A Billionaire's Life

There's a good reason why  Nicolas Berggruen (inset)  was dubbed The Homeless Billionaire. With a £1.5billion fortune to his name, the son of a wealthy Jewish Art dealer surprisingly does not own a house, car or even a watch. He lives in hotels and the few belongings he has, he carries them around in a paper bag.  To Nicolas, possessions have zero appeal. What he owns, he says, is temporary and people are here on earth only for a short period of time. To him, it is our actions that have real value. Never mind that Nicolas Berggruen has acquired a £881million stake in Burger King - At the moment, he'd probably remind you of a  Bhikkhu, that's Pali for a Buddhist ordained male monk. The female counterpart would be Bhikkuni. A Buddhist monk's life is supposed to be devoid of all the worldly possession. While Bhikku can be translated as beggar or more beautifully put, as one who lives by alms; Buddhists see a monk  in a different light, as a person who sees danger in samsara or the cycle of rebirth. For sure, a Buddhist monk is to live a simple and meditative life.