Thunder_Gooch

Sin I feel you man. I hate being poor too. I am considering a career change, but in return I'll have to give up my dreams. It's something that is literally killing me inside, the fight between wanting more money, and pursuing my dreams in life. The two halves of me are in a ferocious battle, and evenly matched. To land a good paying job means the next 15 years of my life will be focused and dedicated to that end, perhaps 20. By the time I can start working and saving I'll be nearing retirement age. That and my dreams have gone up in smoke. I can't tell you how much I hate my options in life right now, and how much it pisses me off I can't pursue my dreams and also be financially stable and solvent. I get to pick one. I don't think you are useless, I am just trying to get you to see that while it is possible to become rich, nothing is for free, and everything has a cost. If you are willing to dedicate your life and focus like a laser on becoming wealthy I am sure you can do it, but in the end if you have no time life to enjoy your money before you die, what was the point?

Sin I am not saying you can't be rich man. I am saying the cost to become rich may be higher than you are willing to pay. Anything is possible, not everything. There is no free lunch, and you can't have your cake and eat it too. If you want to become rich there is no doubt in my mind you can become rich, but you'll be old, and every moment of your life will have been focused on obtaining wealth, and you'll die with a ton of money. That's the irony of the situation. Life is a choice, between plenty of time and no money to enjoy it, or money and no time to enjoy it.

There is no such thing as a free lunch, almost all the rich people who didn't inherit their wealth or win it, had to work for it. They were obsessed, and devoted their entire lives to the pursuit of wealth. That's what it takes bro. If you want to be rich you sell your soul for it. A girl I used to date her parents ran a moderately successful business, they installed soda machines at businesses, and split the profit with the business owners. They had a warehouse full of machines and soda, and employees they paid virtually nothing. They spent 10 hours a day, every day except Sunday working, when they weren't working, they were drinking. They also had a coffee delivery service where they offered professional coffee machines for businesses like gas stations etc. They had lots of money, but no time to really enjoy it. Enjoying the money wasn't the point though, it was always about making more money. It was the pursuit of money they enjoyed, not the money itself.

Come back and give us a lecture on how to get rich, once you've gotten rich. Otherwise this does about as much good as a 500lb man telling us how to lose weight, you know while he is still 500lbs and before he's lost any weight at all.

Learn to deal with being poor and join a commune, with an organic farm and work as a farm hand. That's about all I've got for ya.

You aren't getting it done, you are living with your parents, asking on an internet forum how to make enough money to pursue your dreams, if it were that easy we'd all be doing it. It isn't. You might get lucky and win the lottery, you might meet someone who is rich, you might get a dream job and enjoy the work, but if you wait till your parents die to figure it out you'll be thrown to the wolves in the real world and it's going to suck. Learn to live with being dirt poor or dedicate your life to a career, pick one and stick with it. As much as I wish this was a have your cake and eat it to situation it isn't.

Sin, I've been struggling with this for years, our society just isn't set up for it. Settle on a carreer path, get the necessary education and other requirements met, do an internship, get a decent paying job, and work till you die. Or live in absolute poverty till you die. Pick one, those are your realistic options.

It's spontaneous movement qigong system, plus third eye breathing (red phoenix) but kunlun that max teaches is not the same thing as kunlun pai.

Like virtually everything else on the spiritual market, this is bullshit. I suggest you use it to wipe with because that's all it's good for.

Reminds me of Clifford Stoll

Women in my observation seem to be more spiritual in their mentality, but less spiritual in their practice. Men seem to be more spiritual in their practice, but less spiritual in their mentality. Just my $0.02.

I've known a lot of "spiritual" females. Almost all of them just like to get naked and smoke pot in the woods. Very wishy washy, peaced out, new-age, super silly people. This sort of person isn't likely to be posting on a taoist forum.

The Wizard offers you one of two potions. The first potion guarantees you perfect health and youth for 1000 years, but crushing poverty for those 1000 years. You live hungry, dirty and unbathed and as an outcast from society. The second potion offers you obscene wealth but it will make you sleep 22 hours a day for the rest of your life, leaving just a small window each day to enjoy your riches. You watch as your life passes you by quickly. You are forced to choose one or the other, and walking away from the offer results in eternal torture till you choose one of the two potions. Which of these two options, which do you choose, and why?

Thanks. It's very meaningful for me personally.

Looking at my posts here:

That's an interesting interpretation. I had never considered that view before. What do you think about this video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_RaPOOVX1Y

I can relate, I listen to alan watts for hours on end and take notes as he had many profound insights that resonate with me. Perhaps this is the aim of people who study occult/hermetic philosophy.

So you are looking for stories that serve a symbolic purpose? Wouldn't studying literature provide the same effect?

Don't expect any real answers to your questions, because you won't get any.

Sure bird watching could be serious cultivation depending on your goals. I don't consider reverse breathing to be serious cultivation either, there is a lot lot lot more to it than the manner in which you breathe. (just imho) I think there are two main types of people, those that see life as precious and limited so we must enjoy it to the fullest and be the best person we can be, then there is the person that sees life as precious and limited and has something they want to achieve at all costs before they die. I am the latter.

It really depends on what you want to do with your life. The title of this thread should have read "Cultivation is not a separate practice for most people" Most normal people aren't interested in serious cultivation, they are interested in living a happy life. I am not judging anyone for how they choose to live their life, but dedicating your life to meditation and cultivation is really alien to most people and seen as unhealthy. We each are entitled to live our lives as we see fit, and as long as we don't harm anyone else it shouldn't matter to anyone else. I am not telling anyone my way is better than your way, only that this one size fits all way of life you describe isn't for me, it isn't how I wish to live my life.