Contentment is finding joy in what we already have in our lives, feeling or showing satisfaction with our possessions, status, or situation. It's being happy without trying to find fulfillment in acquiring more material possessions.
“Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty.” —Socrates
Somehow, a collective belief amongst people is, abundance is anti-spiritual. On the contrary, scarcity is anti-spiritual. Abundance is not anti-spiritual. There is not a single religious place in the world, which is poor.
Tirupati is poor? Mecca is poor? Vatican is poor? Palitana is poor?
Trivandrum, is it poor? Sabarimala is poor?
There is not a single religious place...which is poor. In fact, they magnetize abundance. There is not a single spiritually aligned organization in the world, which is poor.
Tirupati is poor? Mecca is poor? Vatican is poor? Palitana is poor?
Trivandrum, is it poor? Sabarimala is poor?
There is not a single religious place...which is poor. In fact, they magnetize abundance. There is not a single spiritually aligned organization in the world, which is poor.
Ramakrishna Mutt is poor?
Missionaries of charities, of Mother Teresa, is it poor?
Osho commune, is it poor?
There is not a single spiritually aligned organization in the world, that is poor. There is not a single, spiritually aligned individual, who is poor. I'm not talking about the priest and the beggars, who sit outside Varanasi, claiming to be spiritual. No, I'm not talking about that.
I'm talking about those people, who have understood the spiritual principles of life, and have lived their life aligned to those spiritual principles!
From where did we inherit this thought, very important what I'm writing,
because as long as there's a block here, in you...Because, you being an Indian, and the roots are in the ethos of this place, as long as you continue to believe being materialistic is being anti-spiritual, you are going to keep building a block within yourself, which is going to stop you from becoming what you can become!
You can't keep despising a destination and expect to reach there.
You can't have negative feeling towards all the rich people and expect to become rich. You can't keep thinking anti-wealth all the time and expect to become wealthy! You cannot create a mixed association and expect any progress in life. Mixed association is, whenever you provide a mixed association to your subconscious, it does not go to work.
I want to be healthy, I want to exercise.
But, you see, I like sleep.
No, you cannot progress.
I want to study, I want to be a college topper, but I don't want to miss out on... what, chilling?
I don't want to miss out on chilling!
You cannot have mixed associations and expect progress.
Right now what is happening is, you have a mixed association, where somehow you have programmed yourself, most of you...
Embracing abundance, even desiring abundance, is being anti-spiritual. Scarcity is anti-spiritual.
You tell me, which looks better?
The temple inside made out of white marbles?
Or the beggars outside who are sitting with alms?
What is spiritual for you?
You tell me! Is abundance spiritual, or scarcity spiritual?
But somewhere, we have built this thought process, that I cannot grow spiritually, if I grow materialistically, when there is no such teaching in any religion! It is something that we have
built. Daridhra Narayana. Daridhram cannot be Narayana! Abundant Narayana. Abundance alone can be Narayana. In fact, in the tenth chapter of Bhagavad Gita...
"So who are you?"
When Arjuna asked Krishna, and when Krishna is explaining, he says, "Amongst all the immoveable, I am Himalayas. Amongst all the animals, I am the lion.
Amongst all those who desire victory in life, I am victory!".
Essentially, his entire list is, I am the best among the best, not worst among the worst! I am the best among the best! And in that, very clearly, Chapter ten, Verse thirty-five, Krishna clearly states... "I am prosperity amongst those who desire prosperity."
Not poverty!
Krishna never said I am poverty amongst those who desire, I am prosperity amongst those who desire wealth. Which means, it's enlisted in Bhagavad Gita itself, the scripture!
That is considered so sacred, that, I am the best among the best.
So there is absolutely no merit in thinking, my spiritual progress will halt itself... the moment I desire materialistic wealth. There is no such truth.
In fact, when you look around, and I'm giving you evidence, factual evidence.
Every spiritually aligned place, every spiritually aligned organization, every spiritually aligned individual, living by the principles of spirituality, have only magnetized abundance into their life.
Yes, there is a twist in the tale. And all of them who magnetizes abundance in life, were able to magnetise this abundance in life, materialistically growing, without losing their spiritual roots... on the realization, their wealth can do so much more to the world than themselves. That is the spiritual touch to that whole thing, that my materialistic wealth can do so much more to the world, than to myself. Etch this truth into your heart.
Money, can do small things for you. Money can do great things through you. And what money can do through you, money alone can do. And if you have the capacity and the potential, to create that abundance in your life. And by the abundance you create, think about millions of dollars in the hands of Mother Teresa.
The amount of good that the world has experienced through Samaritans, in fact, of all the wealth that they have created in their life, how much they would have used for themselves is such a negligible percentage, and how much the world benefited through that wealth, is indescribable.
And there are living evidences sitting right here in this auditorium, that money can do small things for you, but it can do great things through you.
So give away this mixed association within you, that the very desire for materialistic abundance is an anti-spiritual phenomena, and thereby creating this mixed association which stunts your progress.
One more block has to be removed.
Somehow, we believe, it is not possible to be contented and ambitious.
Somehow, we have internally, very strongly associated amongst ourselves, that you should be contented in life. We should be content with our lot.
With inflation, you can never be happy with what you have!
It's not possible. You should learn to be happy with what
you have, has somehow been translated by all of you as, you should learn to be happy without anything.
No! Contentment simply means, my ability to look back at my past with no regrets.
Where I have reached, I have reached.
I've made my mistakes. I did the right things.
I grabbed a few opportunities, I missed a few opportunities.
I have been hurt a few times. I have been wrong a few times.
Certain things have clicked. Certain things have faltered.
But all that has resulted in where I am, and my ability to look back at my past with no regrets, is contentment. All you have is hundred rupees, and this is where you have reached in life.
Your ability to look back and cherish this hundred rupees that you have, with no regrets... that is contentment. That doesn't stop you from being ambitious in the future. That doesn't stop you.
Being contented with the hundred you have, does not stop you from being ambitious for the thousand that is there ahead of you.
In fact, contentment is a result and effect that is born from the past, ambition is a futuristic emotion.
In fact, as infinitheists where we live by this and that, our striving itself should be, to be contentedly ambitious. Contented about the past and ambitious about the future.
So never, ever keep programming yourself, that "No, no, I was asked to be contented.". Yes, contented about the past, ambitious about the future.
There is not a single spiritually aligned organization in the world, that is poor. There is not a single, spiritually aligned individual, who is poor. I'm not talking about the priest and the beggars, who sit outside Varanasi, claiming to be spiritual. No, I'm not talking about that.
I'm talking about those people, who have understood the spiritual principles of life, and have lived their life aligned to those spiritual principles!
From where did we inherit this thought, very important what I'm writing,
because as long as there's a block here, in you...Because, you being an Indian, and the roots are in the ethos of this place, as long as you continue to believe being materialistic is being anti-spiritual, you are going to keep building a block within yourself, which is going to stop you from becoming what you can become!
You can't keep despising a destination and expect to reach there.
You can't have negative feeling towards all the rich people and expect to become rich. You can't keep thinking anti-wealth all the time and expect to become wealthy! You cannot create a mixed association and expect any progress in life. Mixed association is, whenever you provide a mixed association to your subconscious, it does not go to work.
I want to be healthy, I want to exercise.
But, you see, I like sleep.
No, you cannot progress.
I want to study, I want to be a college topper, but I don't want to miss out on... what, chilling?
I don't want to miss out on chilling!
You cannot have mixed associations and expect progress.
Right now what is happening is, you have a mixed association, where somehow you have programmed yourself, most of you...
Embracing abundance, even desiring abundance, is being anti-spiritual. Scarcity is anti-spiritual.
You tell me, which looks better?
The temple inside made out of white marbles?
Or the beggars outside who are sitting with alms?
What is spiritual for you?
You tell me! Is abundance spiritual, or scarcity spiritual?
But somewhere, we have built this thought process, that I cannot grow spiritually, if I grow materialistically, when there is no such teaching in any religion! It is something that we have
built. Daridhra Narayana. Daridhram cannot be Narayana! Abundant Narayana. Abundance alone can be Narayana. In fact, in the tenth chapter of Bhagavad Gita...
"So who are you?"
When Arjuna asked Krishna, and when Krishna is explaining, he says, "Amongst all the immoveable, I am Himalayas. Amongst all the animals, I am the lion.
Amongst all those who desire victory in life, I am victory!".
Essentially, his entire list is, I am the best among the best, not worst among the worst! I am the best among the best! And in that, very clearly, Chapter ten, Verse thirty-five, Krishna clearly states... "I am prosperity amongst those who desire prosperity."
Not poverty!
Krishna never said I am poverty amongst those who desire, I am prosperity amongst those who desire wealth. Which means, it's enlisted in Bhagavad Gita itself, the scripture!
That is considered so sacred, that, I am the best among the best.
So there is absolutely no merit in thinking, my spiritual progress will halt itself... the moment I desire materialistic wealth. There is no such truth.
In fact, when you look around, and I'm giving you evidence, factual evidence.
Every spiritually aligned place, every spiritually aligned organization, every spiritually aligned individual, living by the principles of spirituality, have only magnetized abundance into their life.
Yes, there is a twist in the tale. And all of them who magnetizes abundance in life, were able to magnetise this abundance in life, materialistically growing, without losing their spiritual roots... on the realization, their wealth can do so much more to the world than themselves. That is the spiritual touch to that whole thing, that my materialistic wealth can do so much more to the world, than to myself. Etch this truth into your heart.
Money, can do small things for you. Money can do great things through you. And what money can do through you, money alone can do. And if you have the capacity and the potential, to create that abundance in your life. And by the abundance you create, think about millions of dollars in the hands of Mother Teresa.
The amount of good that the world has experienced through Samaritans, in fact, of all the wealth that they have created in their life, how much they would have used for themselves is such a negligible percentage, and how much the world benefited through that wealth, is indescribable.
And there are living evidences sitting right here in this auditorium, that money can do small things for you, but it can do great things through you.
So give away this mixed association within you, that the very desire for materialistic abundance is an anti-spiritual phenomena, and thereby creating this mixed association which stunts your progress.
One more block has to be removed.
Somehow, we believe, it is not possible to be contented and ambitious.
Somehow, we have internally, very strongly associated amongst ourselves, that you should be contented in life. We should be content with our lot.
With inflation, you can never be happy with what you have!
It's not possible. You should learn to be happy with what
you have, has somehow been translated by all of you as, you should learn to be happy without anything.
No! Contentment simply means, my ability to look back at my past with no regrets.
Where I have reached, I have reached.
I've made my mistakes. I did the right things.
I grabbed a few opportunities, I missed a few opportunities.
I have been hurt a few times. I have been wrong a few times.
Certain things have clicked. Certain things have faltered.
But all that has resulted in where I am, and my ability to look back at my past with no regrets, is contentment. All you have is hundred rupees, and this is where you have reached in life.
Your ability to look back and cherish this hundred rupees that you have, with no regrets... that is contentment. That doesn't stop you from being ambitious in the future. That doesn't stop you.
Being contented with the hundred you have, does not stop you from being ambitious for the thousand that is there ahead of you.
In fact, contentment is a result and effect that is born from the past, ambition is a futuristic emotion.
In fact, as infinitheists where we live by this and that, our striving itself should be, to be contentedly ambitious. Contented about the past and ambitious about the future.
So never, ever keep programming yourself, that "No, no, I was asked to be contented.". Yes, contented about the past, ambitious about the future.
Yet in our consumeristic-culture where discontent is promoted and material gratification is encouraged, learning to be content can be very difficult. It is certainly a personal journey that we all must travel and nobody’s journey will look the same.
