MATERIAL SUCCESS AND CH'AN | Zen Wisdom

QUESTION:
Are material success and benefits a detriment to practice, or can they be of help?
SHIH-FU:
Whether one has material wealth is not the issue. What is important is the attitude one has towards it, and how one handles it. The Bible says that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven. In Buddhist sutras there are no such sayings. On the contrary, there are numerous examples of wealthy and powerful people who were excellent practitioners. Also, in Sakyamuni’s time, wealthy people played an important role in supporting the Buddha. Some wealthy people, men and women alike, were both Dharma protectors and good practitioners. In fact, a few attained the third fruition of the Hinayana path. The reason they did not attain the fourth fruition is because they did not leave home. But they did have the proper attitude toward material wealth.

It is important to have the proper understanding of material success. From a Buddhist point of view, you can say that everything in the world belongs to you, and at the same time nothing belongs to you. Even though some things being to you in a conventional sense, you should realize that it is only a consequence of your karma. You are simply in charge of these possessions for the time being, and you have an obligation to handle them well. On a grand scale, one can say that the entire Earth is a possession of all sentient beings. But it is not ours to keep and abuse. It is ours to care for, to honor, and to pass on to future generations.

With the proper attitude, wealthy people are in a good position to help the Dharma. They can make beneficial use of their possessions. Sakyamuni Buddha stayed in the homes of several wealthy people, including kings; and he was a member of royalty himself.

If you are rich and accept the idea that wealth belongs to all sentient beings, perhaps you will think, “I’ll give all my money away to whomever is around and needs it.” That is not the correct thing to do, since this may be wasteful. Wisdom is necessary. Wise people will know how to best use their wealth. Others will not know. People with wisdom and wealth handle their possessions in a planned manner and follow prescribed principles. This also applies to monasteries. Although many monks and nuns may reside in a monastery, an abbot does not feel that he must provide for them. Monks and nuns bring material things as well as skills with them when they enter the monastery. Such possessions are, in reality, each person’s karmic merit. The abbot, however, does not encourage monks and nuns to take or use anything they wish. Even though their possessions are the consequences of their personal karma, these people may not know how to make proper use of them. They may squander what they have. It takes a wise person to properly handle wealth.

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