How to use wealth and prosperity on the Path

 

(From "The Heart of Compassion"):

Though I may be famous and revered by many,
And as rich as the God of Wealth himself,
To see that the wealth and glory of the world are without essence,
And to be free of arrogance is the practice of a bodhisattva.

Diego Khyentse Rinpoche: A bodhisattva sees that wealth, beauty, influence, prosperity, family lineage - in fact, all the ordinary concerns of this life-are as fleeting as a flash of lightning, as ephemeral as a dewdrop, as hollow as a bubble, as evanescent as the skin of a snake. He is never conceited or proud, no matter what worldly achievements and privileges may come to him.

However much wealth you may gather, it will eventually be taken away, either by robbers, by people in power, or, finally, by death. If your descendants inherit it, there is no certainty that it will do them any real good; they are likely to use it to get the better of their enemies, influence their relatives, and so on, accumulating negative actions that will propel them to the lower realms of existence.

Jetsun Milarepa always taught his lay disciples that the best way for them to accomplish the Dharma was to be generous to those in need. Even a small act of generosity done with an altruistic mind accumulates great merit. If you have power and wealth, make it meaningful; use it for the sake of the Dharma and to benefit beings, as did the three great religious Kings of Tibet. 

To be miserly, on the other hand - whether you are rich or poor at present - is to sow the seeds of rebirth among the tortured spirits, who are deprived of everything.

Pray to be able to follow the example of the great bodhisattvas, who, because of their past generosity and accumulated merit, were born as powerful monarchs with fabulous wealth, used their riches to help the poor, and to alleviate famine and sickness. 

In addition to caring for the physical welfare of their people, they taught them to avoid the ten negative actions and to perform the ten positive ones. As a result of their compassionate activity, not a single being in their kingdoms would be reborn in the lower realms. Good harvests, prosperity, and general happiness abounded.

Think, "May the needs of all beings, even the smallest insect, be fulfilled." Use your wealth and possessions in the best possible way to help others. Whenever possible, try to provide others with their everyday needs of food, clothing, shelter, and so on. At the same time, make the wish to be able to fulfill their ultimate needs, by giving them the sublime gift of the Dharma