MEDITATION TIP —26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 25, 2022

“The poor man died, and was taken by the angels to the very side of Abraham, who was seated at the banquet.” (Luke 16:22)

　The subject of today’s Gospel is a warning against the temptation of wealth. Not only in today’s Gospel, but Jesus often speaks of the temptation of wealth throughout the Gospels. (Matthew 19:16-24, Luke 12:13-21, etc.) However, Jesus himself socialized and ate with rich people. Wealth and money are not bad, but rather important. The church has always benefited from them. The desire for profit is also the driving force of business and human activity. But as today’s Gospel warns, wealth is not to be monopolized but shared. According to German political scientist and sociologist Max Weber, the original promoters of capitalism were devout Protestants who adhered to a strict code of ethics to practice the love of neighbor that Jesus preached, and they believed that profits should be used for the betterment of society while respecting labor.

　There was once an American man named Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919). He was born into a poor family in Scotland, immigrated to the U.S. with his parents, and after moving from job to job in search of a richer life, he eventually emerged and started a steel company, predicting that the age of steel would come. He eventually amassed enormous wealth and became known as the world’s steel king. However, he left behind the words, “It would be a shame to die a rich man.” He used all of his wealth in the latter half of his life to contribute to charitable works, world peace, education, and the promotion of academics, among others. In particular, he was self-taught due to poverty, and in gratitude for the libraries that enabled him to study, he donated approximately 3,000 libraries not only throughout the United States but also around the world. Even today, the Carnegie Institution annually honors those who have done much for the promotion of academics and charitable works.

　Recently, Kazuo Inamori (1932-2022), honorary chairman of Kyocera Corporation, passed away. He was a man deeply devoted to Buddhism and an amateur in management when he founded Kyocera at the age of 27. After much pondering, he decided to follow a management policy of doing what was right as a human being. Even after the company had grown, when people asked him for management tips and secrets, he would say, “Don’t forget to be grateful, don’t lie, don’t cause trouble for others, be honest, don’t be greedy, think of others before yourself,” and so on. However, everyone who heard these words looked at him with suspicion. How can such a simple thing be enough to run a business? With a look that said, “I heard such a simple thing from my parents and teachers when I was a child. However, because this “simple principle,” which everyone should know, is not practiced, many companies succeed in making profits temporarily, but eventually go bankrupt. The pursuit of profit is definitely not a bad thing. However, its methods must be in line with human principles. One must not run after profit regardless of the means, and one must follow the right path as a human being even when making a profit. His long-held theory was that an altruistic spirit of wishing for the happiness of others would in turn bring benefits to oneself and also expand those benefits.

　In the spirit of Buddhist altruism and Andrew Carnegie’s belief that individual wealth should be used for the benefit of society, Inamori contributed his own vast fortune to start the Inamori Foundation, which in 1985 established Japan’s first international prize, the Kyoto Prize, to honor outstanding achievements and contributions in the academic field.

　It is important to note, however, that “self-interest,” which seeks only one’s own gain, and “altruism,” which seeks the happiness of others, are always inextricably linked. Herein lies the heart of Jesus’ warning. The temptation to think only of oneself or to give priority to one’s own family or business interests, while claiming to be doing something for the sake of others, is always present. I believe that the secret to avoiding such temptations lies in the “simple principles” commonly taught by religions such as Buddhism and Christianity and practiced by many wise men, namely, to always remember to be grateful to those around us, to speak the truth without falsehood, to avoid self-interest, to wish others happiness, and so on. I believe there is no other way.