work QUESTIONS & ANSWERSQ. Master, when one wants to express in the work situationbut finds that the opportunity gets oppressed, what should bethe attitude at work and what should one do? Is ambition in theworkplace wrong? I would appreciate Your shedding light on thismatter.
M.Ah, we go back to real life, working. (Master laughs) Ambitionat work is not wrong; ambition is a must at work. Otherwise, howcan you work, how can you progress? How can you please your bossand yourself? How can you make a profit for your company? That'sa duty. It's a duty to be ambitious. To be ambitious doesn't meanwe have to step on other people's heads to go forward. Ambitiousnessand viciousness or jealousy are different. We can be ambitious,we can improve ourselves all the time without having to suppressother people. If we do feel oppressed to some degree, then wehave to find the reason the other person is oppressing us -- whetherwe are not competent enough, whether it's a personality problem,or it's the other person who is too envious of us. If we can,then talk to that person. If we know we are in the right, thatperson is in the wrong and we talk to that person, if she or hebecomes better, forgive her or him. If they don't become better,forgive them anyhow; continue with your work. We can't avoid conflictin this life. That's the fact. Even within personal relationships,sometimes husband and wife also envy each other, if one is toosuccessful. That's the problem with the human brain; it's notwith the soul, though, not with the enlightened people.
..... Q. I have a dilemma and it's between me, who I am, andmy profession. I'm a lawyer; I represent large companies and corporations.The people we sue are oftentimes injured, either physically oreven in some cases, someone has died, and my job is to make itso that the company doesn't pay any money. The dilemma that Ihave is that many times I look back on what is a success professionally,but for myself is troublesome because I feel like on many occasionsthere are people that deserved to have received some sort of paymentand didn't because of my actions. I am quite troubled by thatand I was wondering if you could lend me some comfort.
M.I understand. You are not the only one who has this question.Well, either you have to do it the way that the company wantsbecause you are paid for it, or quit and get your own office.A lawyer often has to do things that he knows are not proper,and if he does it too often, then he may forget that it is notproper, and it becomes a habit. Therefore, it is up to you todo it the way you want, or to do it the way the world wants. Youchoose between your conscience and your payment and fame. Didyou watch the movie "The Devil's Advocate"?
Q. Yes, recently.
M.Good, and did you see "The Rain Maker"?
Q. I haven't seen that one.
M.It is similar. Go watch that and then you will have your own answer.There are many other jobs to do. Also, you can teach in law school,or is that also in terms of breeding other lawyers? [Laughter]A lot of people feel the same way as you do because they startedout very idealistic as newborn lawyers. They wanted to fight forjustice and to defend the weak and needy, but then situationsforced them into doing the opposite. Many times, they come homeand do not feel very good; they don't feel the money they earnedis all clean. I don't know if there are other choices for lawyersor not. Maybe you can open your own corporation, but there isso much competition.
It is very difficult to be successful in thisworld and to keep our standard at the same time. It is up to youto choose your way of life; I cannot tell you what to do. As longas you are paid by the company to defend for it, you have donea good job. That is what you are paid for, and you are faithfuland loyal to your company. No one can blame you for that.
On the other hand, your conscience will tellyou that that poor employee has nothing left. After he dies orhas an accident, his life is finished, his family's future isdarkened, and your conscience will not rest. That is the problem,and not that you are wrong or the person is right. It has nothingto do with that. As far as your job is concerned, you have doneexcellently. That is what you have to do because you are paidto do it. You have done well, but it is up to you now to choosebetween being a successful lawyer and a conscientious human being.
There are other jobs to do, like selling tofuoutside [Laughter] or delivering pizza. The problem with us isthat once we climb the ladder of success, it is very difficultto stop there or climb down. But it's very easy once you renounceinside your heart, knowing that a clean conscience and peace ofmind are worth every piece of gold in this world, and then youcan decide.
We don't have to live in Beverly Hills; wedon't have to live on Capitol Hill. We can live in a mobile home,which is very cheap. A secondhand mobile home costs about $15,000or $20,000 or sometimes even five or ten thousand dollars. Youdon't have much to clean, and you don't need servants once a monthor once a week. That's what I do; I am living in a mobile homeright now, and you can laugh at me if you like. I can afford morethan that but at the moment, it's not necessary. If I had a biggerhouse then I would have to depend on a lot of people for cleaning,mowing the lawn, and all that. There are many unnecessary expenses.It is a privilege and prestigious to live in a big house, to havea name-brand car and all that if you can afford it. If you cannot,a secondhand car will do and a mobile home will be fine.
You will feel very happy when you don't havedebts to pay, when you don't have anyone that blames you, andyou don't blame yourself for any wrongdoing. That is the best"mansion" that you can ever have for yourself - peaceof mind and a clear conscience. That is why many Masters tellyou to forsake the world in order to gain heaven. Whoever clingsto life will lose it. Whoever forsakes life will find eternallife. [Matt 16:25] That is the meaning of it.
We are too bound to material comforts and "musts,do's, and don'ts," and we forget to liberate ourselves fromall this; we don't need all that. We don't need to go to BeverlyHills to parties; we can forsake them all. We can leave all thefriends that are posh and rich, and make us feel competitive andas if we have to be forever climbing to be like them. After awhileyou are tired of parties, big friends, names, and all that, andyou just like to stay at home in your own room, even a small roomwould be fine. You just meditate and you feel so good inside;you do not need any material things to show off, and then anyjob will do. We don't depend on jobs; we don't depend on fameand prestige to live our lives. We depend on God; we depend oninner tranquility and a clear conscience. That is why Jesus said,Blessed are the pure in spirit for they shall know God. [Matt5:8] You have to become like a child in order to enter the Kingdom.That's what it is.
We cannot become like a child if we foreverhave to strive to be like next door. To go to this and that partybecause so many names are there, we have to be someone also orelse we are no one, and we cannot go there; we feel ashamed. Weshould not feel ashamed. We should feel ashamed if we do somethingagainst God's will. If we are not a morally equipped person, ifwe are not conscientiously noble, then we should feel ashamed.
We never should feel ashamed if we lack materialmeans, if we in live a humble house, or have a secondhand car.That is what binds a lot of people, making them stick to a positionand work against their own conscience and will. They suffer somuch internally, all the gold in the world cannot make up forit. Then they will feel sick and later all the sickness will boilup into cancer and those kinds of things. It's not worth it. Iam just telling people what binds them and how to liberate themselves.Money is poison. It poisons many people and damages a lot of goodpersons with its fame and illusionary prestige.
