Be Greedy for Inner Wealth
by Master Lee Feng San Shifu
Translated by Sophia Lui
Edited by Ric Meyers
Someone asked me, “How can one not be greedy?” I told him: “You can be greedy — it all depends on what you are greedy for.” It is like what I have often mentioned to my students about abstinence, precepts and resolution — and how we are to exercise them. If we are able to do that, then the teachings will come alive for us, and we will be able to creatively apply what we have learned.
What does it mean to resolve? To resolve an issue, we must first understand the cause, and then remove the obstacle. Once the obstacle is removed, then we can resolve anything. But if the obstacle remains, sooner or later problems will arise. In the same way, when we try to steer someone to do the right thing, instead of giving him orders, we should offer him guidance, and so challenge him to think for himself. Once this person has internalized what they should or should not do, problems will not arise later. But if we merely give orders, we are not giving this person latitude to think critically or learn. Sooner or later this person will lose their grip and problems will appear.
When we talk about greed, there is greed for outer things and greed for inner things. When we earnestly and diligently seek inner development, we are greedy for inner things. If, however, we desperately scramble for worldly wealth and recognition without attending to our inner needs, the we are greedy for external things.
Therefore I challenge you to be greedy for inner things and not for outer things. When our inner life is filled to the brim, then questions like what to do, how to do it, or how much is needed, will naturally be answered by an inner knowing. By that time, we will have what we need without having to chase after it in the external world.
There is also a greed for the above and the below, which is “the concept of the superior and the inferior” in the I-Ching. The Heaven is the superior, and the Earth is the inferior. This is the law of nature. If we do not acknowledge this, then the world will be in chaos. Let us think about this. If a person humbles himself, then he will be putting everybody else above him. But if a person wants to be above everybody else, then he will be putting the rest of the world below him.
Nonetheless, people who act superior to others may not in fact be superior at all. Instead, the person who knows how to humble himself is the one who is truly great. This is a lesson that is hard to come to grips with, and therefore worth thinking about.
“Do not get caught up in the world of objects, but seek to enrich our inner world. If we find fulfillment within, we will also find fulfillment without.” — Lee Feng San Shifu
