Spending money on books

[idiot_stimpy]

I have a habit of spending money on numerous books about spiritual topics.

 

Anyone else seem to follow along these lines?

 

I just bought two out of print books for quite a lot of money. Seemed like it was the thing to do so I did it.

[skydog]

You can do that or you can go to a bookshop/library/google and read it for free totally your choice, sometimes I do both.

[Jetsun]

I download the majority for free, generally not new ones or ones ones by authors who need the money as there is a moral issue.

[idiot_stimpy]

I have a hard time reading books electronically on my screen. I seem to favor paperbooks although an Amazon Kindle would probably be nice.

[Birch]

Yep, a bunch, not just spiritual but lots of different stuff.

I realized that books were how I got rewarded as a kid as well as being a convenient escape from the shitstorm around me (and within, but who knows?)

Anyway, when I figured out I was rewarding myself as I had been rewarded (and punishing myself as I had been punished) then I got to the decision part. Do I want to keep spending this much on books? How about looking at other uses for my money?

 

----opinion etc---

[GrandmasterP]

Books I buy a lot but always try Amazon partners first for 2nd hand copies. The last half dozen or so were a penny each plus postage n packing.

[idiot_stimpy]

A life changing book for me was Eckhart Tolles Power of Now. Recommended by a work friend who was into Merkaba meditation and the tree of life.

 

It was the book that taught me to look inwards.

[idiot_stimpy]

Books I buy a lot but always try Amazon partners first for 2nd hand copies. The last half dozen or so were a penny each plus postage n packing.

 

Haha the 2nd hand copies I bought came to $168 including postage.

[GrandmasterP]

Well if they are rare you pay.

Most of the stuff I buy is pulp fiction the heavy stuff I can get free via inter library loan here at work.

[Thunder_Gooch]

As a guy who has spent a small fortune on spiritual books, I'll let you in on a little secret.

 

If you like philosophy, you are in luck.

 

If you want training information for practices, you are out of luck.

 

 

If you are buying lots of books hoping to get real training information and not some philosophy out of them, you might as well buy this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's a lot cheaper and performs the same function.

Edited January 15, 2013 by More_Pie_Guy

[idiot_stimpy]

While it is true in some sense, some of the books have been greatly beneficial to me. Philosophy has its use, pointing to dark areas of the mind that need the light of awareness to be illuminated.

 

My practice is mostly mind only, gravitating towards Mahamudra.

[joeblast]

heh...if you want bits and pieces of training information, that is. it winds up being up to the individual to ascertain its usage and value. I keep buying things that look like they will be of use to me, but not because its the thing to do, its because I will keep a good toolset so that when I have use for a particular tool, I can implement it. the gem of the tao glints 10,000 different ways depending on what the angle between the sun, it, and the eye is.

[thelerner]

I have to force myself not to buy books. Its easy to get too top heavy, to theoretical, to philosophical. Marry a system, practice it faithfully, flirt with others .

[hydrogen]

I used to not buy books. Now I do.

 

Karma. I consider it a support for fellow brothers and sisters on the path.

[Flolfolil]

i don't buy books because i am too poor. my mom bought me a kindle so i use that i loooove it. It isn't a moral issue for me because if i didn't pirate books i would never be able to read them, so it isn't like someone isn't receiving money that they would get from me. If i had money i would use it to do something responsible like better my material situation or see my family i haven't seen in years or find a teacher instead of relying on books.

 

Not to mention, and this is something i will NOT argue because i stand strong in this belief and will not waver - if you have something incredible and liberating that will rid people from suffering and you charge buttloads of money for it, wtf? i know other people will say "oh but they need too eat too" Well you can save it, because you aren't changing my opinion. If i had information like that i would put it out there for free

 

Also LOL at the phrase "suggested donation 10$"

[GrandmasterP]

I'm paid to read for a whole chunk of each working week, think for another chunk and then deliver three lectures a week based on what I've read and thunk that week (in theory) so the heavy stuff gets read here at work.

Home reading is usually far fetched fiction for fun.

[Aetherous]

There are not enough great books; we don't buy enough books these days.

[Birch]

I'm paid to read for a whole chunk of each working week, think for another chunk and then deliver three lectures a week based on what I've read and thunk that week (in theory) so the heavy stuff gets read here at work.

Home reading is usually far fetched fiction for fun.

 

I can almost guarantee getting paid to read would stop my book habit:-)

 

[MERCELESS ONE]

As a guy who has spent a small fortune on spiritual books, I'll let you in on a little secret.

 

If you like philosophy, you are in luck.

 

If you want training information for practices, you are out of luck.

 

 

If you are buying lots of books hoping to get real training information and not some philosophy out of them, you might as well buy this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's a lot cheaper and performs the same function.

 

its interesting that you say that! the teachings are hidden in the philosophy! the philosophies are designed to hide information from the unworthy! my brethren and i have learned much and developed many techniques from the philosophies and created a powerful system of our own! you may need to just open your mind instead of being so skeptical.. ill throw you a bone, if you have heard of any of these things, elixer field, vital vapor, steam from fire and water, all reate to mixing yin and yang energy. after mixing yin and yang a field is emitted by the dantien and these are some of the names used to describe it. these books arent worthless its just your understanding is! you may ask how do i know that...read between the lines. and DONT THROW OFF OTHER PPLS ABILITY TO LEARN BECAUSE you don UNDERSTAND SOMETHING be a man and simply say that you dont understand. ppl like you do the most disservice to these practices!

[Thunder_Gooch]

its interesting that you say that! the teachings are hidden in the philosophy! the philosophies are designed to hide information from the unworthy! my brethren and i have learned much and developed many techniques from the philosophies and created a powerful system of our own! you may need to just open your mind instead of being so skeptical.. ill throw you a bone, if you have heard of any of these things, elixer field, vital vapor, steam from fire and water, all reate to mixing yin and yang energy. after mixing yin and yang a field is emitted by the dantien and these are some of the names used to describe it. these books arent worthless its just your understanding is! you may ask how do i know that...read between the lines. and DONT THROW OFF OTHER PPLS ABILITY TO LEARN BECAUSE you don UNDERSTAND SOMETHING be a man and simply say that you dont understand. ppl like you do the most disservice to these practices!

 

 

I prefer to mix the lead and the mercury in the dragon cavity, while I stir cinnabar field, then I plunge the vital essence into the original cavity of the spirit, while the great wheel rotates in the jade palace, sometimes I know the golden pill is ready when the false snow begins to fall. I like to force the dragon and tiger to mate repeatedly, before the tiger defecates golden pills

[GrandmasterP]

I can almost guarantee getting paid to read would stop my book habit:-)

...........

You would think so and some of what folk read for pleasure is a chore to me to read for sure.

Pragmatically , these days unless there's some radical change to the curriculum then I read for my own professional development rather than to attempt to learn new stuff to further confuse the poor students with.

Luckily, in philosophy of education; it's been a long time since anything especially new came along. What passes for innovation in our area tends to be rebranded old ideas getting another airing under a different name than they had last time out.

There is very little brand new under the teaching sun.

[三江源]

The thing with reading, for me, is the way that I read. If I read just with my head, it's just info.

 

If I engage as many levels of me as possible, and be as present as possible, then I can get impact and realisation from within the text and from associations inspired by the text.

 

A paragraph may be saying something I have heard many times before and already 'know'. And if i open to it more than I ever opened before, I get to know it on a new level, deeper into my awareness and the fuller implications of it can be integrated. There are always fuller awareness levels to be found.

 

Its just as well to forget how much one thinks one knows, and to forget looking at books for confirmation of what one knows,and instead to open .. because something, somewhere wants us to learn deeply. We just have to tune into that something, and allow synchronicity to find us the means.

 

Newness is utterly beside the point, when we havent even deeply perceived let alone digested what is here.

[GrandmasterP]

There's simple pleasure too of course.

Far worse ways of passing a winter's evening than with a cracking yarn by the fireside.

I'm chewing through Robert Rankin's novels at the mo. Started at the end of November and maybe ten left to go, reading them in order of publication rather than by series so it's interesting to see his style evolve over the years and the then-contemporary themes he touches on ( millennium bug at the moment).

Some plots he phones in, but mostly the lad is on top form.

[MERCELESS ONE]

 

 

I prefer to mix the lead and the mercury in the dragon cavity, while I stir cinnabar field, then I plunge the vital essence into the original cavity of the spirit, while the great wheel rotates in the jade palace, sometimes I know the golden pill is ready when the false snow begins to fall. I like to force the dragon and tiger to mate repeatedly, before the tiger defecates golden pills http://thetaobums.com/public/style_emoticons/#EMO_DIR#/wink.png

are you just quoting philosophy or do you really know what you are talking about? because i understand what you said perfectly. the sad thing is if you really know what you are talking about why do you make such quotes as the one before? obviously you learned that from somones philosophy! you should use your talents to help and not be arpart of the problem!

[Thunder_Gooch]

I am glad you understood what I said, because I sure as heck didn't

 

If you find truth in books with no training information, then more power to you!

 

You are certainly light years again of me.

 

Best of luck on your journey.

 

 

are you just quoting philosophy or do you really know what you are talking about? because i understand what you said perfectly. the sad thing is if you really know what you are talking about why do you make such quotes as the one before? obviously you learned that from somones philosophy! you should use your talents to help and not be arpart of the problem!

Edited January 18, 2013 by More_Pie_Guy