From: https://youtube.com/watch?v=HJii2_jG6A8
Context: Throughout this transcript, Bhante Vimalaramsi is the speaker unless otherwise indicated.
I'm trying to relate to a layman [ __ ]
we'll be easy to give you an example say
I'm a carpenter and I think I might
desire is to become the best carpenter
and how does that relate to to being
successful with a clear mind and
wholesome mind I understand that that
there is no the result nothing wrong
with it and and more often than not
those successes come with materialistic
rewards there are rewards that come when
you do the best job you can correct
medicines share things and you'll keep
getting better and better at what you do
there's nothing wrong with that
you know both anathapindika and the
Sokka I mean they were really really
really rich but what did they do with
their well they've had people it made
them happy to feed people it doesn't
mean that you can't have a real nice
house you can but don't forget to share
I said I spent about two years at a
monastery with Mozilla Honda near the
end of my stay there I started working
for some Chinese businessmen that were
very influential in Chinatown in San
Francisco they owned square blocks of
places and I started working for them
and whenever I got some money I was
giving in to this person and that person
I didn't I was staying at the monastery
I didn't have any other means and as I
started doing that they started calling
on me more and more because they liked
me and before long they're having me
work on building their own houses and
doing all kinds of things I was
successful
but I didn't court my well you know
during the time of the Buddha how you
told have you found out how somebody was
rich was by how much they gave if
somebody was just moderately rich they
would put food out on the table for
anybody that was hungry they could come
eat but somebody that was very rich in
in India they had four gates to enter
into the city and somebody it was very
rich they would put a table with food
for anybody coming from whatever
direction to get food and the four gates
they would put one in the middle of the
city and then they would have one at
thirty that's how you were wealthy
considered very wealthy by how much you
gave
the good old American Way has made
everybody very stinky and they afford
money because they think that's the
measure of success measure of success is
happiness how many friends do you have
how can you help
and of course you try to do the best job
you can no matter what
not because somebody's expecting that
but because it makes you feel happy
I'm trying to relate to a layman [ __ ]
we'll be easy to give you an example say
I'm a carpenter and I think I might
desire is to become the best carpenter
and how does that relate to to being
successful with a clear mind and
wholesome mind I understand that that
there is no the result nothing wrong
with it and and more often than not
those successes come with materialistic
rewards there are rewards that come when
you do the best job you can correct
medicines share things and you'll keep
getting better and better at what you do
there's nothing wrong with that
you know both anathapindika and the
Sokka I mean they were really really
really rich but what did they do with
their well they've had people it made
them happy to feed people it doesn't
mean that you can't have a real nice
house you can but don't forget to share
I said I spent about two years at a
monastery with Mozilla Honda near the
end of my stay there I started working
for some Chinese businessmen that were
very influential in Chinatown in San
Francisco they owned square blocks of
places and I started working for them
and whenever I got some money I was
giving in to this person and that person
I didn't I was staying at the monastery
I didn't have any other means and as I
started doing that they started calling
on me more and more because they liked
me and before long they're having me
work on building their own houses and
doing all kinds of things I was
successful
but I didn't court my well you know
during the time of the Buddha how you
told have you found out how somebody was
rich was by how much they gave if
somebody was just moderately rich they
would put food out on the table for
anybody that was hungry they could come
eat but somebody that was very rich in
in India they had four gates to enter
into the city and somebody it was very
rich they would put a table with food
for anybody coming from whatever
direction to get food and the four gates
they would put one in the middle of the
city and then they would have one at
thirty that's how you were wealthy
considered very wealthy by how much you
gave
the good old American Way has made
everybody very stinky and they afford
money because they think that's the
measure of success measure of success is
happiness how many friends do you have
how can you help
and of course you try to do the best job
you can no matter what
not because somebody's expecting that
but because it makes you feel happy