Wealth for Well-being
There are three types of wealth:
- Causal wealth: you have received a lot and/or great talent and experience few limitations
- Subtle wealth: you have developed a large intuitive feeling and intelligent thinking ability
- Physical wealth: you possess a healthy body and have acquired much ‘valuable’ material
Those who wish to develop internally will use these riches for this purpose.
In unconsciousness, wealth is often used for things that increase unconsciousness, and thereby also the possibility of / chance of experiencing suffering.
In the Bhaja Govindam 6 (Shankara, 8th century), it is written:
“Remember that wealth brings pain and misery. There is no joy to be found in wealth. The wealthy even have to fear for their own son. This is the case everywhere.”
In the Bible (Matthew 19:24) it says:
“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God.”
I experience these texts as untrue. Only in unconsciousness will this apply, if there is no self-recollection, if we do not know To Whom that wealth belongs. Then any form of wealth on a physical or mental/spiritual level, or on a causal level of our talents and nature, will contribute little to the well-being of ourselves and others and may even harm it.
The transformation from coarse to fine applies here, for every person focusing on inner development, the transformation from unconscious to conscious. A transformation of all our forms of wealth that we deploy for this purpose without restraint, not just that of physical wealth.
So, we must use these riches consciously, with wisdom and insight, for our own development, thus elevating ourselves (and humanity as a whole) to a higher level. In this way, no form of wealth brings pain and misery! So as it is presented in these texts – referring to physical wealth and/or mental burden – it only applies when we are deep in sleep, identified with all the things that limit us, and thus live from the ego. Read more about the true meaning of the Our Father, the prayer that Jesus gave his disciples at the Last Supper.
From wealth, we have a lot to give, and nothing brings more happiness (sets more happiness free) than giving. There is immense joy to be found in sharing any form of wealth! And true selfless joy is a characteristic of the Kingdom of God.
Generosity
Dānam – दानम्
When we talk about ‘sharing wealth’ with others (in the world around us, because we are no longer of the world), generosity is important. Not just generosity in terms of physical items or money, but in every area. Generosity is the self-evident balancing of imbalance, whether physical or subtle.
If someone asks us something due to a certain ‘shortage’, or if we notice this shortage ourselves, we can respond appropriately immediately. Whether it’s a request for attention (subtle) or a request for money or other things (physical), it doesn’t matter. Our clear discernment (buddhi) shows how this can be answered appropriately, determining the exact measure of dānam that applies to the person in front of us. The response will not be the same for every person, as not everyone is as ‘pure’ in their request or deficiency.
For our own inner development, it is important that we respond immediately, without restraint. Our willingness must truly come about without any interruptions of inner inhibitions in complete surrender to that moment. Only then is it pure and does it purify our spirit.
‘Let not your left hand know what your right hand does’ is written in the Bible (Matt. 6:3).
The ever-identifying selves (the left hand, the ego) will otherwise influence the act of doing good (the right hand, our essence) or claim its ‘merits’. The ego will restrain generosity or feign generosity for inner ‘applause’. Only when we realize that we get nothing in return for our generosity, in terms of merits or reciprocity, can we give ‘unconditionally’ love, in the form of attention, money, or material goods. Because it’s all about love. The rest is just its form.
It is not so simple, and we will notice this again and again when we find ourselves in such a situation. Notice how quickly we hold back internally. Observe how strong the tendency is to look away. The only time we can take is the time needed to assess the person in front of us. And then we let our generosity simply happen by following what comes up in us.
Afterward, it turns out to be reciprocal after all, because unselfish giving is, on a deeper level, receiving.
