Money Summary

Read more about Money from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

Introduction

Money is the visible sign of a universal force, and this force in its manifestation on earth works on the vital and physical planes and is indispensable to the fullness of the outer life. In its origin and its true action it belongs to the Divine. But like other powers of the Divine it is delegated here and in the ignorance of the lower Nature can be usurped for the uses of the ego or held by Asuric influences and perverted to their purpose. Most spiritual disciplines insist on a complete self-control, detachment and renunciation of all bondage to wealth. But this is an error; it leaves the power in the hands of the hostile forces. To reconquer it for the Divine to whom it belongs and use it divinely for the divine life is the supramental way for the Sadhaka.

What is Money?

Money is meant to increase the wealth, the prosperity and the productiveness of a group. Money is a means, a force, a power, and not an end in itself. And like all forces and all powers, it is by movement and circulation that it grows and increases its power, not by accumulation and stagnation.

The whole creation is made externally by external things, but behind that there are divine forces...What men have invented—paper or coins or other objects—all these are but means of expression... it is not the force itself, it is its material expression as men have created it. But this is purely conventional.

Money is a collective possession which should be used only by those who have an integral, comprehensive and universal vision.

Why Transform Money?

In the supramental creation the money-force has to be restored to the Divine Power and used for a true and beautiful and harmonious equipment and ordering of a new divinised vital and physical existence.

Greed for money: the surest way to decrease one's conscience and to narrow one's nature.

Money does not bring happiness. The Sannyasi who possesses nothing and usually eats only one meal a day is perfectly happy if he is sincere. Whereas a rich man may be thoroughly unhappy if he has ruined his health by all sorts of excess and over-indulgence.

How to Develop a Right Attitude towards Money?

The true attitude is this: money is a universal force meant to do the work on earth.

He who is quite detached, when he lives in the midst of these things, it is well with him; when these things are gone, it is well also; he is totally indifferent to both. That is the right attitude: And for his inner consciousness this makes no difference.

Identify oneself so well with the divine Power as to be able to act constantly and consciously upon all vibrations circulating through the world. Then the undesirable vibrations no longer have any effect upon you.

A sense of absolute impersonality, the feeling that it is not something you possess or which belongs to you, but that it is a force you can handle and direct where it ought to go in order to do the most useful work. And by these movements, by this constant action, the power increases—the power of attraction, a certain power of organisation also.

How to Deal with Money?

Praying for Money

All depends on whether the outer things are sought for one's own convenience, pleasure, profit etc., or as part of the spiritual life, necessary for the success of the work, the development and fitness of the instruments etc.

Gifting

A gift made through vanity is profitable neither to the giver nor to the receiver.

When a gift is made without conditions, one can always take it as coming from the Divine and leave it to the Divine to take care of what is needed in exchange or response. As for ill-will, jealousy, quarrels and reproaches, one must sincerely be above all that and reply with a benevolent smile to the bitterest words; and unless one is absolutely sure of himself and his reactions, it would be better, as a general rule, to keep silent.

Directing the Flow of Money

There are people who love to keep it in a pile somewhere... But that's a disease.

The earning of money and family affairs should then be done in a spirit of entire detachment.

The first thing to do when one has money is to give it.without discernment, don't go and give it like those who practise philanthropy, because that fills them with a sense of their own goodness, their generosity and their own importance. You must act in a sattwic way, each one must find in his highest consciousness what the best possible use of the money he has can be.

Money is not meant to make money; money is meant to make the earth ready for the New Creation.

Three things are interdependent (Sri Aurobindo says here): power, money and sex. I believe the three are interdependent and that all three have to be conquered to be sure of having any one. Evidently, these are the three great obstacles in the terrestrial human life and, unless they are conquered, there is scarcely a chance for humanity to change.

Content curated by Vidya

Read more about Money from the works of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo.

References

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