Dalai Lama -There is a saying in Tibetan that “at the door of the miserable rich man sleeps the contented beggar.” The point of this saying is not that poverty is a virtue, but that happiness does not come from wealth, but from setting limits to one’s desires, and living within those limits with satisfaction.
Me - I suppose that if it was good enough for "Dirty Harry" it should be good enough for me. Somehow I keep thinking of Browning - "“Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?”
Okay, it wasn't me but Robert Browning and I'm no Dalai Lama but I've been thing about these two concepts. Is the secret of happiness that we should not want too much?
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Dalai Lama -There is a saying in Tibetan that “at the door of the miserable rich man sleeps the contented beggar.” The point of this saying is not that poverty is a virtue, but that happiness does not come from wealth, but from setting limits to one’s desires, and living within those limits with satisfaction.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I can sort of sense the Dalai Lama's meaning behind that Tibetan saying.. and I agree with your point about it .
ReplyDeleteI think that right there is the secret to happiness.... be content with everything that you have. So what you dont have what the jones have... I guess that makes you "poor" to them...even tho you don't giv to iotas what they have, becoz you're so content with everything you have. They could never measure YOUR wealth to theirs
I have to respond negatively. This image reminds me too much of Reagan's "trickle-down" economic theory. We don't need the beggar who happens to be fortunate enough to get table scraps from the rich man. The Dalai Lama needs to look more closely at the implications of his parables and metaphors.
ReplyDeleteit is noted that the saying says "miserable rich man" ..... now surely if you're rich how can you be miserable. Just makes my point stronger with the "contented beggar"
ReplyDeleteIt's an interesting balance- on the one hand you can see the misery that comes of always wanting more... but there's also a huge amount of progress made because someone wasn't willing to settle. Should the beggar remain content, if by working and struggling he could change the system and lift others out of misery?
ReplyDeleteI'm always left with the thought that even the Buddha lets compassion overcome detachment.
Agree.... I don't even study Buddhism and just know that COMPASSION overcomes detachment .... I think these are basic principles that run throughout "religious" doctrines & philosophies
ReplyDeleteNow you guys got me to thinking about famous "western" Buddhists. Was Jobs ever "detached" ? How about "what's-his-name" the basketball coach. What about the difference between them ? Then a post steams by with the yin/yang symbol and while I always focused on the white and the black side, the duality of things - now I'm thinking more about the meeting point between them.
ReplyDeleteFor the record: I am much more the beggar. Sure, I'd like to be richer, or taller etc. but I am content with my lot in life. My needs are mostly met. I'm satisfied with my relationship with (most) people, the world and my faith. But I am a 99%er and I am spurred on by some "action" I'm drawn to the tension between differing ideas or groups...