"So, you want a lot of money, then?"

"Yes"

"And if you get it, what will you do with all this money?"

[silence]

"You may ask me for a knife, and I might give it to you. But what will you do with it? Will you use it to hurt someone... to hurt yourself? Or will you use it to carve an ordinary piece of wood into the image of the Buddha?

"From a Buddhist perspective, everything in life has two purposes: its basic purpose and its true purpose.

"The basic purpose of this building we are sitting in now, for instance, is to protect me from the sun and the rain while I sit here. But the true purpose of the building is to protect me from the sun and the rain while I sit here... and encourage one person.

"The basic purpose of a car is to enable you to travel a long distance. But the true purpose of a car is to enable you to travel a long distance... and encourage one person.

"The purpose of having money is to buy gasoline to put in the car, so that you can travel a long distance. But the true purpose of having money is to buy gasoline to put in the car, so that you can travel a long distance... and encourage one person.

"Why do we pray each morning, during gongyo, for the protection of the Buddhist gods? We pray for the protection of the Buddhist gods so that we will be safe as we drive in our car, and travel a long distance... and encourage one person.

"If you possess a thing, like a car, but do not realize its true purpose, then you may as well throw it away. But if you pray for your desires with a sincere determination to realize its true purpose, then you will always have what you need."

Whoa.