Zen vs. Wealth: Is there a real conflict?

MONEY, SELF-WORTH AND BUDDHISM

JACK BRAGEN

Copyright 2009 By Jack Kenneth Bragen

Despite the saying, “Money doesn’t buy happiness,” it is a commodity almost universally sought. Money is necessary in our society in order to do or have almost anything. The more money a person has, the more choices. And while money may not buy happiness, it does help when you need a loaf of bread.
It is not correct to think that Buddhism shuns money. Buddhism, rather, objects to the desire for money. If you have money, that’s fine. Just don’t create a path of destruction in the insatiable quest for it. People sometimes misquote the Bible and say: “Money is the root of all evil.” But the correct quote in part is: “…the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”
Money carries no inherent moral value, good or bad. It is the bad things people do to get money, or with money once they have it, that is the problem.
Since many Buddhist practitioners and others have not yet transcended suffering on the physical plane, money for basic necessities can make a substantial difference to the level of suffering a person experiences, or not.
However, when you are talking about large amounts of money, above and beyond what is needed, money affects the level of happiness via a person’s set of gross illusions and expectations. The hoarding of massive amounts of wealth is sometimes for the purpose of feeding some deficiency in a person’s ego. There was a news piece about the major players on Wall Street who have been in competition with each other to see who can rack up the biggest numbers, who has the fastest car, and who can out spend everyone else. It has been a contest of the mega affluent, and the result is a crippled American economy.
As a result of the recession in the United States, there are millions of depressed people because many citizens who were once financially extremely successful have had to lower their expectations.
This recession is also an opportunity for learning. I’ve met a man who became emotionally devastated upon having earnings of twenty percent of previous. Yet the man still had enough money to live on and to support his family--just not in the style he was used to. He still lives comfortably on the income he has, but he has lost all sense of the self worth that he associated with his earnings. The money apparently wasn’t just for the purpose of living in luxury. He believed he was “somebody” because of the income he generated.
For many typical Americans, self esteem is linked to how much money they can earn. And then the money they make becomes more of a symbol of prestige rather than merely a means of support. When that happens, a lot of the enjoyment of the money that could happen is lost. The individual is stuck in a race to earn more and more money in the pursuit of the elusive, “enough” state.
Buddhism teaches that everything in the universe is impermanent. A person may achieve wealth, but at some point, that wealth will end. Either the person will lose the money at some point, or they will die and thus no longer be wealthy. That’s why Buddhism teaches that when you hang on to something in the universe, for example, money, you will suffer.
Self-acceptance and self worth can be difficult to attain despite being internally generated states. You can achieve self-worth and self-esteem even if you are penniless. These states are just as hard to achieve if you are a multi millionaire. This is because, in spite of appearances, self esteem and self worth are completely separate issues from the amount of income and prestige you have.
People of more self worth might be less likely to debase themselves for money. Yet they could be more likely to become an entrepreneur, and thus earn money in some innovative way. If someone doesn’t have any self worth, they may be unlikely to try anything that could lead to generating wealth. Yet, in the presence of real self worth, the lack of wealth is not devastating.
Self worth and self-esteem are states that vaguely resemble being happy. It is easier to be happy if you have them, assuming that you are living within the boundaries of your ego mind.
Buddhist practice doesn’t seem to specifically address self-esteem, self-appreciation and self worth. It encourages transcendence in which even these internally generated states aren’t a necessity. Yet, if you are an imperfect Buddhist, and it seems that most of us are, unconditional self worth and self appreciation will make the ego mind a more comfortable place to visit when you are not transcendent.
If you have achieved self worth, it is easier to meditate toward more enlightenment because you are more likely to expect your efforts to work. If you practice from a place of no self worth, the practice could end up being hijacked into a system of more self-punishment.
The man I mentioned before, who was upset because his income was down doesn’t realize that he could potentially do reprogramming to change his perception of himself, and this would take less work than once again attaining that huge amount of money.
Self worth, self-acceptance and self-esteem are gifts that you can bestow on yourself, and they don’t cost you anything.
People who practice Buddhism in the early stages may associate self worth with the idea of being a “master” or of having Buddhist attainment. However, upon going farther into the practice, you realize that you are good enough for yourself at any level of attainment. When more meditation is done, it becomes less relevant how “high up” you are on the ladder to enlightenment.
A step toward success is the point where you believe you are an acceptable, worthy, lovable person. Believing in yourself in this way allows you to enjoy real contact with other human beings. If you do not believe in your worthiness, everyone around you may appear frightening. Once you are worthy by your own self evaluation, the world opens up to you, and this is regardless of whether or not you’re at the top of the Zen totem pole, whether you’re rich or poor, and whether or not you have the approval of another person. Once you approve of yourself, you’ve joined the ranks of the human race—in a good way.