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Does Money Make You Happy?
Tosh
Veteran
It's an old discussion, but one I'm interested in. What's the Buddhist attitude to money as a means of happiness?
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Comments
I think if I had some it would make me happy because I would use it for others. If I only used it on myself, wouldn't that be selfish?
I know this is a Buddhist forum but wanted to offer different perspective with my belief and see how they are in line with Buddhism
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2019628,00.html#ixzz1kzUfPZzU
My view of that article says that meeting our needs for security is an important part of happiness. Beyond that material things has little impact.
Though all feeling ultimatly originates in the mind, so even if one is poor a wholesome mental attitude can trump difficult circumstances.
I'd like more money please.
so yes and no.
What have I learned? Uh... I can find discontent anywhere? The pursuit of money can have negative consequences? *shrugs* I suppose I haven't spent enough time thinking about it because I don't want to. For right now, I'm just going to keep on keepin' on until the big changes I foresee in the future happen.
I am about 'growed-out'
Was this one of the causes that prince Siddhartha left the palace? He wasn't happy with all the luxury he had.
Blessings.
I just could not live without love.
Money doesn't necessarily buy happiness, but being poor makes you far unhappier than being rich. And I've been both.
I'm very poor now; the poorest I've ever been. I'm relatively happy, all things considered, but the lack of money is a constant source of major stress in my life.
I don't need to be "rich".. I think if I had enough money to pay all my bills, afford my hobbies, send my kids to college, and (most importantly) have health insurance, I'd be happy.
Blame it on themoon? Is it hot in here, or is it just bitch?
Sorry dude.
Can you get a grant and financial aid to go to school, ZG? This is not a good way to live.
But having to make money makes me very sad.
Spiny
I smiled and replied -
"Very clever. Now write it with the correct quotation:
The LOVE of money is the root of all evil."
That popped his balloon.... He was really pee'ed off, because he was going to post it on FB....
With you on this one.....
It is the mind of giving that brings about the rewards of money and riches in all dimensions of life. All present rewards or lack of rewards are a reflection of our past deeds. Thus if you have something at least give some of it away. Reinvest in your karma.
Thus money in essence can become the vehicle for an authentic spiritual practice. It can also bring about the conditions for happiness to grow. Because all happiness is subjective. What conditions we make are what we make for happiness to arise. Like everything else it is a means to happiness and not an end in itself.
To have aversion to paper is stupidity. To have aversion to greed is wisdom.
Thinking for oneself — the way of evil ghosts.
“If I keep this, what will be left to give?”
Concern for others is the way to heaven.
-Shantideva in “The Way of the Bodhisattva”
Money can buy what we desire and get rid of what we dislike, or so we think. When we lack the means of getting what we want, with or without money, we suffer.
Even if we get what we want, we still suffer trying to protect what we have!
This poor guy has no imagination. Each of those TV's could have paid for a needy student's college textbooks for a year or two. Gathered all together, the price of all his unnecessary luxuries could have been used to set up a small charitable foundation to help the needy with medical costs, provide a few college scholarships, or whatever. He would have gotten much more joy from helping others than from buying things he didn't need. It's so sad--there's so much need in the world, and yet the people with the means to address it are just frittering away their money, and remain unhappy themselves, wondering why life gives them no satisfaction. That's pitiful.
I am very careful on the distinction in the quote, the love aspect is important. i see many things every day that Ithink I may want, however I recall when I had money I often did not spend it on these things. I am comfortable with what I did spend money on (okay everything but the extra mortgage payments that i lost). Much of it was part of how I have gotten so far on a low income. the $500 on a couch would have been wasted since the $300 has been great after all. I always made sure that some of my money went away freely as well. The years that I had a nice income from my ex, worked one job and went to school, were very nice. I just paid the bills! i never take that for granted.
In buddhism it not the 'stuff' as much as the attachment to the stuff. I appreciate every day the things that make my life easier, especially passing countless people without homes every week. However I know i would figure it out if I didn't have these things.