I think it is because of karma that money is not an issue for me in this lifetime. I think I've dealt with money as a life issue before in previous lifetimes, or will in future lifetimes. Whichever it is doesn't matter. In this life, I should be aware of it and always come back to gratitude for it, but it's just not an issue. I should appreciate it, but I shouldn't feel guilty about it or if I'm acting like I'm taking it for granted.

I play with the concept that we enter this life either having chosen the issues we want to deal with and try to overcome, or that our issues are brought upon us by our own past actions and habituations – our karma. The issues could be financial, psychological, spiritual, health-related, etc., etc., but once we're on the stage, we forget that we chose these issues to deal with and we're just swept along in the reality show of the lives we're born into.

Our spiritual memory of the ultimate reality is swept away when we're conceived or born, and replaced with a blank slate to be written upon by relative reality.

Personally, I think I've dealt with financial issues in past lifetimes because of the realization of a monastic ideal in this lifetime, i.e., ideal of poverty, even though monasticism is no longer my goal. I'm not worried about getting back to a monastery in this lifetime, but I do hope to attain some sort of hermit status, whether it be homelessness or merely humble, I don't know yet. Some sort of realization of "poverty" at some point. ("Hmmm", I think, working through issues.)

Even as my savings in unemployment are dwindling, I'm not concerned about money. If it became a dire circumstantial issue, completely out of my hands, it would be a no-brainer for me to enter a monastery. It is a luxury that I have that I am aware of that option and have the ability and aptitude to pursue it.

But as it is, I'm not concerned about it because I was born into a family that is a financial safety net. Monasticism is a trump card, but I've been dealt a good hand.

Still, there are issues.

Even looking at monasticism as a "trump card", a last resort, is symptomatic of the issue. Having the family financial safety net can be interpreted to allow for not entering a monastery and continuing my spiritual/existential pursuit on the outside. But on the outside, there is always money, whether or not it's an "issue", it's still there. Calling monasticism my trump card is still working in that paradigm, since I'm saying financials could be a key to whether I enter monastery or not.

These thoughts are so useless.