We must deeply understand that the accumulation and consumption of good fortune are two crucial aspects of life. If you indulge too much in pleasure and don't know how to cultivate good fortune, once your good fortune is exhausted, you will face endless difficulties. Lack of compassion and bodhichitta and indulging in greed, hatred, obsession, arrogance and jealousy will only continue to deplete our good fortune.
When the good fortune is exhausted and karma manifests, we may fall into an endless cycle of samsara from which we will not be able to liberate. True wealth is not something that can be obtained simply through hard work or business, but comes from the good fortune and good causes that we have cultivated in the past. These causes are stored in the alayya, and when the causes are ripe, they bear fruit.
It's human nature to enjoy good fortune, but the key is not to waste it. Squandering time, possessions, merits, and good fortune is a great waste of good fortune. We must realize that everything we have is a manifestation of good fortune and therefore must not be wasted.
Many people mistakenly believe that public property or other people's possessions can be squandered at will, but in fact, even the use of these resources is a manifestation of our good fortune. Wasting public resources or other people's property is actually consuming one's own blessings. We must have a clear understanding of this.
In religious places such as temples, all possessions are offerings from the faithful. If it is taken at will, discarded or wasted, the good fortune will be consumed very quickly. Therefore, we should learn to be frugal and cherish.
However, frugality doesn't mean forcing yourself to use damaged or spoiled items. Such a practice may cause harm to the body. We can dispose of these items and give them to other beings through pure thoughts and wishes. Even our saliva and excrement are precious food and resources in the eyes of many sentient beings.
There is a story about a hungry ghost who had not received food for a long time, and one day he got phlegm from a practitioner. Because the practitioner has compassion when he spits, his phlegm becomes food for hungry ghosts. After the hungry ghost got this phlegm, he was even reluctant to eat it, wanting to keep it for his children. This story teaches us that even small things can be a lifesaver for others in certain situations.
When we dispose of leftover food, spoiled food, and waste such as spitting, we can recite the "Hum Ah Na" and the Guanyin mantra "Hum Mani Pa Mei Na". These can bless the body, mouth, and mind of all the Buddhas, and make the impure things pure, and fill the whole void. Through the blessings of the fos, the small things we give can also be turned into things that are needed and loved by our unjust creditors. Therefore,As long as we have a pure heart, even if we throw away things, we can benefit many sentient beings.
In life, we should learn to use our possessions and resources wisely. Don't be too stingy and reluctant to spend what you should use; Don't be too greedy and blindly pursue material comforts. Only by maintaining a balanced and moderate attitude can we better accumulate good fortune and enjoy the beauty of life. Blessings are attained through practice, not by prayer or extravagance.