A Lifetime of Three Awakenings - The Eye That Enlightens the World, The Path That Awakens People, The Merit of Awakening Oneself

Author: Chang Chenzi / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Money comes like a spring; money goes like a receding tide. When one is in prosperity, money flows in like a spring; when in adversity, money drains away like a receding tide. Between the coming and going of wealth, it is often just a piece of paper or a single night's difference. For the poor, having money is naturally good, as it means no more hunger and starvation. Even for those already well-off, a bit more money is not bad. But if one sets life's goals on pursuing money, one becomes a prisoner of money and suffers unnecessary troubles, losing the joy of life.
A Philippine newspaper, World Daily, published an article about several stories related to "money." The protagonists were too fixated on "gain and fame" and had no "playful" mindset, ultimately tying themselves up in heavy shackles.
Mr. A worked for a joint-stock company and owned stocks worth hundreds of millions. He was about to retire and thought he was in high spirits. However, upon meeting him, he sighed endlessly, regretting not having sold his stocks during the stock market's peak over a decade ago, when they would have been worth 1.5 billion. Now, the stock prices had plummeted, leaving him with less than 300 million. You wouldn’t believe it! Others comforted him, saying, "Even with 300 million, it’s enough for three generations to live on." But he couldn’t see it that way: "If I had never had 1.5 billion, I would be happy as a god today. But losing 1.2 billion without cause—when will this resentment and hatred end?" The advisor had no words and left, thinking only God could erase his bitterness.
Mr. B was the owner of a major steel company in Taiwan about 16 or 17 years ago. At 60, he was healthy and looked only 50. One day, he proudly told people he had just bought a 25-story building in Hong Kong for hundreds of millions and would invite them to visit once it was renovated. A short while later, when people saw him again, they found him gaunt, silent, and aged 30 years overnight. It turned out that shortly after buying the building, the real estate market collapsed, and property prices dropped by two-thirds, leaving only one-third unsellable. Less than a year later, people received the news of his death, and his steel factory was also auctioned off by the bank.
Mr. C, a friend of the author, lent all his savings to a real estate company, promising high interest, and even mortgaged his house to borrow more from the bank to lend to the company. For a few years, everything went smoothly, and he was happy for many years. But overnight, the situation changed drastically. The company declared bankruptcy, and the boss publicly bowed in apology. When a group of creditors went to find the boss, they found the building empty and the boss gone. Mr. C only managed to get a few photos of the empty building as a poor consolation.
These three people sighed and said, "When in prosperity, money comes like a spring; when in adversity, money goes like a receding tide. Between the coming and going of wealth, it is often just a piece of paper or a single night's difference."
You see, isn’t this like a "money game"? Why must we be so fixated on being happy as gods when we make money and resentful to the point of despair when we lose it, even to the point of dying in regret? Take buying lottery tickets as an example—it’s merely an "investment" in good deeds. Winning is good, but not winning is nothing; you can consider it a charitable act. Treating it as entertainment is just a meaningful game in life. Why must we throw everything we have—our entire savings and spirit—into it, only to be gloomy for days if we don’t win?
In fact, abroad, the concept of "investment" in lottery tickets has long been. While some people truly treat it as a business, most just use it as a way to spend small amounts of money. An entrepreneur once said, "The difference between 1 million and 10 million is just one zero in the bank account." Is it worth sacrificing time with family, abandoning your dreams, and being forced to do things you don’t want to just for that one zero?
Moral Saying: Treat fame and fortune as fleeting smoke.
You may not be able to do it, but you should at least try to see it as less important. Only then can you live more lightly.