Money with jhana

The cultivation of calm or tranquility and the development of concentration
Nobodyisspecial
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Money with jhana

Post by Nobodyisspecial »

Does anyone else find jhana absorbtion not possible with a large bank account?
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Dhammanando
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Re: Money with jhana

Post by Dhammanando »

In what way have you been hindered by lack of a large bank account?
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SarathW
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Re: Money with jhana

Post by SarathW »

Nobodyisspecial wrote: Sun May 09, 2021 2:28 am Does anyone else find jhana absorbtion not possible with a large bank account?
It depends on what is in your account. Is it digital money,Bitcoin or gold?
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Nobodyisspecial
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Re: Money with jhana

Post by Nobodyisspecial »

Thanks for the replies. This is my first post. I am not hindered to jhana by lack of a big bank account. From experience there seems to be a hindrance to jhana from having too much money. Have you read of monks prohibited from having money. I suspect this is the real reason. The reason that money makes you incapable of jhana. Any disagreements?
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Re: Money with jhana

Post by DNS »

Nobodyisspecial wrote: Sun May 09, 2021 4:12 pm Thanks for the replies. This is my first post. I am not hindered to jhana by lack of a big bank account. From experience there seems to be a hindrance to jhana from having too much money. Have you read of monks prohibited from having money. I suspect this is the real reason. The reason that money makes you incapable of jhana. Any disagreements?
That is for monks and nuns. Lay people are still allowed to make a living and have bank accounts. Anathapindika was a wealthy banker, who became a stream-entrant. The Suttas record other wealthy patrons of the Buddha's Sangha, who also attained to higher levels.
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Coëmgenu
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Re: Money with jhana

Post by Coëmgenu »

At the same time, DNS, if you don't mind me not directly quoting you because I'm on my phone, Anathapindika was a rare man. Fortunes, and even those with only small fortunes can agree with this IMO, offer greater temptation towards materialism, but do not necessarily equate to giving in to that temptation by the owner of the fortune. Maybe you will disagree. A great fortune makes the holy life of austerity "difficult," but not impossible, as opposed to someone who has formally renounced all wealth. It is a "thorn," dare we say, to the holy life, if we take thorn as "something which hinders" as opposed to "something that makes impossible." Anathapindika was a great man, hardly a Buddha or a Cakravartin, but "rare" nonetheless. Most people are tempted to idleness and indulgence by fortunes. Just look at the idle and tempted children of many a hardworking self-made rich man. It doesn't mean all children of the rich give in to temptation and tend toward indulgence.
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Re: Money with jhana

Post by DNS »

Hi Coëmgenu,

Yes, I agree with most of what you wrote. It is a rare man indeed to have wealth like Anathapindika and still attain to high levels; but it is a rare man indeed who attains to any high Buddhist levels, regardless of class. Just as there can be greed, anger, jealousy, ill-will, etc among the rich, there can be that among the poor and middle classes too. Positive and negative traits exist in people among all classes. I don't think there is a need for class-warfare in Buddhism (not saying you are doing that). There are plenty of good people among all classes (and the opposite).
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Coëmgenu
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Re: Money with jhana

Post by Coëmgenu »

Certainly a lot of "poor people" get a frivolous attachment to fancy cars and nice TV's, etc., that they conceive of themselves as "never owning."

Also, the poor are more likely statistically to commit petty crimes motivated by greed. Am I making it "class warfare" now? :tongue:
What is the Uncreated?
Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
It is the Undying, the Bright, the Isle.
It is an Ocean, a Secret: Reality.
Both life and oblivion, it is Nirvāṇa.
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Dhammanando
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Re: Money with jhana

Post by Dhammanando »

Nobodyisspecial wrote: Sun May 09, 2021 4:12 pm Thanks for the replies. This is my first post. I am not hindered to jhana by lack of a big bank account.
Sorry, I misread the question. Welcome to Dhamma Wheel.
Yena yena hi maññanti,
tato taṃ hoti aññathā.


In whatever way they conceive it,
It turns out otherwise.
(Sn. 588)
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DNS
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Re: Money with jhana

Post by DNS »

Coëmgenu wrote: Sun May 09, 2021 4:46 pm Certainly a lot of "poor people" get a frivolous attachment to fancy cars and nice TV's, etc., that they conceive of themselves as "never owning."

Also, the poor are more likely statistically to commit petty crimes motivated by greed. Am I making it "class warfare" now? :tongue:
No, it's okay; you're just pointing out that all classes can have those negative traits. :tongue:

To enter jhanas, one must at least temporarily be free of the 5 hindrances to meditation:

1. Sense desire (kamacchanda)
2. Anger (byapada)
3. Sloth and torpor (thina-middha)
4. Agitation and worry (uddhacca-kukkucca)
5. Extreme skepticism (vicikiccha)

(from Anguttara Nikaya 9.64)

Certainly, no economic class has any monopoly of any of the above.
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Re: Money with jhana

Post by sphairos »

The stories about rich people getting stream-entry are obviously a bait for the rich people to donate to the saṅgha. We should take them as such.
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Coëmgenu
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Re: Money with jhana

Post by Coëmgenu »

Does that mean that you reject the notion of a historical Anathapindika who was a legitimate Āryan? The Jains also claim him as their own, like Bimbisararāja and Aśokarāja.
What is the Uncreated?
Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
It is the Undying, the Bright, the Isle.
It is an Ocean, a Secret: Reality.
Both life and oblivion, it is Nirvāṇa.
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Re: Money with jhana

Post by confusedlayman »

sphairos wrote: Sun May 09, 2021 4:59 pm The stories about rich people getting stream-entry are obviously a bait for the rich people to donate to the saṅgha. We should take them as such.
dont make bad karma thinking this way... even buddha was richest man as he was son of great king who is of course richest in that country
I may be slow learner but im at least learning...
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confusedlayman
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Re: Money with jhana

Post by confusedlayman »

Dhammanando wrote: Sun May 09, 2021 2:51 am In what way have you been hindered by lack of a large bank account?
I think the OP is scared if some will hack his bank when he is in deep samadhi
I may be slow learner but im at least learning...
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JamesTheGiant
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Re: Money with jhana

Post by JamesTheGiant »

I have a friend who sells all his stocks and shares, before he goes on retreat. He cannot relax and meditate well, if it's not in stable cash.
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