gospel of Thomas 95

Jesus said, "If you have money, do not lend it at interest, but give it to one from whom you will not get it back."

This might seem like strange advice. In most societies nowadays, money has become an aim in itself. Once upon a time money was probably just a lubricant, to help in the exchange of goods and services. But somewhere along the way, a few people must have begun hoarding money, and then lending it, but asking interest on that loan. This is capitalism: when money – capital – is attributed value in itself.

And this is the sort of idiotic situation that we human beings get into, when we devise ever more obscure concepts. If we kept everything simple, such situations would not arise. But the thinking mind, with its capacity for abstract ideas, really knows no limit. And so the concept of lending money at interest came into being. And from that, all sorts of trouble follows. The whole collapse of the financial sector in recent years was due to this. But we do not learn. We muddle through, and then continue with the same approach.

In Islam, it is against Islamic law to charge interest on a loan. Nowadays in most Islamic societies, some weaselly ways around this prohibition have been found. But there was good reason to outlaw a charging of interest. This concept of lending money with interest being charged – not only has created an intrinsic value for money, which was not there previously: money itself becoming an aim, an objective; we must have more money; we must collect it; we must become rich. That is one aspect of this.

But there's another related aspect, and that is the aspect of progress and economic growth. We must have more. Individually, we must have more. And as a society, we must always be having more. And that more is measured in terms of money. And with this striving for progress, it is very easy to see that we will never be satisfied. There is no limit. However much we have, we can always want more.

And this is the definition of the unenlightened way of being: of being dissatisfied with what is, and wanting more. So if you want to live in the world as a buddha, if you want to find enlightenment, you must drop this way of being in the world. The enlightened way of being does not have this craving for more: there is no concept of progress; there is no value in accumulating anything, least of all money.

Jesus understood all this. And that's why he suggests not lending out money, at interest, but just giving it away. Nowadays, if a spiritual teacher says to his followers, give away your money, he is greatly criticised. Money has become so fundamental to most societies, and it's become almost impossible to live without money. And money in itself is not the problem – it's our attitude to it.

So, I would say to you, be relaxed about money. Certainly, if you lend some money to someone, don't ask for interest. Better to give the money to them, and perhaps one day they'll give it back; perhaps not. That way, they are not indebted to you so heavily.

And for your own sake, you will probably have to have some money in your pocket, but don't make a big deal out of it. And don't allow that feeling to keep nagging at you: that you don't have enough money. You have some money. It's fine: that's how much you have. It must be enough, otherwise things would be different.

We always have enough. We always have enough of everything we need. It is only our greedy mind, with its fantasies, that leads us to think otherwise. Drop all that, and live in contentment, with what is.