もったいない (勿体無い)(勿体ない) can mean "what a waste!" / "too good". Apparently it is
originally (?) a buddhist term meaning “The essence or quality of the thing
does not exist,” and supposedly has been popularized in recent years by
environmentalists. I saw it used in this context:

> 24時間365日、どこにいてもこれからは、もうずーっと素直でいる。
>
> じゃないと今日の興味にも失敗にも向き合えないまま。
>
> もったいないから素直でいる！
>
> Wherever I find myself, I want to live honestly, 24 hours a day, 365 days a
> year.
>
> If not, I wouldn't be able to face the joy or failure that each day brings .
>
> I don't want to waste time (on that) so I will stay true to myself!

My friend told me the most common usage of もったいない is when receiving a gift, as
in "too good. i don't deserve it" . She says it is also used, for example,
when one leaves food uneaten, to be thrown away, as in "what a waste." What is
the connection of the buddhist term to both of these meanings and what is the
most common use and meaning of this phrase?(I am interested most in its
colloquial manifestations)

The very loose translation of this passage was mine, so any corrections of
mistakes or misinterpretations is appreciated. (In particular, I don't
understand how the Japanese writer is using this word here)

reference:http://www.seattlebetsuin.com/EcoSangha/glossary.htm
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question
words etymology
What is the most common usage and meaning of もったいない?
Looking at
[Daijisen](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?p=%E3%82%82%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E3%81%84%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84&enc=UTF-8&stype=0&dtype=0),
[Daijirin](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?p=%E3%82%82%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E3%81%84%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84&enc=UTF-8&stype=0&dtype=0&dname=0ss),
[the Yahoo JE
dictionary](http://dic.yahoo.co.jp/dsearch?p=%E3%82%82%E3%81%A3%E3%81%9F%E3%81%84%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84&enc=UTF-8&stype=0&dtype=3),
Edict etc, it seems to mean:

>   1. "a pity to waste"/"too good to waste"
>     * When said by itself it often refers to wasting food or time etc
> according to [English Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mottainai).
>     * According to [this site](http://eikaiwa-phrase.com/1003.html),
> `～がもったいない` is often similar to `～の無駄` as in `時間がもったいない`/`時間の無駄だよ`, and that
> `もったいない！` can allude to `何て無駄なんだ！` "what a waste!".
>   2. "sacrilegious"
>   3. "more than (I) deserve"/"too good for (me)"
>   4. "improper/wrong", "outrageous", "absurd/unreasonable" (as far as I know
> this usage is relatively uncommon.)
>

As far as I know, the most common usage is "too good [for/to waste]".

The way I interpret those sentences is:

> 24時間365日、どこにいてもこれからは、もうずーっと素直でいる。  
>  24 hours a day 365 days a year, wherever I am from now on, I'm going to
> henceforth be true to myself.
>
> じゃないと今日の興味にも失敗にも向き合えないまま。  
>  If I don't, I will remain unable to face even today's interests and
> failures.
>
> もったいないから素直でいる！  
>  (It would be a) pity to waste (time) so I'm going to be true to myself!

**Edit:** Hopefully fixed translation of もったいない in this context.
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answer