Robert Kiyosaki, Vietnam War veteran turned millionaire entrepreneur and best-selling author of Rich Dad Poor Dad recently teamed up with his sister Emi Kiyosaki, a peace-loving, working mother now known as Ani Tenzin Kacho, ordained Tibetan Buddhist nun. Their new book is Rich Brother, Rich Sister; the topic of which is…money. Ani Kacho recently faced mounting debt, incurred after having surgery and not having enough income to pay it back. Kiyosaki came to the rescue but with a tall order; he would give her the money provided she learn how make more of it. He would be her guide. The Tibet Connection recently spoke to them about what they’ve learned working with each other.
Robert Kiyosaki: It’s been a process. In 1985, I reconnected with my sister. Our paths crossed in education but we teach two different subjects. Mine is how to survive financially in this world.
Ani Tenzin Kacho: As a Buddhist nun, living a simple life and not focusing on things like money, it worked for many years but also being a baby boomer and then realizing that health issues played a huge part in my financial well-being, I bumped into a lot of problems. So this was a big push in jumping into working with Robert so I could learn about my financial as well as my spiritual being. It has been an opportunity to stretch my familiar Buddhist temple world and really look at speaking out and being more available to other people.
Julie Adler: What have the developments been since writing this book?
ATK: I have expanded my work in chaplaincy and hospice; I went back to work at the age of sixty.
JA: But wait, what about the bank account? You didn’t mention the word ‘money’ at all. How is that going?
ATK: I paid off all my bills.
RK: But so far she’s not made any money from the book because you have to learn how to sell a book first. Many people are embarrassed about the word ‘sell.’
I would not have asked her to do this book if I didn’t feel her message was valid. She’s the real thing. She wants people to wake up about the spiritual side of life, because the two nastiest words are ‘money’ and ‘religion;’ so we’re stepping on a lot of toes right now.
JA: So, you’re trying to make the words ‘money’ and ‘religion’ cohabit?
RK: It’s that they’re not exclusive. My teacher was Dr. R. Buckminster Fuller and back in 1981, he asked me what my life’s purpose was and I said it was to get rich. I didn’t know that guy was a Socialist. He chewed me out and said, “Young man, that’s a waste of a good mind just to make money.” But we all need money to survive. That’s when my transition started; maybe I was supposed to be doing something other than just making money.
JA: What have you learned from your sister since working with her?
RK: Fighting is in my blood. So working with her, I had to make another change of heart and learn to become a little more peaceful because I’m getting older. It’s been very good for me to observe her, because as His Holiness the Dalai Lama says, ‘my religion is kindness’ so it was major shift in my mind, my heart and my spirit to be a little bit more kind which is not easy for me. For some people, to be mean is hard. For me it’s very easy. So it’s a battle within myself to find greater kindness and to treat people with more kindness and respect.
To hear the entire interview and find out more about Robert Kiyosaki and Ani Tenzin Kacho and their new book, visit: thetibetconnection.org.
Julie Adler is a contributing producer of the radio show and website The Tibet Connection. For more information, broadcast times and updates, visit: thetibetconnection.org
By Julie Adler
