Money as positive energy

According to Peter Kedge, “money is energy” and you work with it “just as you would work with positive energy in your day-to-day life”. It is important to utilise every opportunity that one has to enhance, maximise, protect, and to multiply this positive energy.

In Buddhism, money is seen as a manifestation of positive karma. The cause for financial abundance is born through giving, and the results are harvested through cooperative conditions of offering service. By using skills of gathering, multiplying, and protecting finances, one can find that these skills are similar to accumulating positive karma in Dharma practice.

Being Mindful of Our Financial Decisions

Cultivating a mindful relationship with money involves being aware of how and what we are spending our finances on. It is crucial to think about how we are spending our money because it can benefit both ourselves and others greatly. This thought of benefitting others serves as a tool for mind training in becoming better people to serve others. For example, we can practice gratitude and think about the kindness of the vendor when buying food from them. In turn, we are also benefitting the vendor who can then continue to support their family and supply many others with their food. This shows the interconnectivity of all beings and how our financial decisions can impact others.

This is also in line with Buddha’s teachings about having a Bodhisattva heart that benefits others with compassion and wisdom. Furthermore, seeing how people are benefitting others with their wealth is also an opportunity for us to rejoice in other people’s merits. When we align our financial decisions with a heart of giving and generosity for others, we create great positive karma and energy for ourselves.

Generosity as a Connection to Others

From a Buddhist standpoint, there is a strong connection between money and other people. It is a tool that can empower and improve lives. The wealth we accumulate provides new ways to show compassion and support to those in need. Through acts of kindness, generosity and mindful spending, we can forge meaningful connections, creating a community that cares for one another beyond individual needs.

Recognising the connection between money and others involves not just financial transactions but also the human touch. Supporting others financially creates a ripple effect, fostering a sense of community and shared responsibility for the well-being of all. Furthermore, being generous to others fosters positive connections with other people. This positive connection may in turn ripen into having other people as benefactors to come and support us on our path to enlightenment as well as our various endeavours in life.

Generosity in Giving and Receiving

Generosity through giving can be more than just donating to charities, it can also be in the form of supporting others through effort, time and presence. We usually equate being generous as giving financial and material items, but generosity is more than that. Some of us may not be able to give financially or materially yet, but are well-equipped to give others in effort, time, and presence. This can be doing volunteer work or simply being there for a friend as a listening ear.

Similarly, just as how we are ready to give to others, we must also be ready to receive from others as well. This can be accepting other people’s help with gracefulness and gratitude, rather than pushing people away due to our refusal in being seen as someone who needs help. 

Spiritual Abundance

How do we transcend spiritual poverty into spiritual abundance? Singha Rinpoche teaches us that spiritual abundance is the opposite of spiritual poverty. Spiritual poverty is the inability to give love or time to someone because we are lacking in love and time. However, love and time cannot be measured. If the person is important to you, you will make time for them and show love to them, no matter how busy you are.

To be spiritually abundant, we must also be aware of what kind of friends we are mixing with. In bad company, our negative karma is triggered, and we become more hateful towards others. However, if we spend more time with the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha and virtuous friends, their influence will begin to influence our goodness from previous lives. We will then begin to grow spiritually and become better people for ourselves and others day by day.

Benefitting Self and Others

As we begin to understand the connection between money and Dharma as well as recognise how money forms a generous connection with others, we realise that turning money into Dharma is about benefitting self and others with compassion and wisdom. Whether through donating to the temple, charities, scholarships, or initiatives aligned with our values, we leave an imprint that extends far beyond our individual lives, contributing to a more compassionate and enlightened world.

Benefitting self and others involves not just financial contributions but also a commitment to positive change. By donating to meaningful causes and supporting others through education and community development, we contribute to the betterment of future generations.

The synergy of money and Dharma, when viewed through the lens of connection and exchange, gives us a profound sense of purpose and fulfilment. In this accumulation of positive energy, we not only enhance our lives but also become supporting pillars for the well-being of others, creating a brighter, more compassionate future for all.

At Thekchen Choling Singapore, there are activities and classes that can support your spiritual wellbeing, empowering you to live a meaningful life. If you would like to explore the principles of Buddhism and see how it can enhance your life, get in touch with us! 

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