You wanna be rich?
You know, it’s strange, I’ve been saying this most of my life… and the good thing is, it’s applicable in whatever situation and to whatever background we come from religious or not. But I am so glad Steve Jobs says the same thing… he has wisdom.
In the end, it is what we have done and who we have done it with. Do good works for others and be true to everyone around you. Don’t live your life just to acquire this or that… objects and having more of them never fulfilled anyone… in fact it is a trap… wealth of objects wouldn’t help you when you really need it anyways… not necessary to listen to what the prevailing culture says that you should work and be filthy rich… be rich, but be rich on the inside too. HAVE A BALANCE… then you win both ways. Be a hero, be courageous and love, be honest, and be genuine with everyone around you. Never run or abandon those who trusted you. And from the innermost part of your being, be genuinely kind to everyone and all beings around you even a stray dog.
Life is to live… living is dependent on everyone around you… so live for them, with them and together with them in integrity. Spread the message of true integrity, honesty and kindness… then you will be the richest person, alive and dead. Do work that is beneficial to others no matter what society says. Be special because you are, be different. Think different.
Tsem Rinpoche
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We have to make a choice, do we want to be in this samsara or do we want to be out. If we want to be out, we have to do something that samsara thinks is good for us. We have to learn to live in Samsara but practice spirituality.
Samsara wants us to work hard for money, be rich with material possession. ‘I’ is the most important thing. Spirituality is the opposite, there is no ‘I’ but others. It is not easy to be generous to everyone as we usually are generous to people who we love or who we like. To be generous to strangers needs some practice. One way to practice is to volunteer in a non-profit organisation to help those in need.
We work very hard to accumulate wealth, the ironic part is we cannot bring wealth with us when we die. What is the point if we die a rich person?
Steve Jobs correctly pointed it out, when we die we can’t bring anything along, except our karma. So we should cherish the time and opportunities we have to do more dharma and works that benefit others. Everyone wants to be rich but we have to be rich inside too in order to have true happiness.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. What Steve Jobs said is true. Whatever material possessions that we have now we can’t bring it together with us when we die. It is better for us to be rich in the inside which kindness and compassion because this will last longer. When we show kindness, other people will be happy and benefited. We must always contemplate on this.
With folded palms,
Vivian
Thank you very much Rinpoche for sharing this article from Steve Jobs wise and worthy words.Its a wonderful mix if we can combine passion with doing good work, but chasing our passion does not mean we necessarily have to be poor.I guess the lesson is not to chase a tangible reward but to pursue something that we believe in, something that is wonderful and something good for others.
Thank you.
6416 Hanley. Road.I realy enjoyed what you wrote and that you took the time to share with the least of us.Thank You
It seem quite clear that Steve Job’s success did not come from him chasing money, but rather following his passion. Passion is Steve Job’s driving force and it is the same element that refuse the obstacles standing in our way and it is the passion that keeps us believing. Its a wonderful mix if we can combine passion with doing good work but chasing our passion does not mean we necessarily have to be poor.
I guess the lesson is not to chase a tangible reward but to pursue something that we believe in, something that is wonderful and something good for others. Success and money is merely a by product of doing something we are passionate about, well.
The last part of Rinpoche’s post is exceptionally noteworthy which is to be special and different and to think differently from convention. In other words, we are not obliged to come under society’s pressure that is to conform and to spend an entire life chasing a livelihood and financial rewards.
I think whether we like it or not, Steve Jobs has revolutionized the gadgets of our time and it has influenced the growth of the Apple industry. What Steve Jobs said is very true, what is more important than being rich is able to do something beneficial at the end of the day..thank you for sharing, Rinpoche!
Rinpoche and Steve Jobs said it right. No matter how much wealth and how many objects we think will bring us happiness, will not. When we die, nothing can be taken and after some time, people don’t even remember us for we have done nothing beneficial for others. If you are to die today, do you think of what have you done? Wasting time in worldly affairs is not the way. Be kind and helpful for everyone around you.
I truly believe “Have a balance, then you win both ways” is correct. Whatever we do must be moderate. Steve Jobs is so rich yet he balanced that thought.
Having true integrity, honestly and kindness inside us and spread this message to the people around us by setting ourselves as an example.
Today I do not have the qualities to be the richest person but I will start working hard on it and one day I will be at that point of feeling rich not because of how much I have in my bank account but how much integrity, honesty and kindness I have brought to others.
I like what Rinpoche has said….’be rich,….but rich on the inside too.’
Some wealth-off people are only rich on the outside, something is missing inside. Often time we may find it hard to hold conversations with them for long time, somehow the brave waves are different.
It is so easy to get lost in the midsts of great wealth. We see nothing else but money and growing more money. And then greed comes in and problems arise.
I like people who are rich from both outside and inside, this make them beautiful.
“Life is to live… living is dependent on everyone around you… so live for them, with them and together with them in integrity.”
We are all interdependent, life is not about ourselves. To have a better quality of life is to live with people around us in harmony. Learn how to let go and forgive, life is too short to hold the anger in us, not worthy.
R.I.P Steve, we Love you. Blessed Love Rinpoche, keep doing the good works.
I would like to think that Steve Jobs lived his life with these two very Buddhist thoughts (re- the 2 quotes from him)consistently in his mind. I sincerely hope that, at point of death, he was ready for death, that he had been doing much reflection on impermanence and life’s fleeting experiences all along.
He gave the world so much. I’d like to think that he had all along sought to benefit others with everything he gave to the world.
Right to the letter,sam. At the end of the day, what matters most, is where are we? In what realm? Whether we did enough in this lifetime to accumulate enough KARMA and not money, to take a good rebirth. “Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me……… says Steve Jobs.” “Wealth of objects wouldn’t help you when you really need it anyways……..be rich, but be rich on the inside too. Have a balance……… Then you win BOTH ways!!….as our Guru, Tsem Rinpoche has taught!”
Whenever I am feeling under pressure finacially I make a big effort to practice generosity and make a donation of money or time or both and more. Within a short period of time things have generally worked themselves out.
As much as I like what Steve Jobs have done to inspire so many and as much as I admire how he has set a new benchmark with the things he created, and as much as I like his lean towards Buddhism (regardless of whether he was a true Buddhist or not – it is not for anyone to judge)…I wonder where he is now. In what realm? Whether he did enough in his life (not his career) to take good rebirth. As much as I like him, it struck me that he is dead and everything “Apple” and everything he achieved in the corporate world may not be worth one karmic cent to him now. I hope not. I hope that whatever he did in the privacy of his own practice was adequate. I wish him the best karma. That is all I can do because it is too late to change now.
Steve Jobs, he is a Buddhist who practice buddhism putting what he believed in his life by contributing his talent and passion into his work or his world of machine which had inspired to the people who worked with him and the people who had benefited by him. Yes, we are all interdependent, what matter is our motivation of bringing the right attitude and energy towards others because what goes around comes around.
Steve Jobs lived his life meaningfully, he knew what he wanted, set his priority right and saw to it that whatever he wished to achieved was done.
This was how he changed the telecommunication industry and touched many lives.
In the end, it is not how long we live but what we achieved and how we touched/benefited our fellow sentient beings that counts.
Love his quote; being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. How apt.
Thank you Rinpoche for the post. Such a motivational quote.
The only way for true happiness for most of us is to live for others. Especially, in our daily activities; at work, at home…everywhere. We rely on others and others rely on us. If we think to escape for ourself only, the path is actually much harder.
For example, in life, we often think of working and acquiring wealth for our family and in doing so we actually sacrifice our time with the family. We are living for them and the paradox is we are not living for them. In earning this wealth we also often sacrifice our friendships. If we do not do this, we may think we are sacrificing the well being of our family. Now, refer to the above paradox! So we are trapped in this acquisition cycle. There is no winner here.
If on the other hand, we do whatever we do for the benefit of others, the cycle/paradox is broken. It doesn’t mean we give everything to our friends and family including all our possessions. It means taking others interest first. If we do this long enough, we will have success like in the case of Mr Steve Jobs or Mother Teresa. Then the money, possessions or fame doesn’t matter to us because we found true happiness. Those are just fringe benefit. Hehe!
as a Buddhist it is soooooo easy to forget what we took refuge on: our potential for Buddhahood.
Then it is soooooooooo easy to take refuge in money, in fame, in good reputation, in a relationship, some even take refuge in gambling! One might say: refuge in gambling? How stupid! Not less so than taking refuge in anything else than Buddhahood, that is a simple fact.
Yet, by being CLEAR, VERY CLEAR about what our refuge is, one should not have any issue dealing with money, relationships, fame, or even gambling I dare say. But how CLEAR are we about this?
Now, if that is difficult to do for us buddhists, how much more difficult it must be for those friends who do not have a spiritual practice to rely on?
I say, their attachments win and they become their refuges: my house, my dog, my husband, my TV, my family, my job, my money, my friends, my little dinners, my travels…
Then when this fails, reality strikes: the refuge was not safe (what did we think anyway?)! The ride might have been nice, maybe even a business class ride, but at one point the champagne and hot towels run out and it is time to alight…
there is a reason why buddhists are asked to repeat their refuge 6 times a day: IT IS A REMINDER! It is to safeguard us.
Steve Jobs has shown clearly that irrespective of whether you are rich or famous, impermance rules. We all die and the time and way in which we die is beyond our control even though we may have billions. He stayed true to his beliefs, by making a difference to our lives for those who are fortunate enough to have used his inventions.
Steve Jobs are look upon by many worldwide as a visionary Apple CEO who bring technology to everyone, and help connected the dot of communication in our life, and changes the way we are living our life now, how many of us realize that?? and to think deeply into what he had bring to many around the world through the Apple’s famous product, from Imac, Ipod to Iphone and Ipad which so many people now craving for, he brings Buddhism into a whole new level. he applied Buddhism into the core of the technology, and he apply Buddhism to inspire through his position.
He’s speech is very inspiring and meaningful and full of wisdom, which touches the hearts of many. though many negative feedback about him on the way he do business, i can say, he is still a normal human being, which sometimes things are out of his control. But if not for the creative, genius and wisdom, are we still the same today without the technology that he invented, and will he still be able to inspire many other if without the success of his invention. Steve Jobs is the Einstein and Picasso of our time. Doing something wonderful for others is still his passion. how many of us think and did that?
Thank You Rinpoche for sharing this with us.
Steve Jobs – whether he was a practising Buddhist or not – did contribute to society. He was a visionary and his eloquence positively influenced many. Of course he was not perfect, he was a human being like all of us and made business and personal decisions which may not have been the best, but overall, he did inspire people to think different and be better.
Thank you for sharing this quote and Rinpoche’s advice for living better, i love it!
Like what Pete says above, there has been much talk since his death that Steve Jobs was not actually a very nice man, exerted a tremendous amount of pressure on his staff etc etc but there were also many, many accounts of what a great man he was, where people saw the “pressure” he put on others as his passion and that he translated this passion into pushing others to achieve more for themselves also.
Whatever it is, this can’t be denied – that he really sought to live his dreams, no matter what others said. There will be naysayers in everything we do; there is a devadatta to every one of us in whatever we are doing. So do we choose to listen to the devil? Or the passionate angel that is alive, inspiring, creative and fired up to make a difference in the world?
If nothing else, I think steve Job gave many people the opportunity to do something they would otherwise never have done or even dreamed of, and showed millions more in the world that if you just put your mind towards something, you can achieve it. There is hope in this, and who can deny the positivity of hope?
Probably Jobs wasn’t a practicing Buddhist, but from his successful career, i can see the embedded influences by Buddhism in him. The way he speaks, his very meaningful quotes, and also how he thinks outside the box when it comes to invention of Apple products. He applied simplicity and zen into his design, one of the kind. I would say, all these are the results of what he had learnt from his spiritual journey that influenced and inspired him all the while.
Its easy to forget what life is all about. Steve’s life and death has brought this message to the world. Even in death, Steve shows us how to THINK DIFFERENT.
We all want to be rich…… We all want to be filthy rich, but most important is we must be spiritually rich also.
My respect to Steve Jobs for being filthy rich materially and spiritually. May he rest in peace.
Thanks to Rinpoche for this inspiring article.
Dear Rinpoche,
What strikes me the most about steve jobs is that he really actualized the death meditation practice successfully and lived his life based on that to be successful. It is really another example of how Dharma is always right.
Joey
If we start to learn how to live our lives for others and not just thinking and action of ME and MINE, then we do not become selfish and self-centre.
Living for others does not mean giving up everything that we have or posses. We can always share part of our leisure time, part of our effort, an hour a week to help others. That is part of sharing. That is where “volunteering” helps us to find ourselves in the process to discover what life really means.
It is just like discovering back the “basics” of life. All we really need is a roof over our heads with 4 walls, a car to move around in, food to eat and clothes to wear, good body & health, clear mind. Anything more would be “extras” to comfort our desire.
I wish I was special..
We all can be special, especially if we are spiritual its really makes us stand apart from the rest of the world. I suppose whats spiritual is a person like His Holiness the Dalai Lama his presence and charisma draws people to him. A person who thinks and acts on others welfare more than their own can be considered spiritual.
I really get it now, we live not only for ourself but for others around me too. When doing something good everyday instead for myself I also must think for others. I get it!!!!
We must not always say ME ME ME, is a selfish act too.
I have learn about SELFISHNESS today…
Steve Jobs didn’t think twice about making a buck at someone’s expense.
He set up all those near slave labor work shops in China where the employees were being harassed, forced to work long hours and commenting suicide, etc., to make cheap I Phones for the world.
His parts for his computers were over priced, and he hated competition.
Fuck Steve Jobs.
In the end, Jobs is like any other successful entrepreneur whose company outsourced to China manufacturers that offered low prices in the expense of their employees. I don’t think we can put the blame entirely on Jobs and other like-minded people who are price conscious. Consumers demand good yet cheap products. This demand puts pressure on companies to outsource to sweat shops in China that work their employees to death. Like we always say: when the buying stops, the suffering stops.
Pete you made a very good point, as consumers we make demands on our suppliers for constantly cheaper goods, so if people can blame Steve Jobs, all consumers are also part of the guilty bandwagon.
Yes.. I truly agreed with you Wanwaimeng…
No point blaming people and see the negative side of things.. cos we are to be blamed.. we always want the best, the most up-to-date..etc so Steve is only catering to people like Pete.. if only we stop wanting, grasping, desiring… all these will stop.
I always believe that the goodness in you, you will always see positive things and vice-versa…
O M P H
Connie
Steve Jobs’ Mantra Rooted in Buddhism: Focus and Simplicity: http://yhoo.it/oUfISl
Being rich internally and externally is the most important and it makes live worth living. I guess that is happiness. What is living when we continuously search for money and neglect those we love around us? We can’t take our money to the grave with us, so might as well make other people happy and in turn, we will be happy.
I’m totally agree with u Will! Well said well said…..
Undoubtedly one of the greatest people of our time. Thank you for inspiring so many lives in the world Steve. Thank you for sharing Rinpoche.