What does it actually mean to live an abundant life?
In today’s modern world, we are constantly told we need more. Advertising, political and business commentators, and financial experts keep telling us that “more” will solve all our problems. Work more. Buy more. Have more.
But if “more” is the answer to everything, why do so many of us have so much and yet continue to feel empty and unfulfilled?
There is a jewel of abundance in the treasure-trove of Vedic wisdom. This jewel is a time-tested formula for living a prosperous life without losing your soul along the way. It is one of the universal life goals called Artha, which means wealth. Artha is the inseparable companion of dharma, the goal to live a meaningful life of higher purpose.
Understanding this relationship between dharma and artha, and learning how to apply this understanding in your daily life through practice is the key to finding true prosperity. It is a process for learning to thrive in all ways. Thrive on your path to personal growth and success. Thrive as an agent for social change and touching the lives of others. Thrive as a catalyst for planetary healing, so that all may prosper.
The following clip introduces the concept of dharma and explains its significance during a talk at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, CA.
As we delve into the heart of fulfilled living, we examine ten “prospering promises”—success formulas drawn from yoga philosophy and practice. We learn about the spiritual law of wealth and how to apply it in all circumstances and discover how to meet obstacles as opportunities. We also learn to cultivate the equanimity that is essential for success and happiness.
The true secret of prosperity is not a secret. It does not rely on pseudoscientific ideas about quantum entanglement, positive thinking, or reciting mantras to attain magical results. And it is not about mere fulfillment of personal desires.
In the book The Jewel of Abundance, I wrote, “We open ourselves to be divine instruments of healing and blessing. When we do, grace overflows as supply, meeting every real need on time and in abundance. The immutable spiritual law is: Individual prosperity cannot be separated from the good of all. Spiritual law always rests on wholeness.”
The call to prosper is a dharmic drive in us.” In the words of my Guru, Roy Eugene Davis, a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda, “There is a power for good that runs this universe and we can learn to cooperate with it.” When we are learning how to prosper, we are learning how to cooperate with this tendency in the Universe that wants to bring all things into their fullness of being.
The goal of practicing artha is to prosper for the sake of dharma, to sustain our capacity to fulfill our purpose in this lifetime.