what money really means and how to get rich_134

_{In the Buddhist approach, worldly happiness is based on what we call the}

_{four excellences: the Dharma, wealth, nirvana, and satisfaction. Nirvana, or}

_{successful temporal life is just a transient goal.The teachings are the means to}

_{achieve ultimate inner freedom, whereas money and wealth facilitate worldly}

_{happiness, temporary satisfaction. One strives to achieve that which is positive}

_{for all beings.To do so, one must attend to both ultimate and temporary goals.}

_{Well-being and money belong to the latter category. In fact, Buddhist texts}

_{mention the fruition of eight qualities including wealth, health, and fame that}

_{define a "fortunate" human existence.}

_{To enjoy even temporary happiness, however, one must first have peace of}

_{mind. Next comes health, then good companions, and then money, in that}

_{order, though of course all four aspects are connected. For example, when we}

_{had to escape from Tibet, our first priority was to save our lives. Being penniless}

_{was secondary. If one is alive, it is always possible to make friends and}

_{earn money. Peace of mind must come first. Peace of mind generally attracts}

_{prosperity. Certainly someone who has a peaceful mind will use his or her}

_{money judiciously.}

_{The mind is key. If anything should be considered a god, so to speak, it is}

_{the mind, not money.A healthy, positive mind is the utmost priority. But if we}

_{were to reverse the order of these priorities, what would happen? I find it hard}

_{to imagine how a person with great wealth, bad health, no friends, and no}

_{peace of mind could even feel slightly happy.}

_{I want a chance to simplify this. I want to ask the Dalai Lama what money}

_{means in the context of its possibilities.What does it mean to him? What can}

_{and should be done with it? And how, if we have it or don't have it, can we}

_{find peace, self-realization, fulfillment?}

_{My Imagination sees me stand amongst the crowd. I stand and ask the}

_{Dalai Lama, who is seated cross-legged on his enormous throne, which makes}

_{him look smaller, even smaller than he is, "What is the meaning of money?"}

_{My Imagination has the crowd hush. My voice would echo. The question}

_{would be repeated through the microphone to all of the attendees, translated}

_{via headsets into Japanese, Tibetan, Chinese. The Dalai Lama would close his}

_{eyes—and then he would answer.}

_{As I daydream of this moment, I catch myself looking up, way up into the}

_{stands—the bleacher seats.There, under a large blue 3 painted on to the back wall}

_{of the stadium, is a woman seated alone in the middle of her row.There isn't any}

_{one else in her section.There aren't any other people that high up, that far back.}

_{I look up at the woman under the 3. She is hearing the same words, processing,}