Seeking Riches Outside of You is a State of Lack
- olivierbranford
- Dec 30, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Feb 23
Being in a state of lack simply creates more lack. Most of us reside in a place of lack, rather than abundance. Seeking riches outside of your Self means that you are doomed to physical and spiritual poverty. In striving from a place of lack, our crippling handicap is our lack of humility. We lack the perspective to see that character-building and spiritual values have to come first, and that material satisfactions are simply by-products of this, and are not the chief aims of life.
Ramana Maharshi, the great Indian Hindu sage and liberated BEing, wrote "Is the craving for better worldly experiences and money a sign of richness? Until you are in a mental state of lack, you can't find your inherent and spiritual wealth. So stop looking for riches in the world. It can't fulfil you. If material wealth did satisfy you, you'd not be here - still searching for fulfilment. Isn't this true? Truth is - you don't know where you can get what truly you want. So you believe in the words of the world around (the incessant craving and marketing for external validation). But none has found lasting happiness in the world. What you truly seek is the peace of Self, the (spiritual) bliss of BEing Present. And you can get that only in the Now. Simply being in the present allows you to witness the beauty of what is of God. Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside... There is neither Past nor Future. There is only the Present... Whatever draws the mind outward is unspiritual and whatever draws the mind inward is spiritual... Peace is your natural state. It is your mind that destroys it." A mental state of lack leads to poverty, but it may also result in you becoming a spiritual seeker, who has true abundance.
Ramana Maharshi "Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside."
What does this mean? The good news about your mental state of lack is that it is indicating to you that you will never find joy and peace through searching outside of your Self. You just have to listen and hear that message. Material riches are not incompatible with joy and peace, they just do not lead to them, but they can be a positive side-effect. The message is that you only need to look inside to find all that you need to find peace, joy, love, and abundance. The riches will inevitably follow, as long as you do not make them your primary aim, as that encourages more lack. Abundance comes from who you are BEing. Click here to read my full article on 'Abundance' and BEing:
Ramana Maharshi wrote “Your own Self-Realisation is the greatest service you can render the world... Wanting to reform the world without discovering one's true Self is like trying to cover the world with leather to avoid the pain of walking on stones and thorns. It is much simpler to wear shoes... Realisation is not acquisition of anything new nor is it a new faculty. It is only removal of all camouflage (ego and masks)... The only useful purpose of the present birth is to turn within and realise the Self... You are awareness. Awareness is another name for you. Since you are awareness there is no need to attain or cultivate it... The enquiry ‘Who am I?’ is the principal means to the removal of all misery and the attainment of the supreme bliss... You are already that which you seek... If a person overlooks the faults of others, and sees only their merits, and thus keeps his mind serene, his whole life will be happy. To be unconcerned in all things, with the mind cool, free of desires and without hate, is beautiful in a seeker... One of two things must be done: Either surrender because you admit your inability (admitting powerlessness is the first step to Real Personal Power) and require a Higher Power to help you; or investigate the cause of misery by going to the source and merging into the Self. Either way you will be free from misery. God never forsakes one who has surrendered... Self is only BEing – not this or that. It is simple BEing. BE, and that is the end of ignorance. Be as you really are. Be your Self and nothing more. Remain aware of your Self and all else will be known.”
He continued “Your duty is to be and not to be this or that. 'I am that I am' sums up the whole Truth. The method is summed up in the words 'Be still'. What does stillness mean? It means destroy your (false) self. Because any form or shape is the cause for trouble. Give up the notion that 'I am so and so'. All that is required to realise the Self is to be still. What can be easier than that?... Whatever is destined not to happen will not happen, try as you may. Whatever is destined to happen will happen, do what you may to prevent it. This is certain. The best course, therefore, is to remain silent... Become conscious of being conscious. Say or think “I AM”, and add nothing to it. Be aware of the stillness that follows the “I AM”. Sense your presence, the naked unveiled, unclothed BEingness. It is untouched by young or old, rich or poor, good or bad, or any other attributes. It is the spacious womb of all creation, all form... When one remains without thinking one understands another by means of the universal language of silence... The mind is by nature restless. Begin liberating it from its restlessness; give it peace; make it free from distractions; train it to look inward; make this a habit. This is done by ignoring the external world and removing the obstacles to peace of mind... Silence is also conversation.” Man minus mind equals God. Jesus said in Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God."
On the importance of breathwork and meditation Maharashi said “How is breath control the means for mind control? There is no doubt that breath control is the means for mind control, because the mind, like breath, is a part of air, because the nature of mobility is common to both, because the place of origin is the same for both, and because when one of them is controlled the other gets controlled.”
On unconditional love, he said “One who knows the secret of that LOVE finds the world full of Universal Love.”
When the student is ready, the teacher appears. Maharashi said “If you go on working with the light available, you will meet your Master, as he himself will be seeking you.” He said “To perform one's duty is the greatest service to God.” My purpose and duty are to serve you. I coach men with deep coaching, also known as supercoaching or Transformative Life Coaching (TLC), who are seeking joy, peace, unconditional love, wisdom, abundance, and infinite possibility. It's the most powerful thing that you will ever do. We will invoke your 'God-Mode.' I will see the highest version of you until you see it in your Self.
Maharashi said “It will come all right in the end.” All is well, and all manner of things shall be well. This too shall pass. Don't judge. There is nothing either good or bad.
I end with a very short poem by Maharashi:
“Let come what comes,
Let go what goes,
See what remains.”
Namaste.
Olly
Dr Olly Alexander Branford MBBS, MA(Cantab), PhD.
Fully qualified and certified coach
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I am very pleased to meet you. Thank you for reading this far. I very much look forward to connecting with the highest version of you, to seeing your highest possibility, and to our conversations. Please do contact me via my email for a free connection call and a free experience of coaching.
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Dr Olly Alexander Branford MBBS, MA(Cantab), PhD
Fully qualified and certified coach
“Transformative life coaching uniquely creates and holds the space for you to see your self afresh, with clarity, and step into new ways of BEing, which will transform how you perceive and intuitively create your world. My work is to guide you to raise your own conscious awareness to the level that you want to achieve.”
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I have a Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences from Trinity College, Cambridge; a Master's Degree in Philosophy from Trinity College, Cambridge; a PhD Doctorate in Scientific Research from University College London (UCL); a Medical Degree (MD/MBBS) from The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London and have been a doctor and reconstructive trauma and cancer surgeon in London for 20 years. I have published over 50 peer reviewed scientific journal articles, have been an associate editor and frequent scientific faculty member, and am the author of several scientific books. I have been awarded my Diploma in Transformative Life Coaching in London, which has International Coaching Federation (ICF) Accreditation, as well as the UK Association for Coaching (AC), and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC). I have been on my own transformative journey full time for over five years and I am ready to be your guide to you finding out who you really are and how the world works. I have written 400 articles for you and an eBook to guide you on your transformative journey, which are all available for free on my website - click on the link below:
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