In our lives, a sense of poverty often seems connected with a lack of space. This is not particularly about a destitute person living in financially troubled conditions. Rather, for anyone, if you can appreciate the aspect of simplicity in your life, then you don’t have to involve yourself with money more than is really neccesary.

You should try to create a space of loneliness as much as possible in your lifestyle, whether you are rich or poor. When everything is crammed into you, when all the undesirable things in life seem crowded within you, you are putting yourself through all sorts of unnecessary pain simply because you are not able to see the space and the open situations that exist.

So the problem is not always how little money you have to spare, but rather whether you are allowing enough space for yourself.

From “The Question of Money,” in Work, Sex, Money: Real Life on the Path of Mindfulness, page 164.

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