13 Aug 2008 Schwabmunchen, Germany
Category: Money
Once on a sunny summer’s day my friend Michael was sitting in Hamburg in the sun outside a café together with his family. A beggar came and asked him for money. Michael took out his wallet which was full of cash money. I know he is generous and has a good sense of humour which lets him enjoy each moment of life. So when this beggar asked him, he gave him his wallet and said: “Okay, take what you want.” The beggar was very surprised and looked at him. He took the wallet, took out fifty Euros and gave it back. He said: “That is what I need now.” Of course he was very happy and Michael told him to enjoy it.
I have told this story often and to many people. I like this generosity and a big heart. It doesn’t mean that he has money to throw away or that he is a very rich man. This is not what I want to tell. I like the attitude. I know people who have much more money but do not have this generosity and the wish to do something good with their money. A millionaire does not necessarily enjoy his money. I say that money has to be moving, going from here to there, only like this it is fun.
Sometimes I meet people who have a completely different and strange attitude towards money. Somehow they love money and collect it but do not enjoy it. You should enjoy your love. These people don’t have fun with their money and I do not see for what they collect it because nobody can take money with them when they go from this world. Earning money is an art. Saving money is a bigger art. Spending money is the biggest art. You cannot enjoy money until you spend it. I feel sorry for these people who cannot be happy themselves and cannot make others happy. You have to let this energy move. When money is in your bank account or in your pocket, it is not moving and you cannot enjoy its energy.
In my thinking I do not see that money makes people rich or poor. Someone who has 1000 Dollars seems rich to someone who only has 100 Dollars whereas he seems poor to a millionaire. Numbers don’t make you rich. I have seen millionaires whom I consider poor and I have seen people who don’t have money but who, to me, are very rich people because of their big heart and generosity. One of our child sponsors earns her money with cleaning other people’s houses and gives donation for three children. I see her as very rich. Your attitude, the way you feel, the way you think. That makes you rich.
Tags:: Happiness, Money, Attitude, Generosity, Perception, Rich
5 Comments
Posted By Swami Balendu
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Money doesn't make you rich. I know a lot of people who are always busy with making economies even if they have enough money and don't really have to care about their financial situation. Being rich, means to be able to enjoy, whatever you have and also to be able to share.
Reply By Mirela on August 20, 2012 03:56
I really like that statement-- spending money is the biggest art. It definitely is. How we spend our money identifies how we feel about money as well as ourselves-- and what we buy for ourselves. I used to be in the habit of buying myself cheaper things in order to save money. I thought, well I don't mind if it is cheap and lower quality, I'd rather save the money and buy something nice for someone else. But then I realized, I don't love and enjoy the cheap things I buy for myself! I feel mediocre about them because they don't have as much value to me and are likely to deteriorate faster because of their low quality. So I decided that it's worth it to buy quality things for myself that I adore and love... that's what money is for!!
Reply By Emily on October 19, 2011 01:50
Money does such funny things to people. I think if everyone was more open with it then less people would be in want.
Reply By Kilua on November 01, 2010 06:19
Today was the last day of the school year 11/12. The children got their report cards, the olde...
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If you don’t receive what you wished for, accept that it is God’s wish for you not to have it. He does what is best for you.
SourceHow can all those Swamis and Gurus give liberation of attachment to material when they themselves are so attached to gold and money?
SourceDon't take everyone else's responsibility on your own shoulders! You cannot take it for long, your shoulders are not made for that! Be happy, that will help others and yourself!
SourceYou are the best expert for your children!
SourceIs spirituality something that you can learn, like mathematics or commerce? Don’t you think that being in love and living with honesty is true spirituality?
SourceTurn your desire into love, on the path of devotion. Surrender yourself and you will see how desires get less. In this way desire is transformed and purified.
SourceYou don't have to sit down with crossed legs, close your eyes and breathe deeply in order to meditate. Meditation means to be completely present, to be fully aware of what you are doing in that very moment without your thoughts racing around in past or future.
SourceYou are special because of who you are - not because of what you do!
SourceYoga is only yoga. Without any tradition’s name in front or behind. People have to understand the essence, the real meaning of yoga which is not any specific style and not only physical exercise.
SourceGod lives in the heart and can come wherever you want. Temples and religious buildings are the centers of the business of religion where they see religious people as cows and milk them for money and donations, even by selling tickets. The more money you have, the quicker you can see God and the more blessings you get.
SourceI do not like rules. I said many times that we are always living in rules but we should make it a rule to break one rule daily. But that should be your decision and not controlled by anyone else.
SourceDon’t seek God in religious icons or figures. God is love and lives in our heart. If you, in a prayer or mantra, mention the name Jesus, Ram or also Hanuman, it doesn’t mean that you specify a religion you are praying to. You have God in your heart, no matter which name you say with your tongue.
SourcePeople who blame western culture and women’s clothing for sex crimes in India should take off their shirts and pants, too, because that dress also comes from western culture.
SourceScriptures were written by normal men. It was their experience but your experience can be very different. With time everything changes. If your experience is different than from what the Bible or the Gita tells you, why don’t you believe in yourself? Why don’t you trust your experience?
SourceDiscipline is very important in our nutrition. Eat when you are hungry. Hunger can be in the eyes and in the mind, too, not only in your belly. Learn to distinguish that.
SourceReligion often has the effect of poison: it kills people, it separates them, it creates hate among them. Human is made by god and religion is made by man. God did not create people with different religions, he made us all the same.
SourcePlease don't live with a different identity. The creation is wonderful as it is, accept that. If you do not accept god's creation you do not accept your own soul. Stop fighting against your true self! Self-confidence can only come after self-acceptance.
SourceWe don’t need rituals to find God and God will not be especially happy if we do rituals for him. You can find God through love and by being in love, you do the best service to him that you can.
SourceWhy is a woman’s virginity or her sexual purity called her honour?
SourceYou want to live in guilt. If you do not want to, you can come out of it. You can just leave it and decide not to be in guilt. But being in this feeling is easier than making the decision of not being in guilt.
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