Discussion on materialism

November 8th, 2007

Is it right for someone who does not want to live attached to materialism to attain wealth? Is there a justification? How can we balance these two desires?

Burcin Cevik

An interesting discussion on this topic is taking place at Intent Blog. Here’s a quote with Deepak Chopra’s response to this question, taken from an article written by David Beers, author of Blue Sky Dream:

“You need accept no limits, physical or financial. Noting that the title of one of his books is Creating Affluence: Wealth Consciousness in the Field of All Possibilities, I tell Chopra I was raised by my Catholic mother to curb material longing, to remember Christ’s teachings about the rich man and the eye of the needle. Growing up blue-collar in the Depression era, this teaching no doubt afforded her people some comfort. Chopra replies that “wealth is an expression of the spirit” and that because those without money always obsess about getting it, “the solution is to help everybody have wealth.” But is there a conflict between desiring wealth, and seeking God? “Why should material success be an impediment to spirituality?” he responds. “Keep increasing your desires until nothing satisfies you except God. Wanting material wealth is part of that.”

Materialism is generally seen as the belief that the material world of the senses is all that exists, and that there is nothing beyond it. As such, of course this view is incompatible with a desire for spiritual attainment, for there is no notion of anything spiritual in materialism.

Yet what we usually mean by materialism is merely seeking to improve the material circumstances of our lives. We’d like to have more comfort, or have a bit more freedom, or the ability to surround ourselves with beauty, or to pursue our interests more fully, or have more time, and so on. We all must solve the economic problem: how to secure our livelihood. And we all make a choice of how to best do this with our limited time, and in a way that is consistent with our principles.

What if, instead of imposing a conflict between spirituality and our desires, we could see our desires as coming from the One Heart that is within us, yet holds all beings and all things. The One Heart gives rise to our own desires, for its own desire is for progress, fulfillment, development; in short, for the living manifestation of perfection itself. What dimension of the heart is your development taking place in right now? Take our Heart Index quiz for some insight on this.

love,

Puran & Susanna

Entry Filed under: The Heart, Goals