The Buddha's Teaching on the Five Benefits of Wealth (AN 5.41-Adiya Sutta)

The Buddha's Teaching on the Five Benefits of Wealth (AN 5.41-Adiya Sutta)

This discourse from the Anguttara Nikaya presents the Buddha's teaching to Anathapindika, a wealthy householder, on the proper use of wealth according to Buddhist principles. The text offers a balanced perspective on material prosperity that neither condemns wealth nor promotes attachment to it.

The Five Benefits of Righteous Wealth

The Buddha outlines five legitimate uses for wealth that has been righteously earned through honest effort and labor:

1. Personal and Family Well-being

Using wealth to provide appropriate pleasure and satisfaction for oneself and immediate family members (parents, spouse, children), as well as dependents (servants and assistants), while maintaining moderation.

2. Social Relationships

Supporting friends and associates, strengthening social bonds and community connections through generous but mindful sharing.

3. Security and Protection

Creating financial security to protect against natural disasters, political upheaval, theft, and inheritance disputes—essentially establishing a safety net for life's uncertainties.

4. Social and Religious Obligations

Fulfilling the traditional five oblations: supporting relatives, showing hospitality to guests, honoring the deceased, meeting civic duties to rulers, and making offerings to spiritual beings (devas).

5. Spiritual Merit-Making

Making offerings to worthy recipients—specifically to "brahmans and contemplatives" who practice virtue, patience, humility, and self-restraint while pursuing spiritual liberation (Unbinding/Nibbana).

The Middle Way Approach to Wealth

The Buddha emphasizes that whether one's wealth increases or decreases after fulfilling these five purposes, a wise person experiences no remorse. This teaching exemplifies the Middle Way approach to material life—neither extreme asceticism nor indulgent materialism.

Key Principles Highlighted

Righteous Acquisition: Wealth must be earned through legitimate, ethical means
Balanced Distribution: Resources should serve multiple purposes—personal, familial, social, and spiritual
Non-attachment: The ultimate goal is freedom from remorse and anxiety about material outcomes
Merit and Virtue: Wealth becomes a vehicle for spiritual development rather than an end in itself

Significance for Buddhist Economics

This sutta provides scriptural foundation for what might be called "Buddhist economics"—an approach that:

Validates moderate material prosperity when ethically obtained
Emphasizes wealth as a means to support dharmic living rather than mere accumulation
Balances individual well-being with social responsibility and spiritual development
Offers practical guidance for householders seeking to integrate material and spiritual life

The discourse concludes with a verse summarizing how a person established in the Dhamma of the Noble Ones, having used wealth wisely, gains praise in this life and happiness after death—demonstrating that material and spiritual welfare need not be opposing forces when approached with wisdom and ethical intention.

Reference:
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.041.than.html