Doing Service vs. Cultivating Prosperity

Question: I so appreciate the wisdom you share with the world, and I loved "Renewal Weekend" in Colorado. I also went to see Amma last year (the "hugging saint" from India), and have been reading works by her. rnThere's a difference in your two outlooks and I wonder if you could talk about it. She's very clear that our focus in this lifetime should be service. She chooses to give up material comforts as part of this mission. You seem to invite a person to cultivate prosperity (if it's done consciously). I might be looking wrongly, but it seems like these two perspectives are at odds with each other. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Answer: rnI wouldn’t say our perspectives are in conflict at all. I encourage everyone to follow their own path to spiritual freedom, whether it be the path of knowledge, devotion, service, meditation or some combination of those. But where I differ from some teachers is in affirming that full spiritual development is available to those living in the world with responsibilities and worldly careers, not just those who are trying to minimize their involvement in the world. Wealth and material comforts are not barriers to spiritual growth, it is the attachment and identification that are the problem, and one can be just as lost by being attached to poverty as one can be by being attached to money. Amma understands this point as well. rnI want each person to follow their path to freedom according to whatever path best suits their nature. I don’t advocate material abundance as a necessary part of that growth, but insofar as those goals are a natural part of many peoples’ dharma and desire, it is important that these people know there is a way to fulfill those desires in such a way that it not only doesn’t impede their awakening, but actually supports their spiritual liberation. rnLove,rnDeepak