Mohammed, Buddha and Jesus on Wealth

So I got thinking the other day about the influence on praxis around materialism, poverty and riches by 'respected' religious figures. I'm fairly familiar already with some of what Y'shua (Jesus) taught.

So i thought i'd find out some of what Gautama (Buddha) and Mohammed taught. I was suprised that in my (brief) searching, they both seemed much more supportive of business and maybe even getting rich than i thought they'd be.

A couple of friends commented the following on a forum i hang out in

Gautama, if i recall, grew up as a very privlaged prince. The ability to dropout and seek enlightenment, requires a society that produces enough exess to facilitate such life styles.

Muhammad, I believe, lead a merchant caravan, and so probably had a strongly bourgeois (at least for his place and time) out look on life. Mohammed ran a business owned by his first wife. Strange to see how his example is ignored by some parts of the Islamic community as they restrict women's right to work.

http://www.globalwebpost.com/farooqm/writings/askme/islam/poverty1.htm

http://www.sut.ac.th/engineering/electrical/faculty/nimit/
articles/what_the_buddha_taught_about_money.htm

Is anyone more enlightened than i able to comment?

God Loses Out To Fame

From the Independent

[from research carried out through schools for National Kids' Day which was at the weekend.]



The children put God in tenth place of the best things in the world, the supreme being losing out to families, friends, pop music and watching films. He did, however, come first in the list of the most famous people, beating US President George W. Bush and Madonna into second and third place. Father Christmas is number five, with Jesus at number four.

Children may have relegated God for worldly pleasures but their parents haven't. Eight out of ten Britons believe that celebrating the birth of Christ is an integral part of Christmas, according to another poll.

And 90 per cent of those polled complained that Christmas has been too commercialised.

Nearly two thirds - 62 per cent - said that Christmas made them think about spiritual things, and 77 per cent said that Christmas made them think about what was important to them.

listening toBanco de Gaia | Coming Down the Mountain

Crazy World

You may have heard the Prodigy song Fire and wondered where the sample came from. It's from The Crazy World of Arthur Brown's song Fire released in 1968.

"You fought hard and you saved and earned
But all of it's going to burn"

I like the way it brings reality to our chase for material possessions, it's one of the things i miss about the oh-so-brief hippy movment.

I am the god of hell fire, and I bring you
Fire, I'll take you to burn
Fire, I'll take you to learn
I'll see you burn

You fought hard and you saved and earned
But all of it's going to burn
And your mind, your tiny mind
You know you've really been so blind
Now 's your time, burn your mind
You're falling far too far behind
Oh no, oh no, oh no, you're gonna burn

Fire, to destroy all you've done
Fire, to end all you've become
I'll feel you burn

You've been living like a little girl
In the middle of your little world
And your mind, your tiny mind
You know you've really been so blind
Now 's your time, burn your mind
You're falling far too far behind

OOhhh

Fire, I'll take you to burn
Fire, I'll take you to learn
You're gonna burn, you're gonna burn
You're gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn

Fire, I'll take you to burn
Fire, I'll take you to learn
Fire, I'll take you to bed

listening to Faithless | Bombs (Benny Benassi mix)