Whoever has a little wealth can be satisfied, but his wealth will never be used up.
If he does not know enough and seeks wealth, he will always be in pain like rain.
If a person can be satisfied with a little money, then his wealth will be endless. If he seeks wealth without contentment, pain will fall on him continuously like rain.
Shantideva Bodhisattva praised the merits of being content with few desires in "The Theory of Entrance": "Abandoning greed and practicing freely, no one has anything to do with it, and it is difficult for princes to enjoy it. Living contentedly and enjoying yourself... The pursuit of desires is not satisfied, and people are born. When you are frustrated and frustrated, if you have nothing to seek, your blessings will be endless. "A person who is determined to practice Taoism will do the work of saving people in the world with a spirit of separation from the world. If he hates the harsh material environment and is afraid that he will not be able to eat well or wear warm clothes, then his mind has been occupied by material desires, so how can he talk about spiritual practice? To cultivate virtue and seek Taoism, one must have a rock-firm will. Once one has envious thoughts about external things, one will fall into a state of greed. To govern a country and ensure peace and stability, one must also have an indifferent mind that is as smooth as flowing water. Once greed becomes rampant, it will fall into a dangerous abyss, and it will be difficult to achieve a peaceful and prosperous age where the country and the people are safe. No matter how much property a dissatisfied person has, he will never feel wealthy. This was the case with the former Anita Chakravartin. He already owned the property of the entire four continents, but he still felt that he was very poor, and finally died in this painful suffering.
As the saying goes: "The poor are suffering, the rich are suffering, everyone in the world is suffering." The implication is that no matter rich or poor, if people do not have a satisfied heart, they will feel pain. Of course, happiness itself is not entirely based on property. A piece of clothing in a shopping mall in Tianjin sells for more than 20,000 yuan. People who want to buy it but can't afford it must feel very painful; people who can afford it are not necessarily very happy after buying it, because they can't just wear this for the rest of their lives. A piece of clothing always needs to be replaced, and the new one must be of a higher quality than this one. Even a rich man with a million dollars will definitely complain if he replaces such expensive clothing every day.
Practitioners who are content with little desire should think like Zhangpa Zong Rinpoche: "The best way to give is to give up the five desires of this world and not be greedy for immediate enjoyment; everything you do is for sentient beings. It is the best to benefit all sentient beings; he who can be satisfied in any situation is the best rich man; he who can adapt to wherever he goes is the best hometown; he who can sleep peacefully anywhere is the best dormitory; cultivation produces disgust Having a friend's heart is the best friend; being able to persevere in practice is the best man; being able to be at ease is the best effort; the heart does not follow the trend of greed and anger and turns into the best compassion; one cannot afford to do irrational things The mind is the best way to uphold the precepts; the cultivation of the mind is the best way to uphold the dakini." The great virtuous Master Jechopa also said: "The joy of not having a burden in the heart is incomparable, and the success of not doing meaningless things is incomparable. ”
In the Age of Dharma Ending, some practitioners are getting richer and richer, but their worries often increase because of their dissatisfaction. Turn wealth into Taoism, observe it as a dream or illusion without any real meaning, give up your attachment to it, and freely offer your leaked wealth to the Three Jewels and to all sentient beings, only then can you obtain the ultimate peace and happiness. Those who are not satisfied and do not know how to use their property correctly are bound by the iron shackles of greed. In the endless pursuit of wealth, the fool will feel a lot of pain, just like the continuous rain in autumn. Therefore, we should be restrained by the aphorisms of Geshe Zhongdunpa: "I seek liberation now, and there is no need to be bound by profit and respect."
Living beings wandering in samsara, desperately seeking wealth day and night,
Contentment Even if a scholar gains wealth, he is like a Bodhisattva who gives to others.
Giving all kinds of charity can help you achieve salvation. If anger or anger arises, it will increase your peace of mind.
People can also rejoice with their fullness. Therefore, giving is the foundation of Dharma practice.
Sentient beings who have been wandering around in samsara since time immemorial are risking their lives day and night in pursuit of money. Although people who are content and have few desires receive money, they give it to others like a Bodhisattva. After giving away all your belongings to fulfill the merits of giving, if others become angry towards you, it will actually make you more tolerant. When the recipient feels satisfied, he will also feel happy. Therefore, extensive practice of giving is the foundation of all practice.
"All living beings" originally refers to all sentient beings circulating in the six paths, and here we mainly talk about human beings. Because asking for money and giving alms are behaviors that wise humans do. "Man perishes for wealth, and birds perish for food." People in the world who are busy in the rolling world have described this vividly. Go to the bustling market and see the vendors who get up early and do business in the dark; go to the countryside to see the hard-working farmers; go to the factory to see the workers who are concentrating on operating the machines. You should know that most of this diligence and hard work is for accumulation. Some possessions to make life more comfortable. They are so diligent in seeking wealth, but if there is no blessing from the previous life to pave the way, they can only get nothing from their efforts.
Understanding this principle, those who have worked but did not gain wealth will no longer complain and complain. For example, a farmer who has not sown in the spring, even if he works hard in the fields every day, will still not get the fruits he wants in the autumn. Can he blame God for being unfair? Not only humans, but also ants are constantly running for money and food. Like birds flying hurriedly in the sky, mice looking around in the dark risking their lives... If a person does no good deeds except asking for money and wastes his life in ignorance, what is the difference between this and animals? Having attained the human body but not practicing the Dharma, and not doing anything that is ultimately beneficial to sentient beings and yourself, is really like a person who goes to Baozhou and returns empty-handed, which is really sad.
Wise men and virtuous monks who are content with few desires have no desire for wealth, but due to their profound merits and conditions, they often get wealth without asking for it. After getting property, they will give it to all sentient beings like the Bodhisattva on the ground. Their giving is very wide, including internal and external objects, the nectar of the righteous Dharma, and good roots and merits. According to this good deed, the donation will be completed and you will be worthy of the name of the Bodhisattva on the ground. Some modern people mistakenly hold the concept that only when you have property can you give, and poor people will never have the opportunity to give. Who knows that giving is not entirely based on wealth, but whether you have a heart of generosity is crucial.
Some people are unclear about the boundaries of perfect generosity, thinking that perfection must be lifted from the poverty of all sentient beings. Shantideva Bodhisattva said: "If we eliminate the poverty of all sentient beings and then become a charity, we still see those who are hungry today. How could the Buddha say that in the past?" He also said: "The heart is happy for all living beings, and generates wealth and merit. According to this, charity is perfect, so charity Only by relying on the heart." Therefore, the perfection of giving means that the heart can give up everything, rather than being established in the external environment - the so-called elimination of the poverty of all sentient beings can be considered as the perfection of giving.
Because the abilities of all sentient beings vary widely, when giving, some recipients are not only dissatisfied, but will instead feel resentful or jealous, causing them to create difficulties in every possible way. When the Buddha was performing alms to save the world, he often encountered suspicion and frame-up from evil people. A long time ago, Devadatta was the emperor of heaven. Because he couldn't bear the great merits of the Bodhisattva's deeds, he tried his best to devise sinister strategies. He changed many times, first begging for money, and then begging for the country. After the Bodhisattva lost his country, he begged for the carriage twice, and then shamelessly forced the Bodhisattva to pay debts, putting the Bodhisattva in trouble. Finally, he resorted to stealing, killing, and blaming others to put the Bodhisattva to death. However, in the end, the retribution of the evildoers becomes clear and heaven and earth rejoice. The Bodhisattva observes with his supernatural power and clearly knows that the Emperor of Heaven has done evil but shows mercy and refuses to retaliate, which is awe-inspiring. Such a Bodhisattva, while perfecting his charity, also accumulates and increases the merit of patience.
Another kind of person will feel satisfied after receiving a favor, because a satisfied and happy mood can easily arouse kindness, and he will be full of gratitude to the benefactor and pray for him. The merits and blessings of this kind thought are also incredible. For this reason, the Bodhisattva will rejoice in this kind thought and take the joy of the recipient as his own happiness. In this way, with a rejoicing mind, the Bodhisattva can easily increase his good deeds and merits despite his lack of diligence. The "Collection Sutra" says: "Three thousand Sumeru can be weighed, but the roots of good deeds cannot be measured." Therefore, the Buddha said that giving is the foundation of practicing all Buddhist Dharma, and it is also the most convenient and wonderful way to achieve great merit. And it is also the first cause of the Bodhisattva's six salvations and ten thousand actions, and ultimately becomes a Buddha. Therefore, those who rely on alms will not only avoid falling into the lower realms, but will also be able to obtain the temporary happiness of the good realms and even the supreme happiness of ultimate liberation from reincarnation.