Date: 03/16/2024 03/17/2024
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Otto Huang
Dharma Talk
The Poor Rich Man, Mahadhana
Once, a heavenly being with extraordinary beauty came to the Bamboo Grove at the Jeta Grove and asked the Buddha:
“What cannot be burnt by fire or blown away by the wind?
What will not disperse even if the earth is completely destroyed?
What cannot be stolen by evil kings and thieves who specialize in robbing others?
What kind of treasure will never be lost?”
The Buddha replied:
“Merit cannot be burnt by fire, nor blown away by the wind,
Not even by evil kings and thieves can it be stolen,
Nor will it disperse even if the earth is completely destroyed.
The treasure of merit and joyful retribution will never be lost.”
Another time, the Buddha went to the capital of the Kosala Kingdom, Savatthi, and stayed at the Bamboo Grove in the Jeta Grove on the outskirts of the city.
One day, close to noon, King Pasenadi of Kosala came to see the Buddha, who greeted him and said:
“Great King! It’s already noon, from where have you come?”
“World-Honored One! Today in Savatthi, a great wealthy man named Mahadhana died without a son to inherit his property, and I have just come from taking possession of his wealth.
World-Honored One! Do you know how much wealth he had? He had eight million in gold alone, and an uncountable amount of silver. But, World-Honored One! Do you know? Such a wealthy man, yet he ate only sour gruel mixed with various grains, wore clothes made of just three pieces of rough hemp, rode in an old and broken cart, and the shade canopy of his cart was made of branches and leaves. It is unheard of that he ever made donations to the shamans and Brahmins, nor was he seen to help the poor and those in distress, and whenever he ate, he would close the doors to prevent those people from seeing.”
“Great King! Such a person is not upright and honorable, no matter how wealthy he is, at most he is just a lowly poor man. Having wealth but not using it for oneself or one’s family, not using it to sympathize with servants, to make friends, nor to support shamans and Brahmins, to broadly sow the seeds of merit for one’s own rebirth in heaven, without such rightful spending, wealth cannot stay with one forever. It will either be confiscated by the king, fall into the hands of thieves, or be destroyed in fires or floods, or else be inherited by unwelcome successors.
Great King! If wealth is not used and distributed properly, it is as good as useless. Just like a pond of sweet and clean water in a place where no one can reach, with no one to enjoy it, eventually drying up and disappearing, what use is it?
Therefore, Great King! One should make good use of one’s wealth, allowing oneself, family, servants, and friends to benefit and rejoice, and to donate and support shamans and Brahmins, to broadly sow the seeds of merit for one’s own rebirth in heaven. In this way, one can make wealth meaningful and not let it go to waste in the end, squandering valuable wealth.”
Once, a minister named Yuga came to see the Buddha and told him:
“It’s so rare, great virtue! The financier Migara here is truly wealthy!”
“Yuga! How wealthy is the elder Migara?”
“Great virtue! He owns hundreds of millions in gold, and even more in silver.”
“Yuga! Are all these gold and silver truly his own wealth? I’m not saying these are not wealth, but, Yuga! The wealth you speak of is shared with fire, water, kings, thieves, enemies, and heirs. Yuga! Only the seven treasures of faith, precepts, shame, remorse, learning, generosity, and wisdom are not shared with fire, water, kings, thieves, enemies, and heirs.”
