The following is an excerpt from Osho’s book “New Man For the New Millennium”. He speaks about Money and what it can and cannot do. This book is a compilation of different discourses.
“.. I am not against money, but I am certainly against money-mindedness – and people don’t make the distinction. The whole human past has lived in confusion.”
“.. Use it. Don’t cling to it. Clinging is bad. The more you cling to money, the poorer the world becomes because of your clinging, because money is multiplied if it is always moving from one hand to another hand.”
“... Money is a way to stuff oneself with things. Money can purchase everything, so money becomes very important. Then you can stuff your emptiness with everything; you can have as many women as you want, you can have as many palaces as you want, as many cars, airplanes – whatsoever you want. You can go on stuffing yourself with things. You are empty.
An empty person is a greedy person.
And nobody is ever fulfilled by greed. Nobody is ever fulfilled by anything – because things are outside and the emptiness is inside, and you cannot take outside things into the inside. So you can become rich, but you will remain empty. Your treasure chest may become full, but your heart will remain empty.”
What Money Can’t do …
“…Remember one thing; your life remain empty if you know only things which can be purchased, if you know only things which can be sold. Your life will remain utterly futile if your acquaintance is only with commodities. Become acquainted with things which cannot be purchased and cannot be sold – then for the first time, you start growing wings, for the first time you start soaring high.”
The Story of Bimbisara
In the same book, Osho shares a beautiful story of the great King Bimbisara. Mahavira was alive during the reign of Bimbisara. Bimbisara got to know that Mahavira has attained Samadhi or Samayik, the ultimate state of prayer or meditation. The great king was very worried … he had everything of this world, but what was this Samayik ?
To find out he goes to meet Mahavira and says “I can give you anything you desire, let me purchase this Samayik. What is it and can I see it?”
Mahavira was a polite man, so he replied saying – “You need not have travelled so far for it. I don’t really need anything. There is a follower of mine in your kingdom, who is utterly poor. He has also attained to the same state and he may be willing to sell it to you.”
Bimbisara immediately goes in search of this man. The King’s golden chariot entered the poor part of his Kingdom for the first time. He goes to the poor man’s hut and the poor man comes out, touches the King’s feet and says, “What can I do? Please give your orders.”
The King says, I have come to purchase the thing called Samadhi or Samayik. Mahavira told me you have it.
The poor man starts crying and says “I am sorry. I can give you my life, I can cut my head off for you, but how can I give you my Samadhi? It is not sellable, its not purchasable – it is not a commodity. Its a state of consciousness. Mahavira has played a joke on you.”
What we all need to think about is where are we spending our time – in chasing after more and more money so that we can buy “stuff” or are we using the money we have in chasing after Samadhi?
Long back I had written a blogpost on The threshold of “Enough”. If only everyone said “enough” at some point in time, there is enough to go around for everyone.
Like Osho would say at the end of his discourses … enough for today ! Thank you Master 🙏🏿