The causes and conditions of Wealth and Poverty.

Once, Bhagava was at Anathapindika’s monastery, in Savatthi, when a man named Todeyyaputta Subhawent came, reverently kowtowed to the Buddha and raised a question:

 â€œListen and think carefully, young man. I shall answer your question” – Buddha said.

 In life, some women or men do not give alms or offer food, drinks, clothes, vehicles, beds, medicine, lamps, houses, etc. to Sramanas or Brahmins. Due to the causes, after death, they would be reborn in the realms of evil: the animal, hungry ghosts and hell. If they were luckier to be reborn to be human beings, they must be impoverished, and own small property.

 

On the contrary, some women or men usually give alms or offer food, drink, clothes, vehicles, sitting tools, medicine, lamps, houses, etc. to Sramanas or Brahmins. Thanks to the good causes, after the end of life, they would be reborn in good realms of existence. If they were reborn into a human life, they would be wealthy and possess large assets.”

 (Vietnamese Tripitaka, 3rd Majjhima NikàyaSutra on The Shorter Exposition of Kamma (extracted), published by the Vietnamese Buddhist Research Institute, 1992, pp.478)

 COMMENTS:

 Giving alms and offerings are good causes to create blessings of wealth for this life and the next lives. Therefore, that those prosperous with major assets in the present life is the most clear exemple of enjoying great blessings by offering and giving alms. In contrast, those who do not spread their generosity for donation and charity surely do not accumulate blessings, which makes them very indigent currently. Despite working harshly and laboriously all year round, they own nothing but small assets.

 As for receivers receiving alms and offerings, Sramanas and monks are the most deserving ones. The reason is that their personality is entirely perfect. Besides, they are full of virtue and create bountiful blessings. They are considered fields of blessings that everyone can cultivate merit on. Offering to only the senior virtuous monks but ignoring the poor is certainly considered not to be a good idea. It is great generosity without discrimination and attachment that are a culmination of offering, which creates measureless blessings.

 

However, many people still raise questions about the non-causality of reality. For example, the inhuman have many illegal business dealings and evil deeds but they are still so rich, influential and own large assets. The best explanation for this is that their wealth in present life is the results of almsgiving and offerings in their previous lives, not by illegal business. In fact, although some gentle and kind people who have legal business dealings, they are still unfortunate and needy due to lacking the blessings of almsgiving and offering, not due to their honesty and kindness.

 

Giving alms and offering is the basic method of Buddhist retreat deciding whether one could accumulate blessings in this life and the afterlife or not. Noticeably, anyone is able to practice the method. In the case that one is not able to afford  almsgiving and offerings, he or she could rejoice at another’s almsgiving and offering. Merit of the two people is still equal. Therefore, it is advised to show generosity and sow the seeds of rejoicing at another’s almsgiving and offering in your heart in order to multiply your own fortune, wealth and great assets as the Buddha taught.

Translated into English by Nguyen Hoang Thoai.