If material possessions don't bring true happiness, why be resentful/envious of anyone who has a lot of them?

Answer 1

Because even false happiness is better than nothing.

Answer 2

True happiness will come with true realisation of the wastefulness of the excessive attachment to material possessions. One must be satisfied with what material comfort that is available to us. ‘Enough is enough’ should be everybody’s motto. The pursuit of the 5 C’s in the developing and developed countries has been the bugbear. We work furiously just to acquire (1) cars, (2) condominium, (3) credit cards, (4) career, and (5) clubs membership to neurotic proportions. We forget that we cannot take it with us. A story here would illustrate this point brilliantly. A young student is sent overseas to study certain skills. This overseas country has a currency control. No money may be brought in or taken out of the country. However the student may earn a living to feed himself and pay for his tuition fees. The scholarship is for ten years. So he took a part time job while studying the skills that he was sent to learn. This part time job was so successful that in two years he made it a full time job. Then he acquired a flat, a car with credit cards. He joined prestigious clubs of that country, and he made his lucrative job his career, forgetting what he went there for. The skills that he went to learn were compassion, wisdom and unconditional love. All these were totally forgotten. So by the end of ten years at which time he has to go home, he failed miserably to acquire these skills. Neither could he bring home all his wealth because the foreign country does not allow any expatriation of its currency, and also his home country does not use money. The currency in his home is karma and merit. This is exactly what happens to all of us, except that the length of overseas study is between 50 to 80 years and not ten. And the country of our foreign study is planet earth. Our home is the spirit world....
So what is required is an attitudinal change and true realisation.

Answer 3

Material possessions are a necessity. In our society you can't get by without them. They may not bring true happiness, but they bring comfort, which is needed.

I don't agree with the notion, that we should be poor and hungry, in order to be happy, and to be rich spiritually.

If I had lots of money, and material possessions, I wouldn't have to work, I would have my own little place at home to paint and draw all day, with a window overlooking the ocean, and THAT, would make me happy. (Assuming I would still have my loving husband, and precious little girl.)

Edit: I just read dark_horse's answer, and I just have to say, it's brilliant.

EDIT #2: Though, I wonder, why do we have to suffer in poverty, in order to reach a higher level of spirituality, and learn unconditional love, compassion, and wisdom? Let's assume we 're not really meant to live on this planet, and we're spiritual beings that are here for a short time. Don't we need material things now that we have physical bodies? I'm not talking about owning a yacht, or private plane, but what about a car to drive the kids to school, and a house to put them in? And how are you supposed to have the time to meditate, and get in touch with your higher self, when you have to work 3jobs to pay the rent, and put food on the table? I don't know, you have confused me LG. I guess I really don't know much. I'll probably come back again and again on this earth, 'till I learn the true meaning of life...lol!

Answer 4

It makes life alot easier and it gives you much more choices. You can chose to comfortably not work. The feeling that you have your needs taken care of is a really good feeling. There are happy and unhappy people everywhere but the ones with more money is better off unhappy/wealthy than unhappy/poor.

Answer 5

Big confusion here.

The cause of unhappiness is attachement to material posession, because, posession that makes one apparantly happy shall render into deep sadness the mement that posession ceases tob, and there can not be anything permanent as material posession. Thus it is not only that material posession do not bring happpines (leave alonoe tru happiness), ir is also the case that it brings unhappiness in the long run.

Now; any one who practices detachment, shall not be attracted to material posessions and shall not think that it can make one happy. No one who tries to practice detachment shall never envey any one in terms of material possession and that is a rule.

itis onl those who still are attached to material posession envy others with material posession, and they do not know as yet that material possion can not make one happy. they still think that it is allmeaningful and thy do long for that.

the confusion here is, you are comparing people who belong to two different category, one detached, who kknows that material possion can not make one happy, and other, who still thinks that material posession shall make them happy.

Answer 6

who says material possessions do not bring happiness. Even the so called Gurus and religious leaders love to flaunt it.

Answer 7

They may not bring true happiness, but they sure do help!! I'll take some false happiness anytime, if you've got some to spare :)