Buddha and economics

Dear Friends,

Here I gave you two Buddhist stories professor and I had talked in the class.

Story (I)

Ananda felt very sad, and the Buddha begun to consoled him. Ananda uttered this: In lack of wisdom rule the darkness in the humans mind and all the sentient beings in the world grope in the lack of guidance. Then the Perfected One lightens the lamp of wisdom, that lamp, which now will be ceased before he had carried that lamp to the end". "Do not cry, Ananda", said the Buddha.

The Buddha told him this: I told you for a long time ago this: That’s the nature of
everything that we must be separated from them who we loving in this world. One is
short-sighted and keeps the idea of the self? The clever have realized that there is
nothing to build any thoughts from. He is apparent of that all compositional units may be
dissolute again but the truth always lasting. Why should I preserve this body then the
noble truth lasting? I have now reached the end of the way. I have reached my purpose,
after this work I have done, I am seeking for the rest. You, Ananda, you have been very
close tome and ardent in thoughts and loving deeds, which never had been lesser and never could be measured. You have acted well. Be patient in your struggle. Soon, even you will be free from evilness, from sensuality, from egoism an ignorance". Later, Ananda brushed away his tears, and stopped crying.

Story(II)

But both of them were ignorant and knew only how to spend money and not how to keep it or to make it grow. They just ate and drank and had a good time, squandering their money. When they had spent all, they sold their fields and gardens and finally their house. Thus, they became very poor and helpless; and because they did not know how to earn a living they had to go begging. One day, the Buddha saw the rich man's son leaning against a wall of the monastery, taking the leftovers given him by the samaneras; seeing him, the Buddha smiled.

The Venerable Ananda asked the Buddha why he smiled, and the Buddha replied, "Ananda, look at this son of a very rich man; he had lived a useless life, an aimless life of
pleasure. If he had learnt to look after his riches in the first stage of his life he
would have been a top-ranking rich man; or if he had become a bhikkhu, he could have been an arahat, and his wife could have been an anagami. If he had learnt to look after his
riches in the second stage of his life he would have been a second rank rich man, or if
he had become a bhikkhu he could have been an anagami, and his wife could have been a
sakadagami. If he had learnt to look after his riches in the third stage of his life he
would have been a third rank rich man, or if he had become a bhikkhu he could have been a sakadagami, and his wife could have been a sotapanna. However, because he had done nothing in all the three stages of his life he had lost all his worldly riches, he had
also lost all opportunities of attaining any of the Maggas and Phalas."

Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
They, who in youth have neither led the life of Purity nor have acquired wealth, waste
away in dejection like decrepit herons on a drying pond deplete of fish.

They, who in youth have neither led the Life of Purity nor have acquired wealth, lie
helplessly like arrows that have lost momentum, moaning and sighing after the past.

From Aging (Jaravagga)

Have insights and peace,
Aung