The Tao of Abundance

In his book, “The Tao of Abundance”, author and Eastern philosopher Laurence Boldt urges everyone to explore how much of their life is being dictated by a misdirected desire to gain peace of mind through acquiring material wealth. He explains that money is, of course, a factor in our experience of abundance. However, the true expression of abundance is much more than material wealth.

Ask yourself if you’re lacking in the following:

• Do you lack the time to just be and relax, to learn and grow, and to be with friends and family?
• Do you feel a lack of ease? Are you under constant stress and pressure? Do you feel like you’re always struggling?
• Do you lack purpose or a sense of direction in your life?
• Do you lack peace of mind? Do you feel frustrated, restless, and dissatisfied?
• Do you have a vague sense that something is missing?
• Do you feel a lack of physical, mental, or emotional energy?
• Do you feel that you’re not fully expressing the love, talent, and creativity that you know lies within?

If you want to create a sense of real abundance in your life, addressing the lacks above is every bit as important as addressing a lack of dollars or material goods. In fact, the pursuit of money can often interfere with fulfilling needs such as having enough leisure time, having a sense of purpose, and feeling at ease.

Boldt explains that when it comes to money, there are two important questions that you should ask yourself:

1. How much do I need?
2. How much is it going to cost me to get it?

That is, when you’re thinking of how much money you need in order to feel secure and to live comfortably, keep asking yourself how much it’s going to cost you to get that money. It’s important to keep in mind that even if you start making more money, your sense of abundance could diminish if you start to lose touch with non-material sources of abundance.

Take a look at the following:

• Money should not cost you your soul.
• Money should not cost you your relationships.
• Money should not cost you your dignity.
• Money should not cost you your health.
• Money should not cost you your intelligence.
• Money should not cost you your joy.

If making more money is costing you you’re happiness, then it’s having a negative impact on your abundance. To quote Boldt: “In a life of getting and spending . . . we miss the wonder and bliss of what it is to be alive.”

Following the principles of Taoism, below you’ll discover four ways of bringing more abundance into your life.

Regain a Sense of Mystery and Wonder

When people feel a sense of lack in their lives, they tend to think that it’s because there’s some material comfort that’s missing. That is, they think that they feel lack because they don’t have a summer house by the lake, or a BMW 5 Series. Boldt explains that we feel lack because many of us have lost a connection to the spiritual in our daily lives.

He adds that the spiritual dimension—the experience of an eternal transcendent consciousness that we all move in–is fundamental to human life. You can regain a sense of the spiritual in your life by doing the following:

• Begin a practice of prayer, meditation, yoga, or Tai Chi.
• Spend more time in nature.
• Allow your intuition to guide you back to a connection with the spiritual.

Have Increased Abundance Through Frugality

Lao Tzu– considered the founder of philosophical Taoism—once said, “Being frugal one has abundance.” If we trace the origin of the word “frugality”, we find that it is derived from the Latin frux, or fruit. To be frugal is to be fruitful. Being frugal doesn’t mean to go without the things are important to you, and which are aligned with your values. Instead, being frugal means the following:

• Forget retail therapy; find ways to nourish yourself that don’t involve money.
• Conserve and repair.
• Think quality instead of quantity.
• Do without what is unneeded.
• Spend mindfully; for example, when you’re going to buy something, ask yourself whether you really want it, or if you’re just buying it because of what you hope it will say about you to others.

Some examples of frugal abundance include the following:

• Choosing to live in a small apartment and using the money that you save to travel.
• Choosing to cut back on how much you spend on clothes and shoes so that you can spend more on your true passion: fine wines and gourmet food.
• Choosing to spend less money on going out drinking with your buddies so that you can buy more books or art supplies.

Think of the following quote: “The richest man is not he who has the most, but he who needs the least.”

Follow Your Nature

Following your nature is simply a matter of doing what you’re naturally good at. As Boldt explains, we are happiest when we are fully exercising our natural abilities; our nature is our strength. To deny it is to rob yourself of your own power.

If you’re suppressing your own nature in your every day work, you’re dulling your senses and switching off your innate intuitive intelligence. This makes you feel heavy, and it leads you to doubt yourself. Don’t do the following:

• Choose your career to please your parents.
• Choose your career based on how much money you’re going to make.
• Choose your career based on social acceptance and prestige.

Denying your talents, gifts, and abilities, is like placing leg-irons around your ankles and complaining that you can’t run fast enough. On the other hand, when you respect your gifts and you express your inmost nature in the outer world, you attract to yourself the people, circumstances, and resources you will need to fulfill your destiny. Ease, joy, and power are natural by-products of following your nature. Following your nature puts you in the flow of the Tao.

Cultivate Time Abundance

As Boldt points out, in our collective struggle to end material poverty, we’ve created time poverty. He explains that we’ve made great strides in increasing productivity in the workplace. However, productivity gains have not been translated into increased leisure; instead it’s going into increased consumption.

Boldt refers to the book “The Overworked American” in which Juliet Schor notes that if Americans today enjoyed the same standard of living they had in 1948, they could work every other year or take six months off. However, instead of taking half a year off, we work harder in order to be able to buy more things. Ask yourself if material comforts are worth six months of the year, or half of the time in your life.

If we started working less, it’s clear that we would be able to afford a lot less than we do now. But what would we gain? Here are some interesting questions to consider:

• Would marital relationships be stronger?
• Would our children be better cared for and feel more secure?
• Would we have more opportunities to express ourselves creatively?
• Would communities profit from increased participation in their social, cultural, and political life?
• Would we feel relaxed and enjoy the simple things of life more fully?
• Would we be healthier in body, mind, and spirit?”

Conclusion

Boldt does a great job of pointing out that having abundance is a lot more than simply about money. It’s about feeling a connection to something bigger than ourselves; doing work that we enjoy and that allows us to express who we are, instead of just settling for a job that pays the bills; taking the time to decide what we really want and need, instead of just spending our money indiscriminately; and having more time for leisure, creativity, and building closer bonds with others.

Here’s a quote from “The Tao of Abundance”:

“In a world that defines abundance in terms of scarce resources and economic abstractions, the Taoist philosophy defines abundance in human terms and sees the world as a naturally abundant place. In a do-oriented society that puts its faith in future progress, it reminds us to be, and that here and now is the only place we live. In a world caught up in glamour and obsessed with consumption, the Taoist perspective offers an appreciation of leisure and beauty in the simple things in life. In a society that values the cerebral and abstract, the Taoists remind us to trust our intuitions and to recognize the power of the unconscious intelligence. In an increasingly narcissistic and artificial society, Taoist philosophy values humility, naturalness, and spontaneity.”

What does abundance mean for you? Please share in the comments section.

(Ying and Yang Gold and Blue Mosaic is courtesy of MAMJODH)

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