Expert: Bodhicitta - 3/15/2006

Question
Can you explain to me like what do Buddha thinks about wealth?  I want to make a lot of money so I can have a good life.  What do you think Buddhism think about making money?  And one more question.

In Tibetan Buddhism, people always emphasized knowing the nature of your mind. What is mind?  Lama Yeshe suggests that it is the mind of every sentients being in the universe, but what does that mean?  Thanks

Answer
<<
Can you explain to me like what do Buddha thinks about wealth? I want to make a lot of money so I can have a good life. What do you think Buddhism think about making money? And one more question.

In Tibetan Buddhism, people always emphasized knowing the nature of your mind. What is mind? Lama Yeshe suggests that it is the mind of every sentients being in the universe, but what does that mean? Thanks >>

Henry,
Thanks for your questions.

<<
Can you explain to me like what do Buddha thinks about wealth? I want to make a lot of money so I can have a good life. What do you think Buddhism think about making money? And one more question.
>>
I think the questions really are your motivation for making a lot of money, and what you mean by a good life?

Buddhism would say that a lifestyle that move away from  egocentricity, that is compassionate and opens your mind to truth would be a good life. The wealth may be irrelevant. You could have a good life in the Buddhist sense as a wealthy king or a as a pauper - the Buddhist sutras contain both examples.

Giving your wealth away isnt going to turn you into an elightened person. Neither is greedily trying to become
rich.

Alchemy is spoken about alot in Buddhist sutras. Turning
iron into gold! But the real alchemy is turning your
confused mind into enlightened mind.

<<In Tibetan Buddhism, people always emphasized knowing the nature of your mind. What is mind? Lama Yeshe suggests that it is the mind of every sentients being in the universe, but what does that mean?>>
Now that is an extremely good question!

"find out the nature of mind" is an invitation to start
searching using the methods of buddhist meditation training. There are different levels of vehicles of this
search as you might know and each would answer your
question differently.

To start with Buddhist training starts with your direct
experience of your so called internal mind. You look at what you know  your memories, thoughts, feelings. All that constituets your experience and you meditate to discipline,
and calm that down. You use Shamata meditation and work
with the "mind" that appears to be you. You infere
that all beings have "minds". So all sentient beings
have "minds" of internal experience.

In the "mind-only" schools of Buddhism you see that everything is like a dream, and both so called external
experiences of the world through the senses and internal
experiences of thoughts, emotions feelings all this
is mind. In fact there is nothing but mind. You infere
that all beings have this experience and have minds.The
common world we share with others is some sort of concensus
of our minds.

In some schools of Buddhism it is thought there
is both confused mind and enlightened mind. Englightened
mind is covered over and defiled. Through meditation beings
can return to the pure mind.

In the Dzogchen schools of Buddhism the seeker realises that mind never existed.


The answer to your question as always is that only through training in meditation can you realise anything at all
including understanding "what is mind".

Good luck
Bodhicitta