehe .. pure nature of mind isn't any thing – has no form nor any attached qualities – it is pure naked ( no adornments ) awareness – thus it can take on any form or any thing
There are as many levels of meanings – none are wrong and none are absolutely right – they are as they are – bit like numbered buses which take you a bit further on your journey to wisdom
I like to wear Dior but this time round I settle for Walmart haha
-actually I am from South Africa ( ex London ) so it would still be Dior but substitute Woolworths for Walmart
But we have to think – do you want the original or just a cheap copy of what you really are
Granpa talks about a camel…laaaddddeeeennn…on both sides….and a needle! damn… granpa!
Dear Bob:
I believe you correctly point out that Jesus of Nazareth was warning that wealth can be a distraction on the path of spirit. Living with God consciousness, Jesus was increasingly confronted by a religious leadeship who at that time were very concerned about power and material wealth and saw their affluence as a "sign" of God's approval and care for them. Responding to this situation Jesus most likely addressed the "common" people with the insight that "attachment" to wealth and power can take one away from spirit. I like Kay's insight about the reality of "spiritual greed." Anything that we cling to other than the timeless, eternal Being who lives within all of us can obscure our true identity and Self-realization.
BTW, you are anything other than "common."
Love, Greg
LOL of course I would have mad the Jerusalem gate wider hehe
darn it – excuse the pun on needle – no delete or edit buttons … . I would have made the Jerusalem gate ( needle ) wider so that even the camel can enter !
Frankly we can also take that as obese people can't get through the gate either .. there we are.. its lettuce leaves and water from now on
))))) !!
Jesus' message was radical, as was the Budda's. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with wealth, as long as one does not become attached to it and it becomes an end in itself. After all, Jesus and his disciples were no doubt supported by wealthy people who heard his message. But it can become difficult to focus on spiritual matters if one is instead focusing on one's IRA, or book sales, or seminar attendance.
I posted a blog the other day about the encounter between Alexander the Great and Diogenes the Cynic. The gist was that Alexander offerd Diogenes wealth and power. And Diogenes spurned it, asking him merely to "step out of the sunlight." You see the same thing in the Taoist Chang Tsu: offered an imperial post as the advisor to the Emperor, he spurned it and was content to fish.
Bob
and also I am gently furious with myself – for the grammatical error – none are right – when it is none IS right etc.. apologies
However the statements by Mr Chopra for me is wise.. happiness is not dependent upon external circumstances and is indeed a state of peace and just being ….. if one cannot be happy without wealth then there is a problem – if one cannot be happy without poverty then there is also a problem !
All these comments in a way are negative – do they achieve anything – not really – its all spiritual waffle more times than not .. putting your intent up online and keeping to it achieves far more than opinions about wealth, the width of gates or any numerical value that the Hebrew Gematria may associate with that ..
wishes that this was a proper intent forum .. spell checks edits deletes links smilies email notification private message.. easily found threads and members etc…
Kay,
I think that is the nature of discussion, or perhaps debate.
After "all the jacks have left their boxes" it comes down to mediation. That's what I believe.
everything is empty if inherent nature .. there is no inherent nature in anything including discussion about any thing thus meditate upon the coming and going and emptiness of all things – including gates and wealth and our own selves
.. what then all this effort and endless forums chatter and books and books and more books .. moret theories more dvds ….. more commentaries on commentaries …. better to be blind and deaf from the start
Agreed.
Agreed.
Where's ole flabs?
From the point of view of Buda, it