Money

[Maddie]

2 minutes ago, Sketch said:

That lucky money charm is starting to sound pretty good.

 

One thing is for sure, it makes money for the one selling it at least lol.

[Sketch]

Just now, dmattwads said:

 

One thing is for sure, it makes money for the one selling it at least lol.

So how many shall I put you down for?

[freeform]

49 minutes ago, RiverSnake said:

 

Emphasis on (1). Developing a skill is 90% of the battle. Once your in the top 1% in your field.....people cross mountains to receive your services. 

It’s a major one indeed.

 

Some do things that are valuable for other people... some just follow an inner calling.

 

But the most successful people I know are selfless in their work (whether they surrender their ‘self’ to the craft - or to the benefit of their customers or clients)

 

I have a friend who got incredibly good at Japanese style woodwork and furniture-making... it became her passion.
 

Her furniture sells for 10’s of thousands (and some pieces are even 6 figures). And she’s booked for commissions over a year in advance.
 

Money was never important to her - she’s just obsessed with wood and shaping it into form.

 

Near the start of her career she found out about a swampy lake that was drained in Slovakia that contained a number of large oaks that were submerged for thousands of years. They were completely black all the way through - and strong as stone.

 

She had this lumber pulled out, sawn up and dried for many years... at great expense - she sold her flat and lived in her workshop for months to be able to afford that.

 

Years later, when the wood was ready, she created very simple, but beautifully crafted pieces from this wood. She sold out immediately, and has been fully booked ever since. Never advertised or goes for all the industry acclaim.

 

She just constantly travels the world investing her money in lumber.

 

She’s even bought land and planted thousands of oaks for future lumber... 2-300 years in the future.

 

She’s one of the most satisfied and successful people I know. She’s not super rich with many houses and yachts, but has everything she needs and her family is taken care of.

[dwai]

16 minutes ago, dmattwads said:

 

I'm not only responding to you but clearing a few more general assumptions in general with out getting to specific and personal. I actually have very few wants. I live in a simple but comfortable small apartment, drive a clean and reliable economy car, have enough to eat, and live in a safe area all of which I am grateful for. 

 

On the other hand while I have a skill and work long and hard I've noticed that no matter where I live, or what I do, I always never have enough. I don't spend lavishly at all, but just to survive I am going further into debt and this is just to buy food and necessities. If I make more, then suddenly more unexpected bills materialize to bring me back to the not making quite enough balance. I have for various reasons beyond my control several large expenses that are beyond my means to keep up with.

 

I assume this is my karma as I have with similar situations in the past that were the same no matter where I was nor what I did. In the past I focused on different aspects of karma and I saw these areas of my life gradually improve but now I am at a place in my life where money is the issue.

 

I just feel in general that if I ever do ask advice about money I am told the usual advice that I already know and do. I live simply, I have very little and am content with such. What I am dealing with now is not greed, but survival. I was hoping someone had been down this route and knew of the behind the scenes doings of these things. 

Do you find yourself bracing for when the proverbial shoe will land? It’s a sort of lPTSD...I’ve experienced it. When everything seems to be going well, a feeling arises

— uhoh! Things are a little too “okay”...and brace for the next bad thing to happen. And it does. 
 

[Maddie]

1 hour ago, Wilhelm said:

Edit: Apologies - you gave a real concern and I was making jokes.

 

I know what it's like living with the 'worrying about money's cloud hanging over you.  No fun! 

 

It looks like the best advice I know has already been said in this thread...

 

Oh for sure this is a real concern. What I have typically noticed when asking advice about the subject of money are two extremes.

 

The first can be called "New Age silliness" which is just that. It clearly does not work.

 

The second is what I call "common sense" which I am already doing and aware of.

 

What I am looking for is hard to find and very rare, but thought I'd try. What I am looking for is basically what a Buddha would say about it. I want to know the karma, and how to deal with the karma, because basically at the end of the day it all comes down to karma.

 

This is why one person may say what the secret of their success was in a seminar, or a book or what not, but when other people go out and apply the same technique it does not work out the same. What is the difference? Karma. Being smart is important and does matter, but you can be as wise with money as an economist, as frugal with money as a monk and if you don't have the karma its still going to be rough.

 

This is not just academic for me. There are a few other areas of my life, major areas that in the past I focused hard on changing the karma for and those areas changed. I realize it is going to be the same with money as well.

 

One may ask if I realize this why I am even asking a question at all. For two reasons. The first reason is there is the slim possibility that someone out there has a Buddha perspective on this and can offer the type of advice I seek. The second reason is that this is an important and valid topic that often gets over looked from the dhamma point of view and I felt like it was important to consider from this perspective.

[Sketch]

6 minutes ago, freeform said:

the most successful people I know are selfless in their work (whether they surrender their ‘self’ to the craft - or to the benefit of their customers or clients)

 

I have a friend who got incredibly good at Japanese style woodwork and furniture-making... it became her passion.
 

Her furniture sells for 10’s of thousands (and some pieces are even 6 figures). And she’s booked for commissions over a year in advance.
 

Money was never important to her - she’s just obsessed with wood and shaping it into form.

 

Near the start of her career she found out about a swampy lake that was drained in Slovakia that contained a number of large oaks that were submerged for thousands of years. They were completely black all the way through - and strong as stone.

 

She had this lumber pulled out, sawn up and dried for many years... at great expense - she sold her flat and lived in her workshop for months to be able to afford that.

 

Years later, when the wood was ready, she created very simple, but beautifully crafted pieces from this wood. She sold out immediately, and has been fully booked ever since. Never advertised or goes for all the industry acclaim.

 

She just constantly travels the world investing her money in lumber.

 

She’s even bought land and planted thousands of oaks for future lumber... 2-300 years in the future.

 

She’s one of the most satisfied and successful people I know. She’s not super rich with many houses and yachts, but has everything she needs and her family is taken care of.

This reminds me of a departed friend, a luthier who purchased living timber, with strict measures for storing and seasoning the wood when it was cut.

Edited January 7, 2021 by Sketch

[Maddie]

1 minute ago, dwai said:

Do you find yourself bracing for when the proverbial shoe will land? It’s a sort of lPTSD...I’ve experienced it. When everything seems to be going well, a feeling arises

— uhoh! Things are a little too “okay”...and brace for the next bad thing to happen. And it does. 
 

 

No when things go well I think "sweet here we are" lol

[Maddie]

5 minutes ago, freeform said:

It’s a major one indeed.

 

Some do things that are valuable for other people... some just follow an inner calling.

 

But the most successful people I know are selfless in their work (whether they surrender their ‘self’ to the craft - or to the benefit of their customers or clients)

 

I have a friend who got incredibly good at Japanese style woodwork and furniture-making... it became her passion.
 

Her furniture sells for 10’s of thousands (and some pieces are even 6 figures). And she’s booked for commissions over a year in advance.
 

Money was never important to her - she’s just obsessed with wood and shaping it into form.

 

Near the start of her career she found out about a swampy lake that was drained in Slovakia that contained a number of large oaks that were submerged for thousands of years. They were completely black all the way through - and strong as stone.

 

She had this lumber pulled out, sawn up and dried for many years... at great expense - she sold her flat and lived in her workshop for months to be able to afford that.

 

Years later, when the wood was ready, she created very simple, but beautifully crafted pieces from this wood. She sold out immediately, and has been fully booked ever since. Never advertised or goes for all the industry acclaim.

 

She just constantly travels the world investing her money in lumber.

 

She’s even bought land and planted thousands of oaks for future lumber... 2-300 years in the future.

 

She’s one of the most satisfied and successful people I know. She’s not super rich with many houses and yachts, but has everything she needs and her family is taken care of.

 

This is one of the things the baffles me. I am an acupuncturist as some of you are aware. I have had many people call me their personal "miracle worker". My aim here isn't to brag or be conceited but I've had many cases of people with incurable conditions come to me and I helped them. I don't care about the money. I do acupuncture because I love doing it and I love helping people. It is honestly my passion, but never quite having enough for the basics does get old. And when I say basics, I more or less live like a monk, or as much like one as I can. 

[freeform]

16 minutes ago, dmattwads said:

I live simply, I have very little and am content with such. What I am dealing with now is not greed, but survival.

You need to save.
 

Even if you have debts.

 

Create a savings account, and direct a percentage of your income into it automatically... do it so that you don’t even see it going out of your account.
 

Set up a standing order so that whatever percentage of your pay check goes into your savings - even if it’s 2%... creating that ‘channel’ for the flow of your money will set you on the right track.

 

Create a plan for covering your debts... a similar, but larger channel must be created to cover that.

 

Use your earning and spending as the levers to increase or decrease the flow of money into these channels.

 

Get rid of your car and cycle instead...

[Maddie]

2 minutes ago, freeform said:

You need to save.
 

Even if you have debts.

 

Create a savings account, and direct a percentage of your income into it automatically... do it so that you don’t even see it going out of your account.
 

 

I agree, and I was, but I had to choose between my savings account or homelessness.

 

3 minutes ago, freeform said:

Get rid of your car and cycle instead...

 

I like where your heart is, but I live in Texas and things are far and I have kids, so that does not really work either.

[freeform]

14 minutes ago, dmattwads said:

I agree, and I was, but I had to choose between my savings account or homelessness.

Even if it’s like 5 cents a month?
 

It’s the flow that’s important - not the amount. 
 

even a trickle of water from a spring will eventually fill a lake.

 

14 minutes ago, dmattwads said:

I like where your heart is, but I live in Texas and things are far and I have kids, so that does not really work either.

It’s not my heart - it’s experience.

 

And Texas has the perfect weather for cycling

 

Plus:

Edited January 7, 2021 by freeform

[Maddie]

Just now, freeform said:

Even if it’s like 5 cents a month?
 

It’s the flow that’s important - not the amount. 
 

even a trickle of water from a spring will eventually fill a lake.

 

 

Ok I think I might be starting to see your point, but not quite sure, but maybe. Perhaps elaborate a bit more on this?

 

2 minutes ago, freeform said:

And Texas has the perfect weather for cycling

 

Plus:

 

 

Well for one my car is almost paid off, and two it's hard putting kids on a bike.

[Sketch]

I really do need to keep out of this thread before somebody thinks I'm panhandling. But...hast thou a side hustle?

[Maddie]

4 minutes ago, Sketch said:

I really do need to keep out of this thread before somebody thinks I'm panhandling. But...hast thou a side hustle?

 

Side hustle? parenting I guess after working full time.

[dwai]

29 minutes ago, freeform said:

You need to save

Wealth attracts wealth. I’ve seen this far too often — it’s very good advice to be debt free and save. 

Edited January 7, 2021 by dwai

[Sketch]

Really difficult not to get all jive talky about this. I mean an additional income stream, outside of the main gig.

[freeform]

13 minutes ago, dmattwads said:

Well for one my car is almost paid off, and two it's hard putting kids on a bike.

Repairs, gas, road tax, insurance, depreciation, lost income as a result of not having the cost of the car earning income as investment.

 

Your car costs you far more than it’s sticker price.

 

Search “compound interest” to understand the biggest open ‘secret’ to wealth.

 

13 minutes ago, dmattwads said:

Ok I think I might be starting to see your point, but not quite sure, but maybe. Perhaps elaborate a bit more on this?

There’s not much to add. 
 

The source of the mightiest rivers is often the tiniest of trickles... 

 

Secondly having a savings account with even a tiny amount of money in it, will attract more money.

 

This all parallels generating Qi btw (if you still want a metaphysical slant )

[Maddie]

3 minutes ago, dwai said:

Wealth attracts wealth. I’ve seen this far too often — it’s very good advice to be debt free and save. 

 

Well if anything has gotten my attention with out me quite understanding it, it is this I think.

[Maddie]

Just now, freeform said:

This all parallels generating Qi btw (if you still want a metaphysical slant )

 

I do indeed want a metaphysical slant :-)

[freeform]

[Maddie]

Well at least now a couple things have me confused and that is usually a good sign.

[Michael Sternbach]

7 minutes ago, dmattwads said:

 

I'm not only responding to you but clearing a few more general assumptions in general with out getting to specific and personal. I actually have very few wants. I live in a simple but comfortable small apartment, drive a clean and reliable economy car, have enough to eat, and live in a safe area all of which I am grateful for. 

 

On the other hand while I have a skill and work long and hard I've noticed that no matter where I live, or what I do, I always never have enough. I don't spend lavishly at all, but just to survive I am going further into debt and this is just to buy food and necessities. If I make more, then suddenly more unexpected bills materialize to bring me back to the not making quite enough balance. I have for various reasons beyond my control several large expenses that are beyond my means to keep up with.

 

I assume this is my karma as I have with similar situations in the past that were the same no matter where I was nor what I did. In the past I focused on different aspects of karma and I saw these areas of my life gradually improve but now I am at a place in my life where money is the issue.

 

I just feel in general that if I ever do ask advice about money I am told the usual advice that I already know and do. I live simply, I have very little and am content with such. What I am dealing with now is not greed, but survival. I was hoping someone had been down this route and knew of the behind the scenes doings of these things. 

 

The term 'karma' simply means 'action'. It originally referred to the kind of magical ritual the brahmins were engaging in to make sure the ruler would be successful with his endeavours. Later its meaning was extended to include the "mind seeds" that one is planting in general.

 

That implies that the causes of our success or lack thereof lie in ourselves. There is no cosmic authority that judges us and rewards or punishes us accordingly.

 

True that each individual is born with a set of psychological traits that predispose them to creating certain situations. These have to do with the lessons we are supposed to learn in a given incarnation.

 

The foremost lesson to unterstand is that we are creators in the flesh. Our physical experience always reflects our beliefs and expectations. There is no other rule.

 

Even people cursing us have no power over us other than the influence we allow them to have. Again, that ties in with our beliefs.

 

Magical charms do nothing by themselves. But they may help to keep us focussed on the results we wish to achieve. In a manner of speaking, they serve as a reminder to our inner self. But whether we employ them or not, it is the messages that we send to ourselves that make all the difference.

 

If your dad told you that you will never have success in life and you bought that, then it is this negative belief about yourself that you first need to change.

 

If you believe that you don't deserve much because of what you have done in this or a former life, or because it would be unfair to those who have less than you, then your circumstances will surely reflect that belief.

 

If you long for a richer life in financial terms, yet you think that there is some kind of spiritual merit in living with no more than what you need for your bare survival, then it is again your attitude that you need to reconsider.

 

Use visualization and affirmation to help you alter your beliefs and create new expectations on a profound level in a meditative state. More specific instructions can be provided on request.

 

Again: Your only limitations are those that you impose upon yourself. You create your own reality.

 

Cheers!

[freeform]

12 minutes ago, dmattwads said:

I do indeed want a metaphysical slant :-)

It’s how the Dantien is built... Qi doesn’t want to accumulate - it wants to be used...

 

But generate, seal and ‘fill’ you LDT with just a little and it will begin to attract more Qi... 

 

So when you sleep or eat a particularly good meal or take a deep breath - instead of fuelling your next thought or emotion, it may just be drawn down and accumulate in your Dantien.

 

And the accumulation compounds - meaning it grows logarithmically...

 

Thats why a Neigong master can have more Qi than dozens of healthy people put together...

Edited January 7, 2021 by freeform

[freeform]

That’s how saving money works too.

 

9 minutes ago, freeform said:

compound interest

 

Is characterised by this famous paradox:

 

Would you rather have $1,000,000 or 1 penny that doubles every day for 30 days?

 

—

 

Hopefully you fell for it and went for the big bucks...

 

But if you understood compound interest, you’d know that:

 

[Maddie]

Ok I'm starting to ponder a bit...🤔

 

Edited January 7, 2021 by dmattwads