1. About Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy
encompassing a variety of traditions,
beliefs and practices, largely based on
teachings attributed to Siddhartha
Gautama , commonly known as the
Buddha (“the awakened one”). Three
major branches of Buddhism are
recognized: Theravada , Mahayana and
Vajrayana . Buddhist scriptures and texts
exist in great variety, and unlike many
religions, Buddhism has no single
central text that is universally referred to
by all traditions. The foundations of
Buddhist tradition and practice are the
Three Jewels : the Buddha, the Dharma
(teachings) and the Sangha (the
community). The Four Noble Truths , the
first teachings of Gautama Buddha after
attaining nirvana (state of mind free from
suffering) are sometimes considered to
contain the essence of the Buddha’s
teachings. The Four Noble Truths

2. emphasize that suffering (dukkha )
exists, and that it arises from attachment
to desires. Cessation of desire leads to
freedom from suffering, and freedom
from suffering is achieved by practicing
the Noble Eightfold Path . The number of
Buddhists is estimated at around 350
million making it the world’s fourth
largest religion.
The Bhagavad Gita, the book that
contains the tenets of Hindu
philosophy and spirituality, is
what I turned to for help with this
question. As a conversation
between the warrior Arjuna and
his divine guide and charioteer
Krishna, the Gita shows humans
the path to self-actualization.
Among terms important in
thinking about the Gita are
Brahman, the cosmic soul and

3. essence of the universe, and
Atman, the individual soul.
Enlightenment is seeing life's true
reality, realizing that the Brahman
is equivalent to the Atman and
that all souls are one. This intense
focus inwards comes after freeing
oneself from physical wants and
desires.
But considering true renunciation
of physical desires in the manner
of the Buddha and stereotypical
ascetics seems contrary to the
pursuit of something as worldly as
money. Is it then wrong or at least
undesirable to pursue money
according to Hinduism and
Buddhism? Can one achieve
enlightenment while still

4. functioning in the modern world?
I found Mahatma Gandhi's
commentary on the Gita to be
valuable in clarifying these
questions. Rather than placing
religion as an enemy to material
objects, Gandhi said that the Gita
draws "no line of demarcation
between salvation and worldly
pursuits ... [It shows] that religion
must rule even our worldly
pursuits."
Before reading Gandhi's
commentary, I had a conversation
in the car with my parents, uncle
and grandfather about the place of
money in Hinduism and
Buddhism. At first, I thought that
the pursuit and possession of

5. money seemed to be completely
contrary to everything I'd read
about achieving enlightenment
and self-actualization. However,
my family explained to me a
stance similar to Gandhi's: the
Gita does not demand a retraction
from the modern world into
ascetic meditation. In fact,
Krishna urged Arjuna to face and
fulfill his life's duty as a warrior on
the battlefield. Money is an
essential unit for functioning in
today's society. We can fulfill our
duties and rightfully earn money
by abandoning selfish motives and
attachments to the results of our
work.
So then, is money in itself good or

6. bad?
With the help of my exploration
into Indian philosophy, I think
that "neither" is the right answer.
Money is just a necessary unit for
survival. The negatives associated
with money are motivated by what
the Bhagavad Gita warns against:
concern for the results of our
actions. Greed, jealousy or
harmful ambition in work leads to
excess and selfishness. In the end,
people who live life for the sake of
the ends of their actions bring pain
and disillusionment to themselves.
Although thousands, including
myself, struggle in carrying it out,
the Gita's message is simple. It is
refreshing and empowering that

7. the Bhagavad Gita and Hindu-
Buddhist thought give us the
power to mold our lives and
achieve a state of higher awareness
without sacrificing our place in a
functional society.