Indebtedness is Discontentedness in the World

Poverty is called discontentedness in the world; so too is getting into debt. A poor person who becomes indebted is troubled while enjoying himself.

Then they prosecute him, and he also incurs imprisonment. This imprisonment is indeed discontentedness for one yearning for gain and sensual pleasures.

Just so in the Noble One’s discipline, one in whom confidence is lacking, who sees no danger in wrongdoing and brash, heaps up a mass of evil (unwholesome) Kamma.

Having engaged in misconduct by body, speech, and mind, he forms the wish: May no one find out about me.

He twists around with his body, [twists around] by speech or mind; he piles up his evil (unwholesome) deeds, in one way or another, repeatedly.

This unwise evildoer, knowing his own misdeeds, is a poor person who falls into debt, troubled while enjoying himself.

His thoughts then prosecute him; painful mental states born of remorse [follow him wherever he goes] whether in the village or the forest.

This unwise evildoer, knowing his own misdeeds, goes to a certain [animal] realm or is even bound in hell.

This indeed is the discontentedness of bondage…

(Reference: AN 6.45)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares how a person who makes decisions to go into debt and is troubled by their indebtedness is similar to a person who has unwholesome bodily, verbal, and mental conduct.

When an individual is doing unwholesome conduct, the mind knows and worries about these deeds. The unwise decisions lead to worry and despair. The Buddha explains: “His thoughts then prosecute him; painful mental states born of remorse [follow him wherever he goes] whether in the village or the forest”.

Conversely, for one who purifies their bodily, verbal, and mental conduct on The Path to Enlightenment and attains Enlightenment knows they have purified their moral conduct. Wise wholesome decisions lead to elimination of all worry and despair. One aspect of eliminating discontentedness as part of The Path to Enlightenment is that a Practitioner knows they have purified their moral conduct and, in doing so, they are not causing any harm to other beings. The mind can be at ease and peaceful knowing their life practice is not causing harm and, therefore, no harm will come to them. All fears can be eliminated of any harm returning to you because you are not causing any harm in the world.

But, for one who continues to make unwise decisions to have unwholesome moral conduct “this unwise evildoer, knowing his own misdeeds, goes to a certain [animal] realm or is even bound in hell”. A being is reborn based on the results of their decisions. No one, no being, or no entity is sending you to a harmful and painful place such as hell or the animal realm but instead, it is one’s own decisions that create this outcome. Likewise, it is our own decisions that can lead to an improved rebirth or even Enlightenment in this life.

Continued craving/desire/attachment leads to continued discontentedness and the mind is bound or tied to The Cycle of Rebirth continuing to experience wandering and roaming with sorrow, grief, displeasure, and despair. “This indeed is the discontentedness of bondage…”.

For a Practitioner who continues to choose to make unwise unwholesome decisions, these are decisions to remain bound to continued sorrow, grief, displeasure, and despair. It is like a prison to remain in The Cycle of Rebirth, while one who has attained Enlightenment is experiencing freedom from strong feelings, the mind is liberated, and no longer bound to discontentedness or continued rebirth in The Cycle of Rebirth.

The Buddha is sharing that choosing to have craving/desire/attachment and go into debt, is a source of discontentedness. It is not being poor that causes the discontentedness, it is the craving/desire/attachment that causes the discontentedness. If one continues to decide to incur debt due to the mind’s craving/desire/attachment, there will be discontentedness because of the craving/desire/attachment.

Have you been in debt and experienced the pressure and anxiety of owing others money?

This was caused by the mind’s craving/desire/attachment which led to the debt being incurred. It is craving/desire/attachment that causes the discontentedness leading to the decision to incur debt falsely thinking that acquiring the objects of our affection will solve the problem. Conversely, eliminating debt through living within one’s own means, will liberate the mind from the constant pressure of owing others money due to your own cravings and desires.

The Buddha himself, once having left the palace, was poor. He was a roaming, homeless Ascetic, yet his mind was completely peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy experiencing the Enlightened mind. So being poor is not what causes the discontentedness, it is the craving/desire/attachment for material wealth (i.e. the longing and yearning of the mind) that leads to discontentedness.

As one decides to incur debt to fulfill the mind’s craving/desire/attachment, when one is in debt the mind becomes “troubled while enjoying himself” due to “one yearning for gain and sensual pleasures”.

Additionally, everything that happens in our life is “a result of our own decisions”. While it is very challenging to escape generational poverty, the cause that led to being reborn into that situation is rooted in our own decisions within prior lives. It is our choices/decisions that are the cause of our rebirth into a family that is impoverished. And, it is our own decisions that will lead to escaping generational poverty.

Lacking resources to sustain life is generational poverty. Lacking resources to purchase everything that mind “wants”, is due to cravings/desires in the mind. Living life based on our needs rather than our wants, will produce conditions conducive to liberation of mind.

The problem is not that one is lacking the resources to purchase what the mind “wants”. The problem is that the mind has craving/desire “wanting” something to fulfill its own sensual desires falsely thinking that this will satisfy the mind and create lasting inner satisfaction. Eliminating craving/desire/attachment will liberate the mind from its constant longing and yearning for sensual pleasures. As long as there is craving/desire/attachment in the mind, it will continue to experience discontentedness never being “satisfied with what is”.

So while now you may feel that poverty is not one’s own choice, if you understand The Natural Law of Kamma more deeply, you can come to understand that every single aspect of our life is from our own choices and decisions. There is nothing that happens in our life that is not due to our own decisions.

The Natural Law of Kamma

“Cause and Effect” or “Action and Result” - essentially, the results of our decisions.

Your Life -> Your Decisions -> Your Results

Nothing happens by chance or as a result of anything other than our own decisions. Gaining the wisdom of these Teachings will help you to make wise choices/decisions that lead to wholesome results. Incurring debt to please the mind’s sensual desires (i.e. sensual pleasures) will only create more problems in one’s own life through continuous stress and anxiety to acquire the needed funds to repay the debt, even more funds than the original item purchased due to interest payments.

Therefore, a wise Practitioner will eliminate craving/desire/attachment to acquire items living outside its means and instead, focus on using financial resources to acquire that which is needed to sustain life. If there are additional funds available, one might consider how to apply that wealth to beneficial outcomes without spending in excess which might lead to the choice to incur debt.

To eliminate debt, one may need to adjust their lifestyle and spending decisions for a period of time to repay the loan. To be successful, an individual will need to choose to restrain the mind from its constant cravings/desires so that there are funds available to repay the debt. Once an individual is debt free, the mind can be more liberated from its constant cravings/desires no longer needing to feel the pressure, stress, and anxiety it caused through its own choices to incur debt.

One is no longer “troubled while enjoying himself”.

Further detailed explanation of Indebtedness is Discontentedness in the World is available in this same book series found in Chapter 7 of the book “The Foremost Householder” (Volume 8).