What is it that we hold most important in our lives? Is it a nice house, a good car, a big paycheck, our televisions, our video games, or something else? Many people today think of prosperity as the sign of a good life, or even the benefit of their religious practice and belief.

In Buddhism we should not approach our practice as a means to increase our net worth or our social standing or material acquisitions. To be consumed by the increase of materialism is to be trapped in a never-ending quest, which only leads to suffering.