Sufficiency is Not Abundance
पर्याप्तता प्रचुरता नहीं है-- लिन ट्विस्ट द्वारा लिखित (३ फ़रवरी, २०१६)
जो संसाधन हमारे जीवन में प्रवाहित होते हैं, हम उन्हें हम सब के भविष्य पर लगाना सीख सकते हैं। हम उन संसाधनों को अपनी सर्वोच्च प्रतिबद्धताओं और आदर्शों पर लगा सकते हैं, चाहे वो संसाधन हमारे जीवन में एक तेज़ बहते बहाव की तरह आ रहे हों या एक पतली धार की तरह। हम अपने धन को या जो धन हमें सौंपा गया है, उसे खुद को पूर्ण करने की अंधाधुंध लालसा की बजाए, अखंडता के भाव से ऐसे इस्तेमाल कर सकते हैं जिससे सबका फायदा हो।
मैं इसे पर्याप्तता के संदर्भ में जीना कहती हूँ। यह प्रचुरता जैसा नहीं है ( प्रचुरता वो है जो हमारी ज़रूरत से ज़्यादा है - वो अति है), और जिस संदर्भ में मैं बात कर रही हूँ, प्रचुरता महज कमी का दूसरा पहलू है। आप जरूरत से ज्यादा पाने का प्रयास करते हैं क्योंकि आप विश्वास करते हैं या डरते हैं कि आपके पास काफी नहीं है।
पर्याप्तता स्पष्ट है। इसका अर्थ है कि चीज़ें पर्याप्त मात्रा में हैं, ठीक उचित मात्र में। पर्याप्तता का एक सिद्धांत है, और वह इस प्रकार है: जब आप जिस चीज़ की आपको ज़रूरत नहीं है उससे ज़्यादा पाने की कोशिश करना छोड़ देते हैं, जिसे वास्तव में हम सभी और अधिक पाने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं, तो इससे जो हमारे पास है, उससे औरों के जीवन को बदलने के लिए हमें अथाह शक्ति मिल जाती है।
जब आप जो कुछ आपके पास है उससे औरों के लिए कुछ करते हैं, तो वो चीज़ बढ़ जाती है। यह सन्दर्भ 21 वीं सदी के लिए पर्याप्तता के सिद्धांत पर आधारित नई मान्यताओं को उत्पन्न करता है। अगर हम अपनी सारी शक्ति और पाने में लगाने की बजाए, जितना हमारे पास है उससे औरों के जीवन को बदलने का प्रण करने के लिए तैयार हैं, तो... जितना हमारे पास है वो स्वाभाविक और संगठित रूप से बढ़ेगा।
ये नयी मान्यताएं या ये नए संदर्भ धन और जीवन के चारों ओर एक पूरी नई संस्कृति को जन्म दे सकते हैं। यह हमें सिखाते हैं कि कैसे हम इस बात के लिए जाने जाएं कि हम चीज़ों को कैसे बांटते हैं, न कि इसलिए कि हम क्या जमा कर रहे हैं। ये हमें सिखाते कि हम कैसे अपने बाहरी धन को जमा करने की बजाए अपनी भीतरी सम्पत्ति से मापे जाएं और कैसे उसी आधार पर औरों को मापें। दान को जैसे हम अभी समझते हैं, हम उस समझ को खत्म करना सीख सकते है और सही मायने में अपनी सम्पत्ति को लगाकर या अपने आप को एक नए भविष्य में निहित करना शुरू कर सकते हैं जिससे हम सबका भला होगा।
जबकि हम ऐसा सोचते हैं कि कुछ लोग धनवान हैं और कुछ धनहीन, असल में सच तो ये है कि धन गरीब से गरीब किसान से लेकर सबसे धनी उद्योगपति, हर व्यक्ति के जीवन का हिस्सा है, लेकिन हमारे जीवन में आने वाले धन को हम किस तरफ लगाते है वो हमें परिभाषित करता है।
एक अमेरिकी अरबपति और ग्वातेमाला का एक किसान, एक यूरोपीय उद्योगपति और इथियोपिया का एक जनसाधारण नेता बराबर की भागीदारी में एक साथ खड़े हो सकते हैं और हम सब के लिए एक नए भविष्य, ऐसा भविष्य जो हम सब की पूर्ति करेगा, उसमें अपना समय, शक्ति और आर्थिक संसाधनों को लगा सकते हैं।
विचार के लिए कुछ मूल प्रश्न: आप पर्याप्तता से क्या समझते हैं? क्या आप अपना कोई व्यक्तिगत अनुभव बांटना चाहेंगे जब आपको अपने में पर्याप्तता के माध्यम से दूसरों के जीवन को बदलने की अथाह शक्ति का अहसास हुआ हो? ऐसा क्या है जो आपको बाहरी सम्पत्ति से ज़्यादा अपनी आंतरिक सम्पत्ति का आदर करने में मदद करता है?
लिन ट्विस्ट, “धन की आत्मा” में।
Lynne Twist, in The Soul of Money.
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What does sufficiency mean to you? Can you share a personal experience of a time when you discovered, through sufficiency, an immense energy to make a difference? What helps you to remember to value your inner riches over your outer riches?
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21 Past Reflections
On Apr 30, 2016 Craig Barton wrote :
"Abundance is knowing sufficiency and be willing to give the rest away." Not certain who said this. I heard it from Rev. Chuck Hancock at a Unity church.
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On Feb 23, 2016 karen wrote :
Sufficiency is a nice concept. We know that there is more than enough (of everythhing, food, products, etc.) for everyone, but the problem is greed. People are unwilling to let go of what they have, even if it's more than enough. The next problem would be distribution or logistics, and that would probably be easy to solve without greed..
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On Feb 19, 2016 savita wrote :
can one equate money and love.Can one have enough of either?
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On Feb 19, 2016 Bhupendra Madhiwalla wrote :
Contentment is supreme virtue from which other virtues like altruism, benevolence, empathy., compassion, co-operation etc. derive. Contentment should be not only for money but every aspect of our life, such as beauty, intelligence, education, spouse, children, work etc. Only contented person can be happy and spread happiness all around.
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On Feb 19, 2016 Viresh kothari wrote :
Sufficiency means" paripurna " a Sanskrit word . I am full . There is no desire for anything more. Regarding experience once I asked a child eating candy can I have the candy , child took out candy from his mouth and said take, take wholeheartedly. I was paralyzed. I have learnt "to gain somethings in life is to loose it willlngley " life is to Give Not to take . Serve others it's a full time awareness and not part time practice .
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On Feb 19, 2016 KB wrote :
"If we are willing to begin to commit to make a difference with what we have rather than putting all of our energy into getting more, then…what we have will naturally and organically expand."
That has not been my experience. I wish it were. For years, I worked for nonprofits because I wanted to do things that mattered to me. But I "eeked" along usually without any health insurance and hoping that nothing major would happen as I lived so close to the edge. And my situation was nothing compared to many people's plight in the world. I think it is a lovely sentiment; I just wonder if committing to making a difference with what we have works when one really doesn't have enough for sustainability.
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On Feb 19, 2016 Virginia Reeves wrote :
Abundance to me consists of having gratitude for what you have and what you are inside. Sufficiency gets you enough and a bit more. I think it's a matter of attitude and perspective. You are right Lynne when you state that when you take what you have and use it for good - it will expand.
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On Feb 19, 2016 Ramesh Shah wrote :
I am retired and getting Social Security check every month. it is sufficient to maintain my life style; my savings GOD help me to direct for poorest and weakest so I can make a small difference in lives of those who need most. This attitude provides me energy, inspiration and physical/spiritual health.
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On Feb 19, 2016 Ben Hunt wrote :
I love this, thank you for sharing such a powerful distinction!
It really helps me to understand one of the reasons why I feel so uneasy with the New Age materialism I see in the Law of Attraction / Abraham-Hicks ideology. People say, "Nature/God is abundant" whereas the truth is "Nature/God is sufficent"!
Sufficiency is built in to Natural Law. Nothing in nature hoards more than it needs. Nature overflows, and I believe that by following Nature we will find ultimate fulfilment.
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On Feb 19, 2016 Patricia Lucas wrote :
This is only about the tangible. For me I live a journey of trying to live my life knowing truly that GOD is enough.
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On Feb 18, 2016 jayashree wrote :
so can we take it that let your money work for you not you working for money. Invest wisely
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On Feb 3, 2016 Alice wrote :
Thank you so much for this article. I have felt a deep sense of unease in relation to the notion of 'abundance' and the spiritual materialism it celebrates. Sufficiency brings with it a sense of flow, release, contentment. It is as it is in nature ... my whole body has just experienced a deep sigh of relief.
1 reply: Amy | Post Your Reply
On Feb 2, 2016 Krzysztof wrote :
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On Feb 2, 2016 Betty Gross wrote :
People and situations around me can be sad or horrific yet there is some inner sense of the appropriate way to offer assistance . Inside me are offerings that can be given to help alleviate the pain somewhat.
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On Feb 1, 2016 Indira Iyer wrote :
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On Feb 1, 2016 Ram Goyal wrote :
Sufficiency means to only to take what you need and allow the rest to flow through you in the belief that the flow will will not only be maintained but will multiply.
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On Jan 31, 2016 david doane wrote :
Sufficiency mans to have what is needed, no more or less, and to live with and use that amount, rather than hoarding more than what is needed or going without what is needed. Sufficiency is economical. You can never have enough of what you don't really need -- unfortunately we don't believe that, so we accumulate and hoard much more than we need. It is so much wiser to be generous, allocate rather than accumulate what is more than needed, and let others benefit at least from our surplus. By sewing the more than I need so it can make a positive difference to others, I reap inner wealth and joy. As I get older, I am much more conscious of giving and sharing what I have to hopefully benefit others, and I am more conscious of the satisfaction and joy I experience in doing so. Experiencing the value of inner riches doesn't go away, it stays with me, and helps me to value inner riches over outer riches.
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