The more you learn what to do with yourself, and the
more you do for others, the more you will enjoy a life of
abundance. —William J. H. Boetcker
Abundance has been defined
in a variety of ways, by different people at different times
and in different cultures. Today, we typically measure abundance
in terms of the money and objects we possess. We think that
those who possess the most are the most free and powerful
individuals and that they therefore enjoy the most abundant
lifestyle. Yet for Plato, Aristotle, and the Roman Stoic philosophers,
the most free and powerful individuals were those who could
be happy with the fewest things. While our culture values
those who earn and hoard the most, among certain tribes in
New Guinea, the most valued members of society were those
who gave away the most.
In the end, we could say that
abundance is the feeling of enough and to spare. Well all
right, but how much is enough? Does a man with a "net
worth" in the millions, whose mood fluctuates with the
stock market, and who feels himself to be lacking relative
to his country club companions, experience abundance? What
about a "primitive" in the rainforests of the Amazon
who, with the simplest of technologies and a leaky temporary
hut for a shelter, feels himself blessed by the bounty of
the forest? Clearly, having no quantifiable frame of reference,
abundance is a state of mind, or more precisely, of being.
In attempting to define abundance,
a look at the origin of the word itself as well as those of
other terms we associate with wealth and prosperity will help.
The word abundance is derived from the Latin abunda-re, meaning
"to overflow." Wealth is derived from the Old English
wel or wela, meaning "well" or "well-being."
Well is to wealth, as heal is to health. The word prosperity
is derived from the Latin prospera-re, meaning "to render
fortunate." Rich comes from the Old English rice, meaning
"strong," "powerful." While today we associate
all these terms almost exclusively with money and material
gain, in their origins all had meanings that address quality
of life in broader terms.
To live in abundance is to
be fully alive, free of any sense of lack or desperation.
The following little story gives the essence of abundance.
A man leaves the remote peasant village of his birth and travels
the wide world. After many years, he returns home. His friends,
relatives, and neighbors gather round him and ask, "How
is life in the world?" He replies, "Same as here.
It is good for those who know how to live."
The art of abundance is not
the art of making money, but the art of knowing how to live.
This knowing how to live is the essence of what I call the
"Tao of Abundance." The Tao of Abundance is a not
a "get rich quick" or "think your way to riches"
approach to prosperity. It does not encourage you "think
like a millionaire," "dress for success," or
"climb the corporate ladder." It speaks to deeper
experience of abundance than can be realized by the mere accumulation
of goods or by amassing an impressive balance sheet.
Applying the eight principles
discussed in The Tao of Abundance may, in time, bring greater
material abundance into your life. Certainly, applying these
principles will assist you in opening to receive the creative
ideas from which all wealth ultimately springs. Yet this increased
material abundance will come not from struggling to attain
it as a goal in itself, but rather as a natural by-product
of experiencing a deeper state of psychological abundance.
The new feeling of abundance that you enjoy within will come
to be reflected in all aspects of your outer life, including
your finances. Yet even if you make not one dime more, or
even a few less, but come to earn your money in a way that
truly reflects your nature and expresses who you are, your
experience of abundance will be enhanced. Indeed, some may
find that a truer experience of abundance requires that they
relinquish their attachment to social status or excessive
material consumption.
Real abundance is about so
much more than money. A "healthy bottom line" does
not equate with a healthy and abundant state of mind. Evidence
of the psychological and spiritual poverty of the rich and
famous fills our newspapers, magazines, tabloids, and television
programs and hardly needs repeating here. Suffice to say that
many who own great stockpiles of material possessions, and
who are, to all outer appearances, extremely wealthy individuals,
do not enjoy real abundance. They are never content with what
they have and live in fear of losing it. Clearly, real abundance
must be something more than having a lot of money and things.
But then how do we approach it?
The fundamental premise of
The Tao of Abundance is that the universe is you and is for
you. If you put yourself in accord with the way of the universe,
it will take care of you abundantly. To experience this abundance,
there is nothing you need do first. It is not necessary for
you to earn one more dollar, get a better job, buy a new home
or car, or go back to school. All that is required is that
you become aware of the inner process through which you create
an experience of lack and struggle in your life, and refrain
from doing it. Feelings of abundance and gratitude are natural
to the human being; they do not need to be added or put on.
We have only to become aware of how we are resisting and inhibiting
this natural state.
The Tao of Abundance asks
you to accept responsibility for creating your own experience
of abundance or lack. Of course, no individual operates in
a vacuum. It would be absurd to deny the impact that the values
and organization of the broader society have on us as individuals.
In an effort to secure the ever-expanding productivity and
consumption upon which its "health" depends, modern
commercial culture vigorously promotes a "lack consciousness."
We buy things we don’t need (or even want), because
we have become convinced that we will be somehow lacking or
inferior without them. We do work we don’t want to do,
because we have become convinced that there is a scarcity
of good jobs and that we can’t create our own work.
Thus, even while we amass more and more stuff, the feeling
of abundance keeps eluding us. In addition to the role that
the values of the broader society have in promoting a psychology
of lack within the individual, the current organization of
society poses institutional barriers to his or her creative
development and financial independence.
Nevertheless, ultimate responsibility
for the individual’s experience lies with the individual,
not with the culture into which he or she has been born. Awareness
of the broader social dynamics that promote a consciousness
of lack, as well as the inner ego drives that bind us to them,
empowers us to break, once and for all, the chains of psychological
poverty and lack. The Tao of Abundance addresses the root
causes of the psychology of lack, and how these can be overcome.
Ultimately, the system is
the ego. Freeing ourselves from the dominance and control
of this system will be our primary concern. What we see reflected
in the broader social and economic system—alienation,
attachment, struggle, resentment, craving for approval, competitive
hostility, pride, greed, and chaos—originate within
the ego. We are the system, or, as J. Krishnamurti put it,
long before the popular song: "We are the world."
The way of the ego necessarily produces a psychology of lack—one
that cannot be overcome, regardless of the quantity of money
or goods we accumulate. Alternatively, the way of the Tao
naturally yields a feeling of abundance, regardless of how
great or meager our accumulation of money and goods may be.
Though he was often without money, and at times even food,
William Blake’s poetry exudes abundance. As he put it:
I have mental joys and mental
health,
Mental friends and mental wealth,
I’ve a wife that I love and that loves me;
I’ve all but riches bodily.
This is not to say that we
should reject material wealth or shun the blessings that come
with it. With money, much good can be done and much unnecessary
suffering avoided or eliminated. Moreover, in the culture
we live in today, time is money and money is power. It takes
time to appreciate and enjoy life and all of its simple beauties.
It takes time to stop and listen to the voice of our true
selves. It takes time to develop our gifts and talents. It
takes time to learn and grow. It takes time to develop and
nurture meaningful relationships. And in making time for all
of these, money is a great help.
Money can also give us a measure
of freedom from the control of others and in this respect
is more important today than ever. Throughout most of human
history, one did not need money to live, that is, for the
basic necessities of life. For one unable or unwilling to
fit into society’s mold, there was always the option
of retreating to some remote place and subsisting on the land—an
option that isn’t really feasible today.
The Taoist values freedom
and preserving the dignity of the human spirit and, in this
respect, would not object to Humphrey Bogart’s assertion
that "the only point in making money is, you can tell
some big shot where to go." The idea here is not to express
(or harbor) hostility toward others but to affirm and follow
your own path, free from intimidation or the control of others.
The big shot might be a boss for whom you do soul-draining,
monotonous work—or a landlord or mortgage-holding bank,
whom you must pay for the privilege of a little peace and
quiet. In as much as money is an important factor in determining
the time we have to enjoy life and the power and freedom we
have in it, the pursuit of money is a worthy goal. On the
other hand, if we are looking to money to fulfill or satisfy
us, we are sure to be disappointed.
In lacking money, we too often
think a lack of money is our only problem. Money can give
us the time to appreciate the simple things in life more fully,
but not the spirit of innocence and wonder necessary to do
so. Money can give us the time to develop our gifts and talents,
but not the courage and discipline to do so. Money can give
us the power to make a difference in the lives of others,
but not the desire to do so. Money can give us the time to
develop and nurture our relationships, but not the love and
caring necessary to do so. Money can just as easily make us
more jaded, escapist, selfish, and lonely. In short, money
can help to free or enslave us, depending on why we want it
and what we do with it. In this respect, nothing has changed
in the two thousand years since Horace wrote, "Riches
either serve or govern the possessor."
The Role of Money
Money is a relatively simple
issue. There are only two important questions: (1) How much
do you need? (2) What is it going to cost you to get it? It
is keeping these two questions in mind that gives us a true
sense of money’s relationship to abundance. If we have
less than what we need, or if what we have is costing us too
much—in either case, our experience of abundance will
be incomplete. As things stand in the modern world, you need
money to eat, sleep, dress, work, play, relate, heal, move
about, and keep the government off your back. In what style
you choose to do each of these will determine how much money
you need, that is, your lifestyle. Remember in choosing your
style that it comes with a price tag. How much money it costs
is not the issue, but how much the money costs you is of critical
importance. Keep in mind:
Money should not cost you
your soul.
Money should not cost you your relationships.
Money should not cost you your dignity.
Money should not cost you your health.
Money should not cost you your intelligence.
Money should not cost you your joy.
When it comes to determining
how much you need, there are two important categories to keep
in mind. First, there are the material things you need to
keep body and soul together. Second are the areas of "need"
related to social status and position. With both, you have
a great deal of discretion. The ancient Taoist masters were
keenly aware of the cost of money and were particularly skeptical
of the cost of attaining social status and position. In the
Lieh Tzu, Yang Chu says:
In the short time we are here,
we should listen to our own voices and follow our own hearts.
Why not be free and live your own life? Why follow other people’s
rules and live to please others?
Why, indeed? In a recent study,
48 percent of the male corporate executives surveyed admitted
that they felt their lives were empty and meaningless. When
one considers the cultural taboos against such an admission,
the figure is surprisingly high and leads one to conclude
that the real number must be higher still. Many think they’d
be happy if they had enough money to give up working altogether.
Yet this is often only a reaction to the drudgery of working
day after day at things they find meaningless or even absurd.
In response to my previous books Zen and the Art of Making
a Living and How to Find the Work You Love, I receive many
communications from people about their experience of work.
One day, I received a phone call from a man halfway around
the world who, at forty-five, had never worked a day in his
life. As a beneficiary of a sizable inheritance, he was free
of the need to earn his daily bread. Yet he was not a happy
man. Indeed, he was deeply troubled by the fact that so much
of his life had gone by without his having expressed his own
talents or made a difference in the lives of others. Like
good health, spiritual growth, and nourishing relationships,
meaningful work is one of the abundances of life that we neglect
at our peril.
By now, you’re probably
getting the idea that what I mean by the "Tao of Abundance"
is something altogether different from the Dow Jones version
of abundance. The Tao of Abundance is more wholistic in its
scope, addressing the entire issue of quality of life, and
not simply financial goals. Because the psychological dimension
is so important to our experience of abundance, it is addressed
at length in The Tao of Abundance. The eight Taoist principles
discussed in the book provide powerful keys to embracing and
integrating a psychology of abundance. The first two chapters
lay a groundwork for overcoming the sense of alienation and
separation that are the underpinnings of a psychology of lack.
For most of us, the feeling
of lack is not a result of a lack of things or material stuff.
It is a sense of struggle and a lack of ease; a lack of energy;
a feeling of powerlessness and blocked expression; a lack
of harmony and connection in relationship; a lack of time
to be, grow, and relate; and a lack of opportunity to fully
appreciate and celebrate the beauty in life—that give
a sense of deficiency to our existence. Each of these "lacks"
are considered respectively in chapters 3-8, both in terms
of understanding their causes, and in terms of practical suggestions
for creating greater abundance in each of these areas. The
exercises at the end of the book will help you to integrate
and apply the information you encounter in the text.
The Road to Total Abundance
There are three primary tasks
for us on the journey to a life of total abundance. The first
is to recognize the inner and outer forces that conspire to
make us believe in scarcity and thus to feel lack. Awareness
of these factors will help us to overcome their influence
over us. The second task is to cultivate a spirit of abundance
in our lives, celebrating the gift of life with joy and thanksgiving.
As we focus in our thoughts and actions on things that bring
a feeling a connection with all life, we begin to move with
the flow of the Tao. In this way, we allow blessings to come
to us as a part of the "overflow" of an abundant
spirit—not as things we crave and struggle for from
a sense of lack or desperation. To come from lack can only
bring lack, even when we get what we think we need. On the
other hand, when we come from the spirit of abundance, we
attract ever greater abundance.
Finally, as we move in the
world from the spirit of abundance, we become a liberating
and empowering force in the lives of those with whom we interact.
We help them see, not by preaching, but by example, that we
all live in an abundant world and that they as well can free
themselves from lack consciousness. Together, we can unite
in a spirit of abundance and create new patterns of community
and social organization, new lifestyles, and new ways of relating,
based on cooperation rather than competition. As envy, greed,
and competition flow from lack, so compassion, service, and
cooperation flow from a spirit of abundance. It is this spirit
of abundance that will be our guide as we embark on the journey
to creating total abundance in our lives.
| Authors Details: 'The Tao of Abundance'
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