What is Wealth?

By Manoj J Lekhi

 

There is one definition of Weatlh. It goes as “Wealth is the number of years one can maintain one’s current lifestyle if one stops earning”.

There is another definition of wealth that says “one is not wealthy in the things one has but in the things one can do without”.

 

Which one do you choose?

The first or the second

The first one denotes that whatever lifestyle you are living, if one stops working and generates that much passive income which will be more than his required need he will be termed wealthy. For example if one’s monthly expenditure is Rs 25000, he should invest in various sources of income which would generate for him Rs 25000 even if he were to stop working. So he is able to maintain his standard of living by doing nothing living on his passive income which is more than his required need. He feels tremendously free and feels wealthy too.

The Second definition means instead of trying to increase your needs, desires ,wants more and more and more, u work on the opposite and reduce the need of all those things which u feel is not needed thereby u will be tremendously free and wealthy.

 

The same person who was earning Rs 25000 has reduced his needs to even to basic minimum even Rs 5000 and below that also where he does not have to go to work but still enjoys his freedom and sense of abundance and wealth.

 

Which one would you choose?

The First or the Second.

Most of the people will choose the First. The first is where your need is Rs 25000 it will slowly become 15000 and 1 lakh and so on and so forth. If you go in the first, it’s a very effortful way, if you go the second way it’s an effortless step. The first definition is the outward way. The second definition is the inward way. The first definition is a huge struggle the second definition is an easy way out. The first one is called Materialism and second one is called Spiritualism. In the first, one is constantly in anxiety, tension to create more than what his need is. In the second, day by day one is getting more and more, wealthier.

I will just share my example.

When I was doing Business at the age from 20 to 28, we had made lakhs and lakhs of Rupees. My expenditure only on myself excluding my, family, house, car etc was Rs10000 at that time ( 20 -25 years back ) This Rs 10000 ( equivalent to about a lakh of  Rupees today worth only for my  parties, drinking, smoking and  food in hotels. I thought that was the only way to enjoy life. My question to myself was how can one enjoy without smoking or drinking? In this quest I was trying to get more and more and more.

 

When I did SSY, suddenly my perception of life and how to live life changed 180 degrees, from outward to inward the journey began. Immediately within three months of doing SSY I could bring down my need of Rs 10000 per month (Rs 1 lakh today) to Rs 300 per month. (Rs 1000 today). My drinking and smoking habits dropped and I started relishing very simple and wholesome food.  Just because I had the money to travel, I was travelling by air in first class. I started travelling in ordinary class to see if I was as happy as the others and to my surprise I was happy. Guruji’s training on Vairagya started to slowly enter my system and I became more and more, happy for no reason. I started to follow the second definition of wealth by Guruji   and started experiencing more and more wealth. I realized wealth is not the bank balance that we have in fact wealth is the amount of love we receive from our friends and the people around.

The second definition requires Sadhana, time and practice of going inwards and discovering the wealth within. Day by Day I feel I am more and more, wealthier than yesterday in the true sense, inwards as well as outwards too. In the outward sense also I have all the wealth and all the money which is required for the projects I have undertaken. Till today I have never felt or experienced a shortage towards the projects I have undertaken. This is the grace of my Guruji.

  Be Healthy, Be Wealthy and Be Happy.