The third set of the eight worldly concerns is gain and loss—the desire to accumulate and always wanting to have, and the fear of losing everything, becoming destitute, or not having enough to maintain social status. We may believe that once we have gained enough, it will always be enough. But conditions change like moving tides. What once seemed sufficient, even luxurious, can be diminished by circumstances. With a downturn in the stock market or a simple change in the economy causing prices to increase, you may no longer be able to afford what you previously could.

Hope for gain and fear of loss are, like the other six mundane obsessions, a trap. All of them are ensnared in the duality of hope and fear. In this case, we are not saying that material prosperity, abundance, and possessions are flawed in themselves. The flaw is not in having material wealth and abundance but rather in thinking that this is the sole purpose of life. If the sole aim of our ambition is to obtain money, that becomes problematic because we are essentially enslaved to materialism.

Excerpt From
Loving Life As It Is
Chakung Jigme Wangdrak
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