The Laughing Buddha's Recipe For Prosperity

"Reflect upon your blessings, of which every man has plenty, not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." ~Charles Dickens

 The myth of the Laughing Buddha

I had read somewhere a long time back that if one rubbed on the belly of the Laughing Buddha, it would bring abundance and prosperity into one's life.

A friend once bought a small statue of the Laughing Buddha, so small that she could carry it with her in her pocket and hold it in her hand. The mystic Laughing Buddha always fascinated me so I went to a local shop and bought one for myself. Mine is a wooden one and is 6-7 inches tall. Nope, not the size one could carry around.

Whenever I looked at the Laughing Buddha, I would find him laughing joyfully and I would remember the famous song "for he's jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow". The Laughing Buddha symbolizes abundance and prosperity. If you look at the Laughing Buddha, he hardly has any possessions, except for a bag on his shoulder. He is alone, always laughing and has this huge belly. And it'll make you wonder how someone who has nothing can bring you something! That too, by rubbing his belly? Bizarre? Yes, but I wanted to check it out anyway. Who knows, maybe the magic worked... and who doesn't like more abundance and prosperity in one's life?

Did I rub the belly everyday? You bet I did! I put mine on my desk so that I would remember to say hello and rub the belly everyday. I scoured the web for instructions to rub the belly the "right and proper" way to get the best results!

I was totally in love with the Laughing Buddha (after all, one had better be polite, courteous, loving to some one who is going to bring prosperity and abundance to one's life, right?).  This went on for a few days. I even instructed my husband to rub the belly when he was around. But then, he totally ignored me!

After a few days of this madness I forgot all about the belly rubbing. The statue remained on my desk and I wondered if the myth was just a myth. If it was indeed true, all we had to do to beat this economy is to distribute Laughing Buddhas all over the world and instruct people the "right and proper" way of rubbing the belly! And the economy would start booming again!

Now, wouldn't that be just cool? Totally cool?

What is prosperity and abundance really?

Even though I didn't rub the belly any longer, there were many questions at the back of my mind.

What is prosperity and abundance really? Is it having all the money I ever need? When would I know I've made enough? Is "enough" about having a good life for this day, this month, this year or this life time? Is "enough" about providing for one's children a great living? Or is "enough" about providing for one's grandchildren too?

When is "enough" enough?

But then again, is prosperity and abundance all about money? How about health, relationships, family, love, fulfillment, peace...? How about some balance?

The day I met the Laughing Buddha

The Laughing Buddha remained on my desk and whenever I looked at him, he would just grin back - ear to ear. Always. How can he be so happy? Not have any possessions yet be the symbol of abundance and prosperity? What did the symbolism really mean? I had to find out. So I decided to ask him. For a while, he just grinned back not really answering my questions. I had to nag him for quite some time (if you didn't guess already, I am a pretty good nag) before he finally relented and shared his wisdom.

 Laughing Buddha's recipe for Abundance/Prosperity = Happiness + Contentment + Non-attachment

 "Not what we have but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance." ~John Petit-Senn

True abundance and prosperity is happiness. If you're not happy, it doesn't matter how big your house is or how fat your bank balance is or if you're the CEO of a big company or the president of a country. Money doesn't grow on trees and neither does happiness. Someone can lend you money but nobody can lend you happiness. Sorry, the banks don't do that yet and don't intend to in the near future.

Happiness comes from contentment. Contentment does not mean that you should not aim higher or not have more or that you should scrape by only with what little or more you have!  Contentment is taking the time and appreciating what you have in life, valuing it, enjoying it and sharing it - be it relationships, wealth, health, material possessions, natural resources etc. It's like enjoying a meal, taking time to savor every bite/morsel and being grateful to nature and the universe. It's about taking time to digest and assimilate a meal before having the next one.

Non-attachment is enjoying what you have in life without being overly attached to what you possess, i.e. without being "needy" of these possessions. Because when you become needy, you become desperate and you act from a place of "lack" and that  attracts more "lack" into your life. In doing so, you deny your true essence - the essence of the spirit that stands for abundance and prosperity, the spirit that is ever giving and the spirit that symbolizes unconditional love. What stops flow of prosperity into our life is not "lack" in the world/universe but the "lack" in our minds and the thoughts and actions motivated by this "lack" - acts of fear, neediness and desperation that generate negative energy.

Laughing Buddha shares two simple tips to get you going

 "He who is plenteously provided for from within, needs but little from without." ~Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

 TIP #1: Enjoy your every meal and you'll soon master enjoying every moment of life! Watch as abundance and prosperity flows into your life!

TIP #2 (to remind you to enjoy your meal): Rub your belly before and after every meal!

TIP #3 (to remind you to rub your belly): Get yourself a Laughing Buddha!

Prasanna Gunturi, a Success & Self-Mastery Coach, helps individuals master their inner energy so they can eliminate energy drainers and channel their energy to create the life they desire and want.

What's inner energy got to do with money? Download the free report Let's Talk Money ... and Beyond to find out what blocks money, the true source of prosperity and how one can tap into it.