英文原文
A growing movement of financial advisors have realized the human side of money is as important — or sometimes even more important — than financial returns. Since the 1980s, I and many other Western business leaders have studied and practiced Buddhist meditation. We’ve realized that many of its principles are key to cultivating fulfillment and financial wellness in clients, top notch employees, and a healthy corporate community. Over 50% of Fortune 500 companies, including Google, Aetna, Apple, and General Mills, offer employee mindfulness programs. Asana, a $21 billion dollar company, is known for making mindfulness its highest value. Even the Wall Street Journal published an article highlighting my Money Breath on its front page! Numerous meditation studies confirm the benefits to employee health, happiness, productivity, retention, and profits. Beyond meditation, core Buddhist principles are foundational to Abacus’ culture, our interactions with clients, and to our bottom line. Through this and future writings, I hope to bring more awareness to the transformative power of Buddhist principles, and how they can help you be less stressed, happier, and wiser with your finances and investment choices. After all, money is often considered as tender and taboo a topic as sex, religion, or politics. It’s a subject filled with distrust, fear, and worry. Money is connected to our survival and sense of self-worth, so it’s no wonder we’ve got a lot of emotion around it. We inherit fixed beliefs from a young age that tend to override our financial common sense, such as, “Money is the most important thing in the world,” “I’m not good with money,” and “I’d be happier or less stressed if I had more money.” Buddhism is considered a religion by some, but I and many others, especially in the West, consider it a philosophy or way of living. The Dalai Lama’s famous quote sums it up best: “My religion is kindness.” This is something intrinsic to all spiritual traditions. So what does Buddhism or kindness have to do with financial advising or the business world? Isadore Sharp, founder of the Four Seasons Resort (arguably the most successful hotel chain), made kindness, patience, and humility the foundation of his business. He discovered that kindness is good for the employee culture, for the guests that stay and dine at the hotels, and for the bottom line. The Uncomfortable Comfort of Equanimity I discovered the benefits of Buddhist meditation practice in the early 80s, even before earning my MBA in finance from Wharton or founding Abacus. I have found the principles of meditation apply to all areas of our lives, including managing our own finances and being a financial advisor. And it’s the Buddhist principle of equanimity that I come back to again and again, as it continually shows up for Abacus advisors and clients alike. Equanimity is the ability to find calm in the middle of a storm. The practice of meditation cultivates a steadiness of mind so that we won’t react impulsively when financial markets go up and down (as they invariably do). This is key for us individually and for financial advisors. Many studies confirm those who are less reactive to market movements earn higher returns. A Buddhist financial advisor or investor is one who sets their allocation intention and then course-corrects to return to that original intention. If the right allocation for you is 70% equities and 30% bonds, then we as advisors stick to that allocation — we sell equities when they’re more than 70% of your allocation and buy equities when they make up less than 70%. This steadfastness is difficult, especially during crashes like 2008 and 2020, but as we see from historical data holding steady is a solid path and so we don’t veer from it. We are committed to doing the best we can for our clients even if it’s sometimes emotionally difficult. In addition to being less reactive to investment and business ups and downs, equanimity is about staying impartial while helping clients see life decisions from a larger perspective. We look at all sides of an issue. A small example: when a client said he wanted to spend $500,000 on a new boat, my equanimous self embraced the idea rather than allowing a personal bias against boats to alter my advice. He was aligning with his values and what brought him joy, so it was my job to not force my values alignment on him. A larger example: most financial advisors recommend buying rather than renting a home. But when a client said she was feeling stressed over the maintenance cost uncertainties of home ownership, I suggested she consider renting. She was immediately relieved and said, “That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking.” She sold her house and rented three smaller places instead: one in the mountains, one in the city, and one by the ocean. By both of us calmly and impartially considering an unfamiliar path, renting gave her new freedoms with much more flexibility and our embrace of equanimity helped her align with her deeply personal values. How Do You Cultivate Equanimity with Money? A mindfulness practice trains the mind to stop reacting to every thought. Close your eyes for a moment and become aware of your thoughts. Notice that they’re random. One moment it’s a thought about work, the next it’s a reminder to pick up milk at the store, and the next is regretting something you said to a colleague a few weeks ago. The key is to let go of pursuing each thought. When we practice letting go, we are doing a bicep curl for the brain. We are training resilience. We are becoming the masters of our attention instead of allowing our attention to be passively hijacked by the thought of the moment. While we practice mindfulness while we meditate, we also practice it when we bring our focused attention and awareness to our daily money interactions and thoughts. Start becoming aware of how you feel when you spend, save, give, invest, and earn money. As you become aware of your reactivity or impulsiveness with making online purchases, or harshly judge yourself for earning less than your sibling, you are training and cultivating a more equanimous mind that will be less reactive to life’s inevitable and unexpected curveballs, especially with finances. The Money Breath Equanimity is also defined as being completely at ease with who you are and what you have. The culture beckons us to have more money, more friends, more likes. Imagine, in this very moment, being okay with your finances, with your kids, with your friends and family, with your body, with yourself. What would that mean for you? Here is a small experiment you can try. The next time you notice your mind thinking, “If I had this amount of money, or if I owned a beach home, or got that raise, I’d really be okay,” let go of clinging to that thought. Letting go of a fantasy or dismal thought creates freedom. It strengthens your equanimity. Letting go is easier said than done, so I recommend a short practice that I call “The Money Breath”. Here’s the practice: * Bring to mind a money challenge you’re currently experiencing., * Close your eyes and become aware of any muscle tension, thoughts stirring, and other body and mind sensations., * Gently inhale through the nose for 3 counts. 1, 2, 3., * Pause and hold the breath on the count of 4., * Slowly exhale through the mouth for 5 counts. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10., * Do 2 more rounds of this breath and then allow your breathing to come back to normal., * Ask yourself: How do I feel in this moment compared to when I started this Money Breath?, It’s a Practice In my 35 years of being a financial advisor, I’ve noticed that as we find a way to be at peace with our finances, we are likely to attract more money and discern better opportunities. Free of money stress, our wisdom and creativity surge, we take action, and paradoxically, we can earn more money. Even if we do not earn more money, our inner lives are richer than before. Equanimity is not numbness. It’s not aloofness. It’s being fully engaged, fully present, and emotionally responsive. It’s not being reactive, nor being swept away in thoughts of fear or fantasy. We’re not obsessing about the impending financial disaster dissolving our nest egg, nor fantasizing about the lottery ticket saving us from our credit card debt. When the pandemic hit and the markets dropped 30%, instead of focusing on potential financial disaster, Abacus came up with a mindful plan to reduce expenses and discern the opportunity to hire the outstanding national talent that would become available due to the remote work environment. By being fully present and emotionally responsive, we were able to navigate a difficult passage with a calmer sense of freedom and purpose. Equanimity is a sublime state of contentment, independent of changing conditions or financial circumstances. We are at ease with who we are and what we have. The next time you or your business have a disappointment or setback, do my money breath meditation until you’re beyond the anxiety of fight or flight and then say to yourself: “What is the opportunity here? Even if one isn’t apparent, I’m okay.” That’s freedom. That’s equanimity. If you would like to talk more about how equanimity can expand what’s possible with your financial life, reach out to an Abacus advisor today.
中文翻译
越来越多的理财顾问意识到，金钱的人性面与财务回报同等重要——有时甚至更为重要。自20世纪80年代以来，我和许多其他西方商界领袖一直在学习和实践佛教冥想。我们发现，佛教的许多原则对于培养客户、优秀员工和健康企业社区的满足感和财务健康至关重要。超过50%的《财富》500强公司，包括谷歌、安泰保险、苹果和通用磨坊，都提供员工正念计划。市值210亿美元的公司Asana以将正念作为其最高价值而闻名。甚至《华尔街日报》也在头版发表文章，重点介绍了我的“金钱呼吸法”！大量冥想研究证实了其对员工健康、幸福感、生产力、留任率和利润的益处。除了冥想，核心佛教原则是Abacus文化、我们与客户的互动以及我们盈利的基础。通过本文及未来的文章，我希望让更多人认识到佛教原则的变革力量，以及它们如何帮助你在财务和投资选择上减少压力、更加快乐和明智。毕竟，金钱常常被视为与性、宗教或政治一样敏感和禁忌的话题。这是一个充满不信任、恐惧和担忧的主题。金钱与我们的生存和自我价值感息息相关，难怪我们对此有很多情感。我们从小继承的固定信念往往会凌驾于我们的财务常识之上，例如“金钱是世界上最重要的东西”、“我不擅长理财”和“如果我有更多钱，我会更快乐或压力更小”。有些人认为佛教是一种宗教，但我和许多其他人，尤其是在西方，认为它是一种哲学或生活方式。达赖喇嘛的名言总结得最好：“我的宗教是仁慈。”这是所有精神传统固有的东西。那么，佛教或仁慈与财务咨询或商业世界有什么关系呢？四季酒店（可以说是最成功的连锁酒店）的创始人伊萨多尔·夏普将仁慈、耐心和谦逊作为其业务的基础。他发现仁慈对员工文化、对入住和用餐的客人以及对盈利都有好处。中道的舒适不适感我在80年代初发现了佛教冥想练习的好处，甚至在我从沃顿商学院获得金融MBA学位或创立Abacus之前。我发现冥想的原则适用于我们生活的所有领域，包括管理我们自己的财务和担任理财顾问。而佛教的中道原则是我一再回归的，因为它不断在Abacus顾问和客户身上显现。中道是在风暴中找到平静的能力。冥想练习培养心灵的稳定，这样当金融市场涨跌（它们总是如此）时，我们不会冲动反应。这对我们个人和理财顾问都至关重要。许多研究证实，那些对市场波动反应较小的人能获得更高的回报。一位佛教理财顾问或投资者是设定分配意图，然后调整以回归原始意图的人。如果适合你的分配是70%股票和30%债券，那么作为顾问，我们坚持这一分配——当股票超过你分配的70%时我们卖出股票，当股票占比低于70%时我们买入股票。这种坚定是困难的，尤其是在2008年和2020年这样的崩盘期间，但从历史数据中我们看到，保持稳定是一条坚实的道路，因此我们不会偏离它。我们致力于为客户尽我们所能，即使有时在情感上很困难。除了对投资和商业起伏反应较小外，中道还在于保持公正，同时帮助客户从更广阔的视角看待人生决策。我们看待问题的各个方面。一个小例子：当一位客户说他想花50万美元买一艘新船时，我中道的自我接受了这个想法，而不是让个人对船的偏见改变我的建议。他正在与他的价值观和带给他快乐的事物保持一致，所以我的工作不是强迫他符合我的价值观。一个更大的例子：大多数理财顾问建议买房而不是租房。但当一位客户说她因房屋所有权维护成本的不确定性而感到压力时，我建议她考虑租房。她立即松了一口气，说：“这正是我一直在想的。”她卖掉了房子，转而租了三处较小的住所：一处在山里，一处在城市，一处在海边。通过我们双方冷静、公正地考虑一条不熟悉的道路，租房给了她新的自由和更多的灵活性，我们对中道的拥抱帮助她与她深层的个人价值观保持一致。你如何培养与金钱相关的中道？正念练习训练心灵停止对每个想法做出反应。闭上眼睛片刻，意识到你的想法。注意它们是随机的。这一刻是关于工作的想法，下一刻是提醒在商店买牛奶，再下一刻是后悔几周前对同事说的话。关键是放下追求每个想法。当我们练习放下时，我们就像在做大脑的二头肌弯举。我们在训练韧性。我们正在成为注意力的主人，而不是让注意力被当下的想法被动劫持。当我们在冥想时练习正念时，我们也在将专注的注意力和意识带到日常的金钱互动和想法中时练习它。开始意识到你在花钱、储蓄、给予、投资和赚钱时的感受。当你意识到自己在网上购物时的反应性或冲动性，或者严厉评判自己比兄弟姐妹赚得少时，你正在训练和培养一个更中道的心灵，对生活中不可避免和意外的曲线球反应较小，尤其是在财务方面。金钱呼吸法中道也被定义为完全安于你是谁和你拥有什么。文化召唤我们拥有更多金钱、更多朋友、更多点赞。想象一下，就在这一刻，对你的财务状况、你的孩子、你的朋友和家人、你的身体、你自己感到满意。这对你意味着什么？这里有一个你可以尝试的小实验。下次你注意到你的大脑在想：“如果我有这么多钱，或者如果我拥有一栋海滨别墅，或者得到加薪，我真的会没事的，”放下执着于那个想法。放下幻想或悲观的想法会创造自由。它增强了你的中道。放下说起来容易做起来难，所以我推荐一个简短的练习，我称之为“金钱呼吸法”。以下是练习步骤：* 想起你目前正在经历的金钱挑战。* 闭上眼睛，意识到任何肌肉紧张、思绪搅动以及其他身心感觉。* 通过鼻子轻柔吸气3次计数。1，2，3。* 暂停并在第4次计数时屏住呼吸。* 通过嘴巴缓慢呼气5次计数。5，6，7，8，9，10。* 再做2轮这种呼吸，然后让你的呼吸恢复正常。* 问自己：与开始金钱呼吸法时相比，我此刻感觉如何？这是一个练习在我担任理财顾问的35年里，我注意到，当我们找到一种与财务状况和平相处的方式时，我们可能会吸引更多金钱并辨别更好的机会。摆脱金钱压力，我们的智慧和创造力激增，我们采取行动，矛盾的是，我们可以赚更多钱。即使我们没有赚更多钱，我们的内心生活也比以前更丰富。中道不是麻木。不是冷漠。它是完全投入、完全在场和情感上敏感。它不是反应性的，也不是被恐惧或幻想的想法冲走。我们不会沉迷于即将到来的金融灾难会耗尽我们的积蓄，也不会幻想彩票能拯救我们摆脱信用卡债务。当疫情来袭，市场下跌30%时，Abacus没有专注于潜在的金融灾难，而是制定了一个正念计划来减少开支，并辨别出由于远程工作环境而变得可用的杰出全国人才的机会。通过完全在场和情感上敏感，我们能够以更平静的自由感和目标感度过困难时期。中道是一种崇高的满足状态，独立于变化的条件或财务状况。我们安于我们是谁和我们拥有什么。下次你或你的企业遇到失望或挫折时，做我的金钱呼吸冥想，直到你超越战斗或逃跑的焦虑，然后对自己说：“这里的机会是什么？即使不明显，我也没事。”那就是自由。那就是中道。如果你想更多地讨论中道如何扩展你财务生活的可能性，今天就联系Abacus顾问。
文章概要
本文探讨了佛教原则，特别是中道（equanimity）在财务规划和投资中的应用。作者Spencer Sherman作为金融顾问，分享了自20世纪80年代以来实践佛教冥想的经验，强调中道能帮助人们在市场波动中保持冷静，避免冲动决策，从而获得更高回报。文章介绍了“金钱呼吸法”等实用技巧，培养与金钱相关的正念，并举例说明中道如何帮助客户根据个人价值观做出财务选择，如租房而非买房。作者指出，超过50%的《财富》500强公司提供正念计划，证实了佛教原则对员工健康和企业盈利的益处。最终，文章倡导通过佛教智慧实现财务与内心的平衡，减少压力，提升幸福感。
高德明老师的评价
用12岁初中生可以听懂的语音来重复翻译的内容：这篇文章就像在说，钱很重要，但我们的心情和想法更重要。它教我们一个叫“中道”的超能力，意思是在钱多钱少的时候都能保持平静，就像在暴风雨中稳稳地站着。作者叔叔教了一个“金钱呼吸法”，就是深呼吸数数，帮助我们在担心钱的时候放松下来。他还说，很多大公司都用这种方法让员工更开心、工作更好。所以，学习这个能让我们在花钱、存钱时更聪明，不慌不忙。佛学的各个宗派视角评价，突出《显密圆通成佛心要集》的视角：从佛学视角看，本文强调的中道与佛教核心教义“八正道”中的正念、正定紧密相连，属于大乘显宗修行范畴。《显密圆通成佛心要集》作为显密圆融的经典，倡导“即事而真”，将日常生活转化为修行道场。本文将财务规划视为修行契机，正契合此理念。中道在此可理解为“不二法门”，超越对金钱的贪著与恐惧，达到心境平衡。准提法作为密法，强调“三密相应”，但本文的呼吸练习可视为一种简化版的身密修持，帮助行者安住当下。从显宗看，这体现了“应无所住而生其心”的般若智慧，培养对财务的无执心态。整体上，文章将佛教智慧世俗化应用，虽未深入教理，但为现代人提供了入门阶梯，符合大乘利他精神。在修行实践上可以应用的和可以解决人们的十个问题：1. 解决财务焦虑：通过中道练习，减少对市场波动的恐惧，提升内心稳定。2. 增强决策清晰度：培养正念，避免冲动消费或投资，做出更明智选择。3. 提升自我价值感：超越“钱越多越快乐”的迷思，安于当下，减少比较压力。4. 改善人际关系：将仁慈、耐心带入财务互动，减少冲突，如家庭理财讨论。5. 促进职场和谐：应用正念于工作，提高团队合作和生产力，减少职场压力。6. 支持中年规划：帮助中年人在财务转折期保持平衡，规划退休或生活变化。7. 增强抗压能力：通过呼吸法应对财务危机，如失业或债务，保持心理韧性。8. 培养感恩心态：练习对现有财务资源的满足，减少无止境的物质追求。9. 提升创造力：摆脱金钱压力后，激发新想法和机会，如创业或副业。10. 实现灵性成长：将财务生活融入修行，达到“财务禅修”，促进整体幸福感。这些应用聚焦佛教显宗和大乘视角，突出准提法简化修持的优点，如呼吸法易于实践，适合忙碌现代人，体现了“平常心是道”的智慧。