If we understand the true nature of money,
can we keep ourselves honest in a world dominated by money?

Most people would like to have fewer wrinkles on their faces and more money in the bank. We frequently worry about gain or loss. This preoccupation even governs the way we bless others. During the Chinese Lunar New Year festival, many stores display shiny golden decorations on their counters. When people meet, they exchange the greeting, "May you earn a great fortune, and may money flow to you like water." This shows how people dream of getting rich.

An old saying goes, "Money is something material; we didn't bring it into the world when we were born and we can't take it with us when we die." Whatever form money has taken--shells, cattle, paper, checks, gold, bonds, or credit cards--the value it represents to people has not changed. In the eyes of most people, money symbolizes security, happiness, prestige and power.

Our fairy tales tell us that wealth can change people's lives. When he suddenly becomes rich, a very poor man wins the heart of a beautiful woman, a beggar turns into a prince, an ignorant person suddenly gains power, a lowly person receives respect from others. As an old Chinese proverb says, "With money, one can make even ghosts push a grindstone." There are also many English expressions, such as "Money makes the world go round" and "Money talks."

However, the pursuit of money may actually lead to the loss of friends and allies, community, direction, and even health. Those who overestimate the power of money dream that once they become rich, they will become happier and more successful and that they will have a harmonious family life. The fact is that money can make them nobodies.

Money can affect people's emotions, happiness, affection, success, sense of security, value judgements, and spiritual life. No wonder people cherish money so much! However, some might argue that since money has so much influence over people's lives, people should care more about it, especially the power it may bring.

What Is Money?

Perhaps a woman wants to use a pay phone, but she discovers that her pockets are empty and there is nobody around to borrow from. Although all she needs is a small coin, she can do nothing but give up the idea of making the phone call. Thus you can see what one little coin can do. Or perhaps a man is leisurely sitting in a restaurant, looking out on a beautiful landscape. He tips a waiter who has done a good job of serving him. The money is small, but it makes the waiter feel good. From these examples, one can see that the value of money does not lie in the amount one has, but in the use one makes of it.

Master Hsin Yung once told a story. A man who owned a lot of gold ingots hid them all underground. Once in a while, he would take them out to look at them and he would feel very happy. Those ingots lay hidden and unused for thirty years.

One day the ingots were stolen. The man cried and cried, feeling that it was useless to go on living. One of his neighbors knew that he had never used the ingots. "Since you never used them," he said, "I can take some bricks, wrap them up with paper and hide them in the same place. When you go to see them, just pretend that they are gold and you can still be happy." In this story, Master Hsin Yung was trying to teach us that our money is not really ours unless we use it. A miser is not good at managing money.

Some people treat money as a tool with which they can gain possession of things. The more money they have, the more things they can own. Some people suspect that others only approach them in order to get money from them. Because of this, they lose the chance to build trust and friendship with others. Thus money becomes a brick wall that prevents them from building social relationships.

It is not a sin to have money. It is only when people have a lot of money and yet are still greedy for more that it brings problems. How important is money after all? "Generous rewards rouse one to heroism." Some people regard money as more important than life. Others think of it as floating clouds and have no interest at all in obtaining it. "One banquet of a rich man is a half year's food for a poor family." Although some wealthy people may squander money like dust, other people consider themselves rich if they have a full stomach.

There is no standard definition of wealth. Some people think that if they have enough to buy whatever they want, then they are rich. There is no connection between the importance of money and the need for money. It all depends on one's thinking. Avarice is what makes money scarce.

Hell is a place where there is only deprivation. Therefore, people there are very poor. If a person only knows how to take by deceit and by force, he is also living in hell.

A Million Dollars

"If I had a million dollars..." Many people have thought about what they would do. Many of the possibilities would involve improving their image and social status. Once in a lottery game on TV, a girl won NT$1,000,000 [about US$30,000]. She was so excited that she shouted to her friends in the audience, "I'll treat you all to a good meal." She showed her generosity by sharing her good luck with them.

If they got a million dollars, many people would be willing to spend the money on others. Some would donate part of the money to charity. Some people say that donating money to charity organizations makes them realize a profit: they gain satisfaction.

A person who donates money that he gained unexpectedly has a different mindset from a person who shares money that he worked hard to earn. But both kinds of people gain from giving. That is spiritual satisfaction and happiness.

Whether a person's donation is made spontaneously or with a true heart, the giving should be affirmed. Unexpectedly gaining a million dollars doesn't guarantee that one will gain happiness unless that money is used to do good deeds.

The Concept of Wealth in Buddhism

Buddhism teaches people to use money to do kind deeds. "Wealth is like running water and giving is like digging a well; the deeper you dig, the more water you will get." A Buddhist sutra says that wealth is shared by five things: water, fire, thieves, tyrants and depraved descendants.

Master Sheng Yen says that your wealth is not really yours unless you use it properly. He teaches that the money people make should not only be for their own enjoyment and satisfaction, but should be distributed properly. He says, "People should store their wealth in society and their blessings in all people. That is the most reliable way to save money."

Master Cheng Yen emphasizes that giving means to hand out openly and blindly. The Buddha taught, "Those who come to me will never be poor; those who leave me will never be rich." Those who create good fortune for others will receive the same themselves. People who are fond of giving are the richest in spirit.

As to the proper distribution of income, Master Yin Shun made the following suggestions based on Buddhist concepts: one quarter for living expenses including children's education, one quarter for savings, one quarter for doing business, and one quarter for charity. He believes that we should not spend all our money on ourselves in this life only. We should also spend money for social welfare and for the next life. Spending money on the Three Treasures (Buddha, dharma and sangha) is both altruistic and self-beneficial.

A Buddhist sutra says, "One part for one's own provisions, two parts for business, and the balance to comfort the poor." Based on this, Master Hsin Yung expounds further: "Out of your total wealth, forty percent should be used for business, thirty percent for provisions, twenty percent for savings, and ten percent for doing good deeds." In addition, he points out that the wealth acknowledged by Buddhism includes the health of the body, the quality of life, the brightness of the future, the peacefulness of one's dependents, the legal property and the energy of the heart. Therefore, one can appreciate the value of wealth from many different aspects.

One entrepreneur says that many people are busy making money and doing everything they can to increase the figures in their savings accounts, but if they do so at the expense of their health, the figures mean nothing. Money is actually just a small part of wealth.

True Wealth

It is appropriate for one to work hard with one's intellect to make a lot of money. But one must remember to share generously with others and then walk away calmly. That is the real joy of life. Benjamin Franklin thought that money should be earned appropriately and that alms should be given willingly.

Tzu Chi members are good examples of this. Sister Ching Chieh, a Tzu Chi commissioner, is quite rich. To her, being rich does not mean locking money in the safe. It means being rich with love. "When you donate money to do kind deeds, your loving heart is more valuable than the money."

At one Tzu Chi tea party, Kao Ming-shan, an honorary board director, said, "I am very grateful to the guy who ran off with my money. If he hadn't taken my money, I wouldn't know the happiness of making donations." From that experience, he realized how quickly money could come and go, and he chose to donate money to the poor as the most reliable way to "save" money.

There is a poor woman who receives regular aid from Tzu Chi. One day when she received the relief money, she heard that Tzu Chi was planning an international disaster relief operation. She immediately donated NT$1,000 [US$30]. From being a receiver, she became a giver.

Another example is Liu Pei-ling, who was stricken by polio as a child and had to use a wheelchair. She sold chewing gum every day, rain or shine. From 1992 to 1995, she donated NT$150,000, which was enough to buy ten beds for the Tzu Chi Hospital. Although she was disabled, her willingness to give was very strong.

Master Cheng Yen frequently encourages people to be contented and grateful. That means to live with the sense of being wealthy. By doing this, the rich won't feel spiritually poor because of their wealth and ordinary people won't be enslaved by their desire for more money.