Sathipattana magazine delved into the Buddha’s teachings regarding the acquisition and management of wealth for happiness. All worldly beings seek contentment in life (Sukha Kamani Bhuthani). Those who seek happiness consistently reject sorrow. The pursuit of contentment varies according to people. Some find satisfaction with little, while others constantly pursue prolonged and uninterrupted happiness. However, those immersed in sensory pleasures never find contentment. The methods people employ to satisfy their insatiable desires vary. In modern society, contentment and happiness are often equated with wealth, prompting individuals to engage in a relentless pursuit of money. In this pursuit, the principles of Dhamma and humanity are often disregarded.
Accumulating wealth at the expense of morality and ethics leads to suffering, as per the Buddha’s teachings. They are known as Michcha Ajiva. Wealth accumulation should be through righteous means and with noble intentions. Engaging in unscrupulous practices to amass wealth leads to negative consequences. The Buddha outlined five trades that a righteous person should avoid, as mentioned in the Vanijja Suthra of Anguttara Nikaya. Deceiving customers, exploiting workers and paying less salary for them for profit is condemned.
In society, many live lavish lifestyles built on ill-gotten gains, obtained through dishonest means according to Buddhist principles. Customers are deceived, workers exploited, and fair wages denied, all in the pursuit of profit. Poverty breeds discontent and is considered a form of suffering, as explained in the Daliddiya Suthra of Anguttara Nikaya. Poverty leads individuals to resort to various methods to alleviate their plight, including borrowing money at exorbitant interest rates, engaging in unethical trade practices, or even resorting to theft.
Taking loans becomes the easiest and quickest solution for those in poverty. However, the burdens of debt bring further suffering. Borrowers are plagued by high interest rates, relentless pursuit by lenders, and resorting to unethical means to repay debts. The Buddha emphasized the suffering inherent in borrowing and repaying loans. Those who borrow face humiliation and scolding from lenders and struggle to repay accumulating interest.
According to the Buddha, a truly noble individual, an Arya Shravaka, understands the doctrine of cause and effect without doubt. Lacking wisdom, efforts and piety compared to a bhikkhu renders one spiritually impoverished. A person devoid of the wisdom, diligence, and piety needed to accumulate merit and perform virtuous deeds is considered spiritually destitute. In the Daliddiya Sutra found in the Anguttara Nikaya, the Buddha draws an allegorical comparison to illustrate how individuals lacking wisdom and diligence in engaging in virtuous actions can find themselves devoid of shame and fear, much like a person burdened by poverty who resorts to taking loans. The Buddha teaches, “Bhikkhus, those who lack the inclination to engage in virtuous deeds feel no shame or fear in their neglect. They lack the wisdom and effort to pursue such deeds. Therefore, I liken them to impoverished beggars in the realm of spiritual conduct.” Contrasted with these persons is the Arya Shravaka, who comprehends the principles of cause and effect and conscientiously endeavours to live by them. When compared to one who lacks wisdom, effort, shame, and fear in engaging in virtuous actions, the Arya Shravaka stands as a model of spiritual wealth.
The Buddha further elucidates, “Bhikkhus, just as a destitute person, devoid of piety, shame, fear, and effort, easily succumbs to unethical behavior and corrupt speech, so too is the plight of one who neglects virtuous deeds akin to borrowing without consideration of the consequences.”
The concept of taking loans in Arya Vinaya symbolizes engaging in unethical behaviour. When someone takes a loan, they are essentially accumulating debt that must be repaid eventually, similar to how engaging in bad deeds accumulates negative karma. This analogy is elaborated upon in the Vanijja Sutta in the Anguttara Nikaya. A person who lacks righteousness tends to engage in unethical behaviour and dishonest business practices. They lack wisdom and deceive both customers and employees, exploiting them for personal gain. They may resort to using dishonest measures in trade and deceive customers by selling counterfeit goods instead of genuine ones. Additionally, they may withhold rightful payments for their labourers and engage in fraudulent activities with fake documents. This pattern of behaviour is likened to taking loans, as the repayment of such unethical actions cannot be avoided.
The Buddha explained that as one continues to engage in wrongful behaviour, they become increasingly burdened with defilement. They may believe that their actions go unnoticed and accumulate defilement through deceitful speech and actions. However, they are filled with fear that their misdeeds may be exposed, leading them to make efforts to conceal their actions. This cycle of dishonesty and fear further compounds their negative karma, akin to the concept of accruing interest on a loan according to the teachings of the Buddha.
Even though someone amasses vast wealth through unrighteous means, it’s crucial to acknowledge that concurrently, they are accumulating substantial debts in the cycle of rebirth. Day by day, the interest on these debts accumulates. Those who attain wealth through deception, exploitation of labour, and falsehood are not in alignment with the teachings of the Buddha. When such an individual reflects on their actions, they experience ongoing suffering. They harbour feelings of guilt and fear that their transgressions will be exposed, thereby compounding the interest on their karmic debts.
“The suffering in hell is profound. Therefore, a wise person should earn through righteous means. If they generously donate from wealth earned through righteous means, they will find happiness both in this life and the hereafter” (Anguttara Nikaya – Ina Sutta). Poverty itself is a form of suffering. The Arya Vinaya prescribes earning through righteous means. While it’s natural for someone entrenched in the cycle of desire to yearn for a luxurious life, they must ensure their earnings are obtained ethically. Engaging in nefarious deeds only leads to the accumulation of negative karma.
Understanding how one becomes indebted in the cycle of rebirth through unscrupulous means is crucial for laypeople. Conversely, a person who accumulates wholesome actions (Kusal) is wealthy in the transactions of life. They transcend poverty and refrain from unethical behaviour. By abstaining from wrongdoing, they evade the need to repay karmic debts. Without misdeeds to conceal, there’s no accruing interest. Hence, no burdensome debt to repay. Such individuals lead righteous lives, shunning harmful practices, and thereby secure well-being in both the present life and the hereafter.
For those lacking comprehension of what constitutes wholesome actions, the inclination to engage in them naturally diminishes. Such individuals harbour no fear or shame regarding their lack of virtuous conduct. These patterns perpetuate like an unbroken chain.
© satipatthana magazine
