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Is Life’s Mystery in Money?
The basic problem with money seems obvious: It pulls the mind toward worldly things, it fills up one’s hours with business and commerce, it distorts the true values of spirit by replacing them with pleasure and possessions. To me, this doesn’t say that money is evil or non-spiritual. It says that money is a distraction, and sometimes so powerful a distraction that people fail to go beyond it. The failure here is to unite spiritual and material values, but I believe the way of peace shows us that this is not only desirable but totally necessary.
Money serves to bring pleasure, security, social position, and the ability to raise a family. Those are good values, and there is no reason to suppose that they displease a God who loves his creation. God is not either/or in my view. It isn’t that you either live for him or you don’t. The process of integrating material life, with all the good it has to offer, and spiritual life, with all the good it has to offer, is a lifelong challenge.
If you live as though money brings the only happiness, clearly something has gone wrong. You have neglected the entire world of spirit, with the implication that the surface of life is enough. We are here to discover who we are. We are here to transform our surroundings in keeping with who we really are.
Great spiritual teachers have said that we are ultimately here to transcend matter, to worship our maker, to appreciate the infinite creation and learn humility before it. All those things may emerge once we know who we really are. That is life’s central mystery, and money doesn’t come close to answering it.
Adapted from Peace is the Way, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2005).
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13 comments
add your comment »kim Im glad to know there people out there like you, almost forget !
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Ali, you ave expressed my thoughts to a tee. Money is another form of energy which needs to flow freely in order to work good.
What we give, we receive in return. The only lack in the Universe is that which we allow in our individual minds; there is only abundance if we are willing to look beyond ego and embrace the Divine as all that is.
A money blessing which I have found works within my life is:
Divine Love through me, blesses and multiplies all that I have, all that I give and all that I receive. There is no lack or limitation in the Mind of God, therefore there can be no lack or limitation in our own individual minds; there is only abundance!
Nameste m'friends! I pray you find the Peace within to overcome that which is not of the Universal Mind.
Be IN the world... NOT of it!
You know there really is still a chance for peace and that chance will definitely increase if we each do our piece. So let’s make peace -- in our homes, in our own hearts, in our relationships, in our communities, in all of our dealings and in the world. Peace be with us all.
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sarabjit thanks for positive energy !
wisdom is hard too come by !Isee you found it !
nick
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wendy
it would very hard to live off the land?
you can have anything you dream of!
if you do not break the 7 sins now there 8
look it up!
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I belive that greed will make you misable
you never be satified,but when your thankful
and realize it real worth cannot buy life
or cover up for happeness !or real love
or health you be happy what ever it is you got !
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Indeed this is a very delicate issue which plagues most of us and u have admirably strived to clarify this highly intriguing predicament. I always look forward to your wonderful insight into these sensitive issues which hinder our spiritual growth. Heartfelt thanks for the priceless wisdom which u impart to us in such an easy way. WAHEGURU TERA SHUKAR HAI JEE....
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"Money & greed", linking these two things together does not apply to everyone.
Money is a form of energy exchange.
Greed is born of fear and insecurity.
Some people link money with love. This is usually a good thing, except when it replaces love and especially at Christmas when some people go into debt to show how much they 'love'.
The middle path, money is a form of energy exchange.
Judging it to be good or bad depends on our choices.
It helps us on our path. If our path is true and full of joy, the way we use money will match that vibration.
Abundance and joy will radiate out into the world.
There is plenty of distraction out there, when we go shopping, we swim in a vat of advertising all designed to suck in the weak and depressed telling them they will feel better if they buy these things.
If you feel tempted, stick to your shopping list. Any impulse buys ought to be slept on over night before you buy them. Usually by the next day the spell is broken and you can live happily without what ever it was.
(I Read on Tree Hugger %80 of the stuff we own we never use.)
"The process of integrating material life, with all the good it has to offer, and spiritual life, with all the good it has to offer, is a lifelong challenge."
Thank you Deepak Chopra.
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Money & greed are our worst enemy. We need to look beyond and see the light. Get back to basics. Live off the land. I hope and long to see the simple things in life.
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Ask not what your country can do for you...
Actually, go ahead ask.
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Thank you Deepak.
One has to be concerned about money when one has a family to look after. Our buying power dwindels every day still our salaries do not increase to compensate.
In Germany when the D-Mark changed to the Euro, prices increased by 100% however salaries did not increase as much of course. It is a very real concern for some people.
I think the more I worry about money the more I squander it.....and when I do not worry about it...I seem to have enough strangely enough.
So just keeping a healthy cash flow is possibly all you can do. Worrying about not having enough might even invite shortage of money...i.e. the law of attraction.
So as a friend of mine said spend money to make room for more...that's what I do and when it is running low...I wait for some inflow or invite some inflow or eat porridge until my account looks healthy again.
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