How to Accumulate Wealth

The Vyagghapajja Sutta

2. Spiritual Wealth and Progress

Four qualities that ensure happiness and well-being in future lives

Faith
This is faith in the Buddha and his teachings.  This is not blind faith, but confident faith based on knowledge and understanding.

Virtue
This is abstinence from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxicants which cause loss of self-control.

Generosity
This is freedom from avarice, being charitable and helpful.  It is happiness in assisting the needy and delight in the distribution of donations and alms.

Wisdom
This is realization of the impermanent nature of existence, that whatever arises will eventually cease.  It is the understanding that leads to enduring peace and happiness.

In summary :
Hardworking and being careful at one’s work,
Managing properly one’s wealth,
Living a balanced life,
Protecting what one has built up.

With spiritual confidence and steeped in virtue,
Generous and free from greed,
One always strives to clear the way to happiness for future lives.

To the person with spiritual confidence,
These are the eight qualities taught by the Buddha,
Which lead to happiness in this and future lives,
And result in the increase of generosity and merit.

Material wealth and progress 

It all comes down to doing a job, and doing it well.  There are no magic formulae, prayers, rituals or talismans that bring wealth, and the Buddha never said that faith in him will lead to any kind of material rewards.  Hard, careful and intelligent work are the main qualities for success.

The other qualities necessary for success are important supporting factors.  For example, taking proper care of, and preserving what one has already acquired is essential in building up material wealth.  What has been so painstakingly accumulated should not be lost so easily.

The other crucial factor is our friendships.  We are reminded time again of this by the Buddha.  Being with the wrong, or immoral kinds of friends and associates can lead to ruin as they may encourage excessive drinking, gambling, promiscuity, dishonesty, and other vices.  There will be virtually no chance of accumulating any lasting or significant wealth if we frequently and unmindfully socialize with the wrong kind of people. 

A less obvious danger are the kind of friends in our materialistic society who create an atmosphere of greed and pressure to acquire more and more wealth and possessions.  While this may not necessarily be a bad thing if such wealth is used wisely, the danger is that one may succumb to the endless pursuit of consumption and materialism and thus neglect any kind of spiritual development whatsoever.  Even more dangerous is the pressure to keep up with extravagant living when any means are used to maintain such a lifestyle, whether unethical, illegal or even criminal.

The last supporting factor is just plain common-sense, which is to live within one’s means.  This is harder than it sounds in a society where conspicuous consumerism is accepted and even frequently encouraged.  It also does not help when financial institutions routinely offer numerous forms of easy debt to get people trapped in such spendthrift lifestyles.  We should always try to remind ourselves that what really matters is not the brand of the material objects we own, but the type of inner qualities that we possess. 

Promiscuity, gambling, excessive eating and drinking seem to be very much an accepted feature of society today.  Again, having the right friends will help us to stay clear of these unwholesome activities, and much self-discipline is also needed to avoid all these pitfalls.

Spiritual wealth and progress

However, even if one succeeds in keeping the ‘inlets open’ and the ‘outlets closed’, thereby successfully creating material wealth, one must not neglect building up a store of spiritual wealth too.  Without spiritual growth and maturity, greed and endless craving will eventually result in unhappiness and suffering.

A successful person should overcome the temptation of creating more and more material wealth simply for its own sake.  One should also look towards using one’s material wealth in wholesome ways such as helping the needy and underprivileged, or even to assist in the spread of the Dhamma.  This is a way of repaying, or showing gratitude to society as it can be said that society had also contributed to one’s wealth. 

One who does not progress either materially or spiritually is like a person blind in both eyes.  One who progresses materially is like a person with one good eye.  And the one who progresses both materially and spiritually is like a person with two good eyes.
 

The truly wise will use their material wealth 
to increase their spiritual wealth.  
We can take only our spiritual wealth, or kamma, 
with us to our next and future lives.
 

References

Dighajanu Sutta  - Piya Tan
Dighajanu Sutta  - Thanissaro Bikkhu
Factors Leading to Welfare – Tormod Kinnes
The Longshanks Sutta – Richard Blumberg
The Wholesome Property – Aggamahapandita Bhaddanta U Pannya Vamsa
Vyagghapajja Sutta – Narada Thera