Is Being Born into Wealth a Reward and Being Born into Poverty a Punishment?

Xuefeng

In Buddhism, some individuals claim that being born into a wealthy and prestigious family is due to the accumulation of good karma from past lives, a reward from the law of cause and effect. On the other hand, being born into poverty is seen as punishment for not accumulating enough merits in the previous life. Similarly, in this life, having wealth and power is believed to be a result of past accumulation of merits.

Is this perspective accurate?

Let's analyze it.

According to the words of Jesus Christ: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." Based on Jesus' warning, wealthy people are unable to enter the kingdom of God. Therefore, being born into wealth and having power and money takes one further away from heaven; this is not a reward for people, but rather a form of punishment.

Imagine a child who loves to curse and insult others. One day, an elderly person passes by, and the child insults him as well. However, instead of getting angry, the elderly person smiles and offers the child a handful of candy, praising the child for his skilled insults. Now, ask yourself: Is this child being rewarded or punished for his foul language? Do you think this child will have a positive outcome in the end? How is this situation different from being rewarded with material abundance and social status?

Laozi said, "To weaken something, you must first strengthen it; to overthrow something, you must first support it." Another saying goes, "When heaven wishes to destroy something, it first makes it mad." From this, we can deduce that if heaven intends to punish someone, it will have them born into a wealthy and powerful family, allowing them to have money and authority. On the other hand, if heaven wishes to reward and empower someone, it will have them born into a poor family without wealth or power.

As Mengzi said, "When heaven is about to place a great responsibility on someone, it always tests their resolution, exhausts their muscles, deprives them of food, starves them, disturbs them, and disrupts their actions. In this way, their determination and endurance are awakened, and their abilities are enhanced." From Mengzi's perspective, if heaven wants to empower someone, it will not have them born into a wealthy and powerful family.

The sum of positive and negative energy is zero, which is a law of the universe. The greatest achievement in life is not to endlessly undergo reincarnation in the human world but to reach heaven. To reach heaven, one must possess the corresponding merits and blessings. Even if a person has accumulated blessings from their past life, if they enjoy those blessings in this life, they will be farther away from heaven. Therefore, being born into a wealthy and prestigious family, enjoying the blessings of this life, according to the law that the sum of positive and negative energies equals zero, is undoubtedly a form of punishment rather than a reward.

Why does Buddhism claim that being born into wealth and having power and money is a reward for one's previous merits?

The source of all Buddhist scriptures and values is the "Diamond Sutra." When we explore the profound meaning of the "Diamond Sutra" word by word, we can't find any notion that being born into wealth, having power, or possessing money is the result of past merits. On the contrary, Buddha often speaks of "no form of self" and advises against dwelling on appearances, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch to give rise to desires. Seeing the Buddha through appearances and seeking the Buddha through sounds and voices are considered the path of the deviant. "All conditioned phenomena are like dreams, illusions, bubbles." How can we relate wealth, power, and money to Buddhist teachings?

When we claim that being born into wealth and having power and money are the results of past merits, while being born into poverty and hardship is the result of not performing enough good deeds in the previous life, this perspective is akin to flattering and fawning over the wealthy and powerful while adding insult to injury for the poor. It is neither compassionate nor empathetic towards the poor; it wounds their spirits and hearts, which goes against the compassionate nature of Buddhism.

What is the purpose of practicing Buddhism and doing good deeds? Is it solely to be born into wealth and power in the next life?

Is this what Buddha teaching? Or is this the temptation of the devil?