Which part of my title caught your attention. Recently, my status update on Facebookmentioned that I returned from a walk to find $5,000 on my front doorstep. While this is true, I was surprised at the response to my update. I received more comments on this than any other status update. I have concluded that most people, whether consciously or unconsciously, are drawn to money. What is it about money that takes hold of people? Do you believe that money will give you freedom, make your life easier, make you happy, give you status, or make you popular among friends? Perhaps you think of money as the cause of all evil. Maybe you believe that you are a very philanthropic person and money should be given to help those less fortunate or that you are a very spiritual person and should live without money like a monk or a nun. Or are you a person that always complains about being broke? What is your relationship to money? Obviously, it must have some hold on me, because I was surprised to find it on my doorstep.
So here's the story:
Seong Yoon and I went for a walk and returned to find a check for $5,000 written out to Seong Yoon on our front doorstep. Seong Yoon did not tell me, but he knew the check would be there. I asked him what it was for and he told me it was for a yoga class. A man in Virginia wrote a very touching letter, which I read later, about how he lost his wife. His daughter had recently taken an interest in yoga and the man wanted to give his daughter in Seattle the gift of private classes to help with her loss. Recently, Seong Yoon has been getting requests for private classes, so I was not surprised by the letter because I know from my own experience with Seong Yoon that he possesses an inner quality that attracts people. His presence is very strong and people feel it. I'm also his yoga student and attend his classes which have anywhere from 20-40 people. Many of these people have been coming to these classes since they started. While I know that he is a special teacher, $5,000 seemed like an awful lot for a yoga class. It turns out that there was an extra "0" added to this check by mistake. The check was supposed to be written for $500 for a series of private classes. The man in Virginia asked us to send back the extra money, which we did. While meditating, Seong Yoon felt there was something wrong. It turned out that it was a scam and Seong Yoon reported it to the bank. He did not feel anger, he felt very sorry for this man who must have been so desperate.
Before yoga class today, Seong Yoon told me that the lesson he learned is that you cannot be hurt by anyone if you have good merits. His intention, first and foremost, is to share his merits (good qualities) with others. If you have ever taken a class with Seong Yoon, you know this.
Over the years I have been with Seong Yoon, I have felt tremendous abundance. This is different than being rich, in the traditional sense. Abundance comes from the inside out. It is an inner quality. It shines from inside to outside. What you see on the outside is reflected from what is inside. You may have a nice car, house, wife, boyfriend, or job. Maybe you go to church, meditate, travel to holy places, practice yoga, or are an activist, philanthropist or lover of peace. These all mean nothing if you feel something inside yourself is missing or not right. If this is the case, you are just going through the motions of being someone or of fitting into society. This is very tricky because we identify so much with outward images. When you are alone with only yourself, how do you feel? Is there an inner joy and peace most of the time? Even when you are angry, do you feel space around that anger? Is there an understanding there of what it is? Only you can answer these questions.
I don't believe it is wrong to have a nice car, house, wife, boyfriend or job. Good for you if you go to church, meditate, travel to holy places, practice yoga or are an activist, philanthropist or lover of peace. But it doesn't matter what I believe. How you feel is all that's important.
I see abundance everywhere these days. I see it when I walk with my husband through the Broadview neighborhood along Puget Sound, I see it in the Camellia tree that is blooming in our front yard right now, I see it in a cup of tea, I see it in the sporty car next to me, I see it in a person practicing yoga or meditating, I see it in the $5,000 on my doorstep, I see it in a fancy house, I see it in the innocent faces of my friend's baby twins, I see it in the organic strawberries I had for breakfast, I see it in dirt, I see it in grass, I see it in three leaf clovers.
