Early this morning, I had a short session with some investors, and our discussion drifted toward an interesting question that is what role does money really play in happiness?
As someone who has practiced Transcendental Meditation or TM for a number of years, I have learned to see money not as something to chase or avoid, but as energy, a reflection of how we use our creativity and awareness.
His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi once said that when we are in tune with nature, prosperity comes naturally, just as flowers bloom in spring. In other words, money is a by-product of right action and expanded consciousness, not the goal itself.
Money provides comfort, security, and the freedom to make choices. Beyond a certain point, it cannot give peace. Peace comes from a quiet mind and a fulfilled heart. When our inner life is unsettled, even abundance feels hollow. When we are calm within, even simplicity feels rich.
His Holiness Maharishi also reminded us that material and spiritual wealth should grow together, one stabilizes the other. He encouraged us to earn with joy, spend with awareness, and give with gratitude. In doing so, we stay in the natural rhythm of abundance, where wealth flows rather than accumulates anxiously.
I have come to believe that true prosperity is having both financial security and mental freedom. When money serves a higher purpose, not as a measure of self-worth but as a tool to do good and live meaningfully, it brings lightness instead of pressure.
As His Holiness Maharishi often taught, “From silence, all possibilities arise.” In that silence, we find not only peace but also the clarity to create, contribute, and live fully, both materially and spiritually.