The Antidote to Poverty

The Antidote to Poverty

Date of Advice:
June 2018
Date Posted:
April 2021

A student wrote that they couldn’t make money and were unable to escape poverty. Rinpoche advised the student to recite the Heart Sutra and to make charity with a pure heart, helping others as much as possible.

My most dear, most kind, most precious, wish-fulfilling one,

I checked regarding your question, and what came out is for you to recite the Heart Sutra 500 times, thinking of the meaning without being distracted.

Also be kind to everyone, even insects, and help in whatever way you can, for example by giving food, making charity to ants, birds, worms, even mice. You can make charity with any food, not with worldly concern, attachment to this life, but with a very pure heart to benefit them, with bodhicitta.

Think, “The purpose of my life is to free numberless sentient beings from suffering and bring them to enlightenment as quickly as possible, therefore I must achieve omniscience, buddhahood, therefore I am going to make charity.” You can help animals and people in whatever way you can, offering help for each of them, not only those from this life.

Buddha said even if you make charity the size of a hair, you won’t be reborn in the lower realms for 80,000 eons and in your future lives you will have so much success and wealth, and also in future lives you will make charity. You will go toward enlightenment from every action that you do to help any sentient beings.

That is the best thing, so do that as much as you can, take the opportunity. Also, develop your bodhicitta, the good heart, so do like that. Thank you very much.

Also, when you get money, be careful. Don’t just spend a lot of money on your own pleasure; that could be a big waste of money, so be careful. Charity to help others is so worthwhile, but if you use money for your own pleasure, then so much money is wasted, so avoid that.

Thank you very much.

With much love and prayers ...