DHAMMA PADETHA – 19. PROPER MAINTENANCE OF WEALTH MEANS HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY

DHAMMA PADETHA – PROPER MAINTENANCE OF WEALTH MEANS HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY

 In this human abode it is a satisfactory condition of people who acquire wealth or property by fair means and to be able to maintain it for long, is also another satisfactory condition.

      It is undesirable if after acquiring wealth one is unable to maintain it and to let it be deteriorated. To be able to maintain the wealth that has been acquired, gives happiness in this life and in future existences.

      Therefore, Lord Buddha gave a discourse on being able to keep wealth for long and the cause of not being able to keep it long.

      O’ monks,

      (1) Not to search for property that has been lost is the cause of not having the property for long. To look for it is to keep it long.

      (2) Not repairing things that have decayed is the cause of not having it for long. Repairing keeps things restored.

      (3) Not knowing the correct amount to eat is the cause of the inability to keep the property for long. To know the correct amount to eat is the cause of keeping the property for long.

      (4) Keeping a person who has no morality or sila in the place of a leader is the cause of not having wealth and property for long. Keeping a person who has morality or sila in the place of a leader is to keep the properly for long. (Am 1/572)

      (1) If one loses one’s property while travelling and if one does not look for it immediately, some travellers might pick it up. If one searches for it in time, one might retrieve it. If one misplaces some valuables in ones own house and does not look for it in time one might forget about if after a long time and it gets lost entirely.

      If one lets all the family members know about it and search for it together, the property might be retrieved. Some people have very good intuitive mind and are able to retrieve even the property that has been decided to be lost.

      (2) It you do not repair your house, building and furniture in time when they become old and need repair you will lose their worth. If they are repaired in time they will last a long time.

      For example:

      When a leg of a chair, a bedstead, a dining table is not in a good condition and you keep using it without repairing, the remaining three legs will also become useless by and by. However, if the bad leg is repaired at once, the property will last long.

      In every town and village/state people build many buildings for religious purposes enthusiastically with lots of cetana and saddha. When the buildings become old and in no more proper order, people are not enthusiastic to renovate them. Thus, they are destroyed which should not have been. That is why people should especially bear in mind to renovate old buildings and maintain them. Lord Buddha liked and praised renovation work very much.

     Ilt is obvious that Lord Buddha wished us to renovate old pagodas than build new ones. That is why renovating old pagodas will be more beneficial than construct ing new ones.

      (3) If one does not know the correct amount of money to spend on food and have only good food, clothing and shelter, one will deteriorate because one’s income awl expenditure are not balanced. Therefore, one’s property will not last long.

      To know the correct amount and using it, one’s income and expenditure will he balanced so that the property will last long. To use the correct amount of property there must be tour portions.

     (a) One portion must be used for parents, children, friends and for those who come for donation.

     (b) Two portions must be invested.

     (c) One portion must be kept for emergency

      To use the property by dividing into four portions is according to Lord Buddha’s instructions to use it correctly so that the property will last long.

      (4) If the leader has no morality, his followers who are his children and his subordinates will have no morality. In homes, townships and places where there are people with no morality living together, everything will deteriorate in the mundane as well as in the supramundane world.

      Just as the leader of a cowherd goes straight in crossing a river and the cows following straight after the leader observes sila, the children and followers will observe sila. In places like homes, and cities and countrysides respectively, where there are people with morality living together, there will be prosperity and happiness for a long time both in the mundane and supra-mundane worlds.

     (1) Not searching for things that have been lost

     (2) Not repairing things that have decayed

     (3) Not knowing the correct amount to eat and use

     (4) Not to have a leader without sila,

      These are four things to avoid.

      (l) To search for things lost

     (2) To repair things that have decayed

     (3) To know the correct amount of using things.

     (4) To have a leader with sila,

      These are four things that should be practised, according to Lord Buddha’s instructions.

      Those who follow these instructions to maintain wealth or property for long and those who are complete with the four instructions will be able to maintain their property, for long and thus, will be free from physical and spiritual unhappiness. They will be happy physically and spiritually. Because they will be able to practise and cultivate dana, sila and meditation (bhavana) for this life and future births, they will be happy till they reach the ultimate bliss of nibbana.