SEVEN NOBLE RICHES
 

 

The Capable One spoke of the following attributes as the seven noble riches, for they are the causes of untainted happiness and are not in any way ordinary.

 

Faith—that is, the three kinds of faith in the Three Jewels and confidence in the law of actions and their effects.

 

Discipline, the avoidance of harmful actions.

 

Learning that comes from listening to the holy Dharma that leads to liberation, with the intention of gaining complete knowledge.

 

Being generous—with a desire to make offerings and to help beings, to give away all one’s possessions without expecting anything in return or any karmic reward.

 

A sense of shame with respect to oneself that prevents one from indulging in negative actions, and that is unstained by such things as jealousy or seeking veneration.

 

A sense of decency with regard to others that stops one from engaging in unvirtuous practices.

 

And wisdom, that is, knowledge of the particular and general characteristics of phenomena.

You should realize that other common things that the world calls riches—gold, for instance—are of no value in obtaining untainted qualities; they are worthless, hollow, and without essence.

—from Nagarjuna's Letter to a Friend With Commentary by Kyabje Kangyur Rinpoche