Crazy for Wealth

Yutang Lin

Generous Heavenly King grants blessings willingly.
Weary of poverty worldlings wish for instant wealth.
Dharma protectors are striving to nurture Bodhicitta;
It is irrelevant to selfish aims and personal gains.

Comment:

The Northern Heavenly King, Vaishravana, is generous and enjoys granting blessings. The enriching homa ritual as composed by Yogi Chen was dedicated to making offerings to this Heavenly King. Judging by name people usually assume that the enriching ritual is to pray for wealth. However, upon careful study of the text one would realize that it is to pray for rightly earned wealth for the spreading of the teachings, and for transcendental wealth of wisdom, compassion and spiritual strength. The blessing of Dharma protectors aims at increasing the Bodhi causes and conditions for sentient beings. Selfish aims and personal gains belong to the sphere of personal karma; how could they win the favor of Dharma protectors?

Written in Chinese on January 14, 2001
Translated on January 15, 2001
El Cerrito, California

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