What I want to tell you today is-"Buddhist view of wealth".

First, the Buddhist concept of wealth.

Speaking of wealth, it is what everyone wants and likes, but wealth is not necessarily the best thing for everyone. It is recorded in the Buddhist scriptures that:

One day, when the court judge went to court, a dog complained to the judge. The judge felt very strange-"Why did the dog complain?"

The dog said, "My Lord! I'm hungry because I walked outside for a long time. I walked to the door of a family and wanted to ask the family for some food. I also asked the man for food according to the dog etiquette rules. The man not only refused to give me food, but also hit me. "

Hearing this, the judge said, "Hey! The dog wants to eat. Are there any rules? Dog, what are the rules? "

The dog said, "We dogs have certain rules for begging. Our front legs can lie in the door, but our rear legs and tails must be outside the door, so we can't get in. " I beg according to the rules of such a dog. Why did they hit me? "

Hearing this, the judge said, "Catch that man, I want to ask about it."

The man who beat the dog confessed when questioned by the judge, so he was convicted.

The judge asked the dog, "How do you want to punish the person who hit you?"

The dog replied, "Please judge that he is a monopoly!" " "

The judge laughed: "You asked me to punish him for monopoly, didn't you get him a bargain?"

The dog said, "Report to the adults! I, a dog, used to be a monopolist in my life. Because I am heartless, stupid, greedy and fierce, I won't give up. So after I died, I fell into the road of animals, suffered all kinds of hardships, ate leftovers, watched the door for others and kicked people with sticks. It is very painful, so I ask the judge to punish him as a monopolist in the future. "

As we said just now, wealth is good and everyone likes it, but wealth is not good for some rich and heartless people. Throughout today's society, many people are "rich and poor", but a few people are "poor and rich". Since he is rich, why does he say he is poor?

The richest poor

There are many rich people who don't use money, spend it in bad places and even refuse to use it. So, although they are rich, aren't they just like the poor?

In the Buddhist scriptures, there is a good grower. One day, he got the rarest and most precious gold box made of sandalwood in the world. The elder announced to people, "I want to give this precious thing to the poorest people in the world."

Many poor people will come to him for this gold box, but when this comes, good growers say, "You are not the poorest person in the world!" " When the man came to ask for it, the good farmer said, "You are not the poorest man in the world! " "

Everyone is puzzled-"Do you really want to give this gold box to someone?"

The kind grower said, "I want to give this gold box to the poorest people in the world." Who is the poorest person? " I tell you, it is none other than our king, the king of Persia, who is the poorest man in the world. "

The news slowly spread to the king of Persia, who was very unhappy:

"Hum! I am the king of a country, how can I say that I am the poorest person in the world? Let's go Go and find a good grower! "

The king of Persia took the good farmer to the treasure house and said hello to the farmer:

"Do you know what this place is?" Good growers say, "This is the vault."

"What is that place?"

"That's a treasure house for collecting silver."

"What is that place?"

"That is a treasure house of pearls."

The king of Persia asked angrily, "If you know that I have so much treasure, why are you still spreading rumors that I am the poorest person in the world?"

You know, in the mind of a good grower, he thinks that although the king of Persia has money, he will not take care of the public or do some welfare undertakings. Isn't this the poorest man in the world?

(2) The poorest rich people

There are many "rich and poor" in the world, and there are also many "poor and rich" in the world. Like Socrates, an ancient philosopher, before he died, his disciples asked him, "Teacher! Do you have any last words? " Socrates suddenly remembered: "Ah! I still owe someone a chicken and haven't returned it to him. "

Look! Socrates, a great philosopher, had no right to return a chicken before he died, but was he really poor? For thousands of years, Socrates' wisdom still affects people in this world. So people like Socrates are not poor, but rich among the poor.

Master Hongyi in Buddhism, a towel, has been worn out for more than ten years. When his friend Xia Mianzun saw it, he couldn't bear it and said, "I'll buy you a new towel!" "

Master Hongyi replied, "No! This is still very useful! "

Like Master Hongyi, he is not poor. To tell the truth, his wealth-spiritual wealth-is incomparable with him.

For example, Yan Hui, a disciple of Confucius, said, "Living in a humble alley is just enough to eat and drink, and people will be worried if they can't bear it, and they will not change their fun when they return". Don't think he is poor, but he is really rich.

Like Da Ye Jia, a disciple of the Buddha, he can't live a rich life if he doesn't give up his solemn house and do all kinds of exercises in tombs and caves, as well as in mountains and rivers. Don't! His spiritual wealth no longer needs material hypocrisy.

(3) Causality and present fate

Sometimes, wealth is universal in use, but different in everything.

For example, you built this tall building, it's yours, not mine, but when it rains and it's windy, I take shelter from the wind, and I stand at the door of your eaves and use it. This is always possible.

Although these trees and flowers are planted by you, they are yours, not mine, but I smell them and look at them and think, "How green!" " "Although I don't own this flower, I can smell it and look at it.

The TV is yours. You're watching. I'm here. I'll go and have a look, too. It's not your own, but you can have a look.

Therefore, although a lot of wealth in the world belongs to others, we can also enjoy it together.

Of course, the crops planted by farmers provide food for everyone's life, but it doesn't matter if little sparrows eat them. Although he was not allowed to eat, he finally ate a little.

So in this world, everything is individual, but enjoyment can sometimes be linked. We don't have to have everything in the world, as long as we can enjoy it together, we will be very happy.

(4) using money and hiding money

In the past, there was a man who saved a lot of gold bricks. Because he saved a lot, he hid them underground at home. He hid them for more than 30 years, but he never used them. In these thirty years, although he has never used it, he is still happy to see it sometimes.

One day, these gold bricks were stolen, and he was very sad at that time. Someone next to him asked him, "You've been hiding these gold bricks there for decades. Have you ever used them? "

"no!"

The man said, "since you haven't used it, it doesn't matter." I'll get some bricks, wrap them in paper and hide them in the same place. You can always look at them and hide them there as gold bricks. Isn't that the same thing? " Why are you so sad? "

So, all the money in the world is not ours. According to the Buddhist scriptures, it is owned by five families, and when the money is used, it is our own. Being a miser is not a person who is good at dealing with money.

(5) Good luck and present fate

Some people see that some people in this world are rich and say, "Ah! Blessed are you! " Some people also think that they are blessed, but just blessing is unreliable. Blessing is important, but there must be a secular fate. The "fate" in this world is the most important thing.

No matter how much money you have in the bank, if you don't keep saving, you will run out one day. Therefore, as far as Buddhist scriptures are concerned, there is a good metaphor to illustrate the importance of secular destiny:

There was a man who felt very lucky, and his ancestors left him a lot of property, so he developed the habit of being lazy, and even had to let his wife feed him before he was willing to eat.

One day, my wife will go back to her mother's house for a week, but what if she thinks that her husband can't even eat?

After some consideration, she made a big rice cake around her husband's neck. I thought if you were hungry, you could eat with your mouth open. I'll be back in a week, so you probably won't starve to death!

This lady went back to her mother's house like this, but after a week, she came back and found that her husband had starved to death for a few days!

Why did her husband starve to death? Because this big rice cake was put around your neck and eaten in front of your mouth, you ate it all on the first day, and the rest in your mouth was too lazy to eat with your hands, so you starved to death.

Therefore, if there is a blessing, but the secular fate is not enough, we still can't enjoy this blessing.

Above, I talked about the Buddhist concept of wealth, and after making some metaphors, I will give you a detailed introduction to various Buddhist concepts of wealth.

Second, illegal wealth.

Wealth is allowed by Buddhism, and illegal wealth is not allowed by Buddhism.

What is illegal wealth? National laws recognize this kind of wealth, but Buddhism does not recognize it. Such as: casinos, restaurants, slaughterhouses, fishing and hunting. In the national law, these businesses are allowed to gather wealth and make a fortune, but it is impossible to stand on the basis of Buddhism's compassion for the world.

In addition, some wealth Buddhists think it is ok, but national laws think it is not. In the Song Dynasty, Zen master Yongming Yanshou used all the money in the national treasury to free him. Although it is ok to set him free, it is illegal to use the money from the state treasury well.

There are ten kinds of money to get rich illegally, and we can't take it.

(1) Stealing other things

For example, thieves, thieves, shoplifters, or things found are not returned to people. What the owner owns is taken for himself without the owner's consent, which is stealing other things. Although it has wealth, it is also illegal wealth.

(2) Illegal corruption

What is obtained through illegal corruption is illegal wealth. For example, there are many illegal means, such as smuggling, bribery, tax evasion and all kinds of illegal and corrupt income, which are illegal wealth.

(3) Denying debts

For example, economic crimes, vicious bankruptcy, leaving the bid opening meeting, writing cheques that are not cashed, and violating the negotiable instruments law, such debt denial, without credit, is illegal wealth.

(4) Swallowing and deposition

Everything and money that people have deposited with us have been confiscated. Not long ago, celebrities such as Xiao Mengneng and Li Ao went to court. Isn't it caused by swallowing the deposit?

There is an orphanage in Foguang Mountain. A father left his children in our care when he was old. He has real estate and bank deposits. He entrusted his friend to "give it to my child when he grew up", but after the child's father died, his friend swallowed all his property. When a child wants it when he is older, he refuses to give it back.

(5) defrauding money.

For example, if you make money by doing business in partnership with shareholders, you should distribute the profits equally, but some people take most of them for themselves and give only a small part to others. Just like the separation of brothers and sisters, the property of ancestors should be shared equally, but some people are selfish and just want to share more with themselves and less with other brothers and sisters.

(6) Possession for convenience

I like jobbery, misappropriate public funds for my own convenience, and take public things for myself; There are also false travel expenses, kickbacks from businessmen in procurement, and over-reporting of commissions, all of which are illegal wealth.

(seven) taking advantage of his position to make profits.

Wealth gained by one's own strength is illegal wealth. Like some bad civil servants, others come to handle affairs, deliberately make trouble, make things difficult for each other, bring inconvenience to people, and force him to give a red envelope before they are willing to do things well for him. This is to take advantage of the situation. There are many threats, extortion, extortion, etc. This is called taking advantage of the trend.

(8) illegal business operations.

It is illegal to manufacture tobacco and alcohol without permission, or sell morphine, instant health care, super glue, or run underground pharmaceutical factories.

(9) Fraud and speculation

I read a story about fraud and speculation in the newspaper; But when I say this, I don't mean people in a certain industry. If I say that there are people like this industry, please don't take it amiss, because there are good and bad people in every industry.

It is said that there is only a wall between heaven and hell. One day, a typhoon blew down this wall, and the Jade Emperor in heaven and Yan Luowang in hell were very anxious. If this wall falls down, people in heaven will run into hell, and people in hell will run into heaven and fall into chaos. What shall we do? So, the two sides studied it and soon elected some representatives to rebuild the wall.

As a result, heaven and hell were introduced to Theory of Three Represents respectively. The first representative is a banker, because you have to have financial resources to build this wall; The second representative is an architect, because building a wall is a project and must be built by engineering experts; Theory of Three Represents Theory is a lawyer, because after this wall is built, it is necessary to study the ownership of this wall. What is heaven and hell respectively?

Yan Luowang in hell issued Theory of Three Represents's theory a long time ago, but the Jade Emperor in heaven could not send a representative for a long time. Yan Luowang was angry and called the Jade Emperor: "If you don't send a representative, you will be responsible for the consequences of the chaos in heaven and hell in the future!"

The Jade Emperor was sorry and said, "It's not that I didn't send a representative. To tell the truth, I didn't find any of these three talents in heaven. Because bankers specialize in exploiting people's money, they don't fall from the sky; Architects cut corners, so many sins will not be born in heaven; Lawyers are specially designed to sow discord, lest the world be chaotic, so they will not be born in heaven. "

Of course, this is just a joke. There are many philanthropists among bankers, engineers, architects and lawyers. People in other industries, such as bankers, engineers and lawyers, can't say that they have no business activities, so some fraudulent activities and wealth in business operations are illegal wealth.

(10) Gambling and prostitution

Like casinos, dance halls and green light households, these are also illegal wealth.

Third, the method of getting rich by Buddhism

As I said just now, wealth is what everyone wants, but a gentleman loves money and takes it wisely. In Buddhism, I put forward six points to illustrate, the first three of which are common ways to make money in the world, and the last three are ways to make money in Buddhism.

(1) Diligence

"Gold goes with the flow, and it is necessary to catch it early." So wealth falls into the hands of hardworking people.

There is a story in China. After my grandmother died, she told her children that there was a lot of gold buried under our grape trellis. His children go to the bottom of the grape trellis to dig grapes every day. Although no gold was found, the grape trellis was covered with countless fruits.

(2) frugality

Thrift can gain wealth. Thrift doesn't mean that you are thrifty only in money, so you should cherish time. Time is wealth if you are thrifty. Don't abuse your feelings, be frugal, and frugality will lead to wealth; Be frugal in life, too. In short, the blessings of life are limited. No matter how much money you have in the bank, you will eventually run out and keep some for a rainy day.

(3) Generosity

Speaking generously will gain wealth, and being generous to others will gain a lot of convenience. Convenience is wealth. We are generous in making friends and treating people. The so-called goodness will lead to wealth. "Be lenient with others and be strict with yourself" is not only the way of being a Confucian in China, but also the way of making money in Buddhism.

(4) Confidence

Foguangshan is in China TV Company. Every Thursday night 10: 15, there is a program called Trust Gate. At the beginning, it said that "the door of confidence has endless treasures." If you have confidence, wealth is in your heart. Not only have faith in religion, but also have faith in career and morality. Even if you are wronged, you should not lose confidence in all charitable things.

(5) Affinity

Affinity is the best way to get rich. Let me say a few words to you, this is the affinity of language; Nod and smile with people, and nod and smile can also become attached to people; You don't know the way, I'll take you there and marry you; When I am in trouble, I come to help you. I am married.

In this world, you have to be predestined to survive. Because he has many connections, there are many people who can handle affairs conveniently. Buddhism, the main and fundamental Buddhism, the existence of everything in the universe is the existence of karma. It is very important for us to get rich and survive.

(6) alms

Or you may think, if you give it to others, how can you become rich? In fact, you know, giving is like sowing. No pains, no gains? Buddhism tells us that we do merits just like farming. This Futian is called Sad Field and Jing Tian Field.

Helping the poor with compassion is called "compassion for the field", and one is loyalty and filial piety to elders, teachers, parents and the country, called "respect for the field". Sowing in the field of respect and sympathy will yield results.

Buddhism also talks about "seven sacred treasures", namely: faith, diligence, observance, dharma, joy, wisdom and shame. This is the wealth of saints.

Fourth, how to deal with wealth.

We have money, but we haven't fully achieved our goal. How to deal with our wealth is still the main topic.

If you have a monthly income of 10,000 yuan, what do you do with your wealth? There is a poem in Za Agama that says: "One is for personal use, the other is for business, and the third is for keeping secrets to help the poor."

I will extend this truth to explain how to deal with ten points of wealth. Yes:

Four tenths-business.

Three tenths-family life

You should need two-tenths of savings.

One-tenth-do good.

He told us the way to deal with wealth in "Da Bao Ji Jing". Take the king of Persia as an example. His wealth is no longer calculated for life. His way of dealing with it is to divide it into three parts:

One-third-to support religion

One third-for poverty alleviation

One-third-treat the country as a resource

In the Nirvana Sutra, the way to deal with wealth is to say that besides the needs of life, there are four points:

A quarter support their parents and wives.

A quarter subsidizes servants' subordinates.

A quarter to relatives and friends.

A quarter of the countries that serve the Samoans.

However, how to manage your wealth, just a few points, limited by time, I will provide you with reference. But all of you, for your own wealth, always have a way to deal with it!

Verb (abbreviation for verb) Buddhist recognized wealth

As I said before, some wealth is recognized by Buddhism and some wealth is not recognized by Buddhism. What is the wealth recognized by Buddhism? Wealth recognized by Buddhism:

(a) is the health of the body.

A healthy body is our wealth. Dream Window Buddhist said: "contentment is the first wealth, illness is the first expensive, good friends are the first relatives, and nirvana is the first joy." As the saying goes, "if you stay in the green hills, you are not afraid of burning without firewood." Therefore, a healthy body is a recognized wealth of Buddhism.

(b) It is the best life.

Rich, troubled and unhappy life is not really rich, even if it is not rich or expensive, if you live a satisfactory life, it is also a very meaningful life. Then how can life be satisfying? Gratitude and contentment are the best recipes, so dreaming of Buddhism says that contentment is the first wealth.

(3) It is a smooth future.

Life, struggling in the rough fate, is certainly a meaningful and powerful life, but in the end, if the future goes well, life can do more meaningful things. If you want a smooth future, you must pay attention to a good career and good interpersonal relationships. A person can have good cause and effect, and a smooth future is naturally the greatest wealth.

(4) it is the peace of the family.

It is difficult to compare with rich and peaceful people, so we advocate holding a safe lantern festival in Foguang Mountain every Spring Festival, which is beautiful and lively, showing that everyone likes peace.

(5) It is legal tender.

Buddhism does not completely deny money. Gold is a poisonous snake, and it is also the food for practicing Buddhism and benefiting students. The so-called gentleman loves money and takes it properly. As long as legal money can be used as a welfare person, it can be said that the more the better. We Buddhists should praise legitimate wealth and not have the idea of excluding wealth, because the more rich believers, the more powerful they are to protect the law; Buddhism can only be revived if it has money.

(6) It is internal energy.

Buddhism believes that the best and most practical wealth is the energy in the heart. Generally speaking, underground oil and coal are energy, seabed oil and mineral deposits are also energy, and solar energy in the void is also energy. In fact, the real source of treasure is the energy in our hearts.

Like Master Hongyi, who is so poor in material things, he doesn't feel bitter, and like Ye Jia, who has been practicing hard, he doesn't feel less. There are many ascetic monks and practitioners in Buddhism at all times and in all countries. They have nothing, but they still don't think they are poor, because they enjoy the wealth of energy in their hearts!

These six points are all wealth recognized by Buddhism.

Sixth, the ultimate wealth of Buddhism.

Finally, I would like to introduce to you the highest wealth in our Buddhism-Prajna!

No matter how much money you have, you will spend it all one day. As China said, "It is better to have a skill with you." Learning a skill is better than having any wealth. If you have universal wisdom, it is better than money and skills.

There is a saying in the Diamond Sutra: "If someone gets four sentences, his merits are better than the seven treasures in the world." This is that although there are many treasures, they are always limited; Although there are few methods, they have endless functions. Four sentences are four sentences of Buddhism, which are more effective than three thousand seven treasures. What is the reason?

It is said that there is a man doing business outside. Because the year is approaching, he is anxious to go home for the New Year. Before going home, he suddenly thought of bringing something home for his wife. He walked and watched on the street. There are things at home, and there are things at home. Suddenly, he saw an old man sitting there with a sign next to him that said "sell songs".

"Ah! What is selling songs? "

The old monk replied, "You want to buy a poem from me. It turns out that one of my poems is 220 taels of gold. I'll sell it to you at 50% for your destiny takes a hand's sake. A poem is 120 gold. "

"oh! What is the melody? Worth twelve taels of gold? How expensive! Ok, I'll buy a poem from you! "

The old monk said a few words:

Think three steps forward,

Take three steps back and think about it.

Think about it when you are angry,

It is most auspicious to put out your anger.

"Remember: if you get angry in the future, take out my poem and read it."

"Are these four sentences worth 12 ounces of gold? Worthless! Worthless! Old monk! You are so deceitful! "

The old monk smiled, and the businessman thought the other person was an old monk, so he ignored him.

He just went home. It was already late at night when he got home. The door was unlocked and he pushed it open. I want to call my wife, but she is asleep, but why are there two pairs of shoes under the bed? A pair of women and a pair of men.

He thought, "You shameless bitch, you did such a bad thing while I was away." In a rage, he immediately went to the kitchen and took a kitchen knife, trying to kill the adulterer and adulterer.

Just as he raised his knife to kill, he suddenly remembered the melody that the old monk sold him, so he began to read the melody:

Three steps forward.-Think about it,

Take three steps back and think about it,

When you're angry-think about it,

Calm your anger-the most auspicious.

He went in and out there, back and forth, and whenever there was a noise, he woke his wife up.

When the wife woke up, she saw her husband standing in front of the bed and said, "Alas! Why is it so late? "

The husband said angrily, "Who else is in your bed?"

"no!"

"These shoes?" The husband pointed to the shoes and asked.

"alas! You haven't come back for the Spring Festival today. I miss you so much that I have to put your shoes in front of the bed for a happy reunion! "

Hearing this, the husband said loudly, "It's valuable! Valuable! Even gold is worth 120, 1200 and 12000! "

Therefore, "wisdom" can make you calm down and deal with things, not impulsive and not making mistakes.

How can the universal wisdom of Buddhism be wealth?

Because this "Prajna" is priceless, it belongs to everyone, and everyone has it. Prajna is an eternal truth and an infinite self. It can be said that to realize the Prajna is to have unlimited possession.

What is Prajna? Prajna can be solved by "emptiness". Simply put, nothingness contains everything. If it is not empty, it is nothing. Because of emptiness, there can be prajna, just as nothingness has everything.

Prajna is nothing. In fact, this kind of "Prajna wealth" is in our hearts, because this kind of Prajna can give us proof of truth, knowledge and understanding, let us know our true self, and let us gain eternal life. If we have Prajna, it means we have light. Isn't everything we see in broad daylight ours?

As the poem says, "there are plum blossoms in front of the window, and there is a bright moon before the month." You dress and eat, you have a career and you have wealth. Once you have Prajna, your clothes, food, career and wealth will be different. Prajna is our true nature and our true nature. I remember a popular song: "Roses are everywhere." I will modify it as follows:

Flowers bloom everywhere;

There was a lot of people on every side.

Prajna Prajna is everywhere;

Life is everywhere;

If you want to be rich,

Everyone has come to worship Buddha.