【Description】
In this materialistic era of great abundance, many people equate the words “simple” and “minimal” with “poor”, “outdated”, or even “lower-class”. This is especially true for those who grew up in wealthy families: Why live a simple lifestyle when you can have a lavish one?
There’s an ancient saying: “Don’t be wasteful when you’re rich, and don’t change your morals when poor.” What exactly is the truth behind this saying?
The “simple lifestyle” advocated by Grandmaster JinBodhi is not only aimed at the poor, it has a more important and far-reaching significance for wealthy families.
If you want to live an auspicious and prosperous life and sustain the wealth you already have, don’t miss this precious advice given by Grandmaster JinBodhi.
【You will learn】
- The wisdom to live a prosperous yet simple life
- How to maintain prosperity and fortun
- Live a neutral and calm lifestyle
【Featured aphorisms】
- Simple and thrifty living habits can preserve life energy.
- Deliberately consuming wealth is like deflating a tire with a needle, ultimately gaining nothing.
- Those who squander resources and abuse prosperity tend to receive heavenly punishment.
- After acquiring great wealth and fortune, people still need to stay neutral and calm.
- Heaven bestows noble souls with fortune and wealth.
【Content】
The gods bring you auspiciousness. If the gods see how lavishly you spend, they will take back your wealth and auspiciousness. You think you can predict everything, but life is unpredictable. Causality isn’t as simple as 1 + 1 = 2. It’s deeper than that.
Simple Living
First of all, have a down-to-earth and simple lifestyle. You can do this many ways; let’s start with eating. We will die if we don’t eat. No food, no energy, and we will die.
How should we eat? People talk about nutrients these days. My nutritious diet is simple; don’t complicate things. I eat porridge, rice with some veggies, that is it. Food doesn’t come easily. The process of growing food and putting it on the table takes blood and sweat. Lots of farm labor is involved in growing crops; the process of turning crops into food is very labor-intensive too.
Also, dress in a down-to-earth style. Don’t be too obsessed with name-brand clothing. Designer brands are much more expensive than ordinary items. Look at the designer items on the glass shelves. They are expensive, right? I am talking about designer clothes, bags, watches, accessories, etc. They cost a lot. You can live just fine without them. You need to make simple, frugal living a habit; the benefit is that we save our energy.
The most important things in our lives are longevity, wealth, appearance, health, our future generations, career, family, etc. We need energy to keep all these in order. A rich man may think it is no big deal to spend on name-brand items. For example, a billionaire spends a few hundred thousand on watches and bags. It is only a tiny percentage of all his assets. Considering what he has, it is not “lavish” at all.
The thing is, you are intentionally spending on things you don’t need. It is like making small holes in your tires to release the air. The tires will go flat in less than a week. What if you don’t make the holes? The tires won’t go flat, right? You won’t even need to add air to them for 2 years. If you puncture them, they will lose air, even if the holes are tiny. That is how it is. Think about it.
Also, there are other lifeforms besides humans, such as spirits, demons, ghosts and gods. The gods bring you auspiciousness. If the gods see you spending lavishly, they will think you don’t cherish what you have. The gods will take back all the wealth and auspiciousness. You are going to lose everything. You think you are smart when you manage your wealth well, not putting all the eggs in one basket. You think you can predict everything, but life is unpredictable.
The gods can break your source of income in the blink of an eye. Your money will be taken away, and a broken family awaits. When your luck has run out and the gods have abandoned you, you are left with nothing. Pain is all you are left with. Respect the gods. Be grateful to your ancestors who built a legacy which gives you food, education, clothing and shelter today. Don’t live lavishly, spend foolishly, and waste your life. Otherwise, karma will find you.
It is OK to be rich, but we must keep an ordinary mind. If I always go to high-end restaurants and eat the most expensive dishes, can I say I am keeping an ordinary mind? No, not like that. Even if I can afford expensive dishes, I still eat what I have always liked; normally I like to eat porridge and pickles prepared by my mom and grandma. Now I am rich, and these foods are still my favorites. I will just eat different vegetables, celery at one meal, and spinach at another meal; that provides diverse nutrition for the body. Don’t think: “I am rich, so I can keep eating expensive food; I can afford to live like this forever.” It is not like this.
Causality isn’t as simple as 1 + 1 = 2. It is deeper than that. Your one part of gratitude will be rewarded 10- or 100-fold. But if you anger the deities, they will strip away the blessings you were given. Then, you will be left with nothing. You won’t have any idea how things are taken away from you. Only when our hearts become noble can Heaven bless us with wealth and fortune.