Money

[Maddie]

13 minutes ago, Michael Sternbach said:

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.

 

 

Well I do know that one of the reasons I was reluctant to begin this topic is because I hate the topic of money. I don't know why, but I do. But I am also getting tired of not having enough either.

[dwai]

21 minutes ago, dmattwads said:

 

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

Like @freeform explained. But save, don’t hoard. Another rule is, wealth is attributed to Goddess Laxmi in Hinduism. She has many names, among which, one is “chanchala” or the “restless one”. If you try to forcibly hold on to her, she will leave. If you give her freedom to come and go with love, she will stay.

[liminal_luke]

You could always offer to sit in full lotus for 4 hours for $25.  Oops, already been done.  Nevermind.  

[Maddie]

1 minute ago, liminal_luke said:

You could always offer to sit in full lotus for 4 hours for $25.  Oops, already been done.  Nevermind.  

 

My gig is I'll eat a plate of paste with some wine and watch Netflix for you for only $24.99 for the next 10 callers in the next 20 minutes.

[liminal_luke]

I´ll pay extra if it´s a pasta carbonara -- that´s my favorite.

[Maddie]

1 minute ago, liminal_luke said:

I´ll pay extra if it´s a pasta carbonara -- that´s my favorite.

 

Ok but just because it's you.

[liminal_luke]

On a less jokey note, when I´m feeling down about my money I find studies by positive psychologists (happiness researchers) comforting.  From what I read, money really doesn´t buy happiness.  Unless you use it to buy things for other people in which case maybe it does. YMMV

[Michael Sternbach]

36 minutes ago, dmattwads said:

 

Well I do know that one of the reasons I was reluctant to begin this topic is because I hate the topic of money. I don't know why, but I do. But I am also getting tired of not having enough either.

 

Then it's time to take a deeper look into the various ways having money would benefit you and those you care for, I'd say.

[Maddie]

8 minutes ago, Michael Sternbach said:

 

Then it's time to take a deeper look into the various ways having money would benefit you and those you care for, I'd say.

 

That part I get. What I don't get is why knowing that it is important why I don't like the topic nevertheless.

[dwai]

45 minutes ago, dmattwads said:

 

My gig is I'll eat a plate of paste with some wine and watch Netflix for you for only $24.99 for the next 10 callers in the next 20 minutes.

Just no O@AD please 🙏🏾

[Maddie]

14 minutes ago, dwai said:

Just no O@AD please 🙏🏾

 

No, but I think I could manage the creepy staring if I really tried.

 

[Maddie]

Going back to karma I think for some back ground I'll give a couple major examples in my life so far regarding personal relationship and career karma.

 

My personal relationship karma has sucked from the beginning, so that is immediately past life karma. I have a quite detailed past life theory but I won't get into that now, suffice to say its not great. My dad was an abusive narcissist throughout my entire childhood. A couple years after I am out on my own in the adult world I get involved in a church cult that is the same. After leaving that I get into a marriage that is also the same. After leaving that the first couple people I date are also the same. At this point I'm really wondering why no matter where I go, what I do or who I'm with its always the same. So at this point I stop dating and start using all my free time to deal with my relationship karma. I spent a sold year doing this before attempting to date any one. After this when I did begin to attempt dating again I met a very nice lady that was kind. 

 

Same goes for my careers and jobs as well. For a long time no matter what job I got or what I did I always hated it and it usually treated me poorly. So around the same time I decide to work on my relationship karma I also decide to work on my career karma and now I have a career that I love.

 

Since I am generally uninterested in money I guess I have sort of put this one off for a while until now. I'm hoping after some more serious effort dealing with this type of karma things will also improve effortlessly.

[Maddie]

1 hour ago, dwai said:

 Another rule is, wealth is attributed to Goddess Laxmi in Hinduism.

 

I have considered trying the Laxmi mantra. Is it effective?

[dwai]

1 minute ago, dmattwads said:

 

I have considered trying the Laxmi mantra. Is it effective?

I know many who have strong devotion to her, and they seem be doing well enough.
 

I think one point that you raised concerning a dislike for money is interesting. Why do you dislike it? 

[Maddie]

Just now, dwai said:

I know many who have strong devotion to her, and they seem be doing well enough.
 

I think one point that you raised concerning a dislike for money is interesting. Why do you dislike it? 

 

I don't know to be honest, but I've always hated dealing with it, thinking about it, and as long as I have enough to survive I could care less about it.

[Maddie]

28 minutes ago, dwai said:

I know many who have strong devotion to her, and they seem be doing well enough.
 

I think one point that you raised concerning a dislike for money is interesting. Why do you dislike it? 

 

Thus far I've tried several Buddhist mantras, and the one that I feel like it does the most is probably Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Zhunti seems to do a lot also, but its too strong and I tend to feel bad after doing it.

[thelerner]

Paradigm of seed, soil & climate.

 

You are the seed, your $ value is what you can offer the world.  Your skills, hardwork, intelligence, dedication.  Soil, where you plant yourself is very important.  Location, location, location.. going where the need is.  Where the money is.  Getting into the right place.  It's a mixture of planning, gumption, luck.  

Climate is similar to location, probably has more of a luck component.  Tech can help, if your climate isn't great, build irrigation, savings, build a green house.  If possible.  

[dwai]

1 hour ago, dmattwads said:

 

I don't know to be honest, but I've always hated dealing with it, thinking about it, and as long as I have enough to survive I could care less about it.

What do you think would happen if you felt the same way about food, or water? Or your profession? 
 

Money is a means to an end. That’s all. In the old days, people would barter with each other. Then money was invented, and people continue to “barter” but use money instead — elementary stuff everyone knows. Why aversion towards it? The other side of aversion is craving. Neither is good — Buddha already told us. 

Edited January 8, 2021 by dwai

[Michael Sternbach]

2 hours ago, dmattwads said:

 

That part I get. What I don't get is why knowing that it is important why I don't like the topic nevertheless.

 

Well, figuring out what you don't like about money would be an important step towards changing your attitude regarding it - hence towards attracting it more easily!

 

Here are a few possibilities:

 

Do you believe that wealth inevitably corrupts one's character?

 

Do you feel that material gain would make you a less spiritual person?

 

Or simply that it would make your life more complicated?

[Maddie]

To be honest I'm not really sure why I feel the way I do about money.

 

Edited January 8, 2021 by dmattwads

[anshino23]

7 hours ago, dmattwads said:

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

 

There's a famous passage in the Bible related to this that may be good for contemplation. 

 

 

…He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’…

[Creation]

17 hours ago, freeform said:

I made a pretty good income at a certain stage. You could say I was rich. Now I’m pretty poor - poorer than the vast majority of my school friends.

 

But I have less problems with money now than I did when I was ‘wealthy’.

 

Making money is simple, but not easy:

 

1) Do something people find very valuable - and do it really well.

 

2) Spend less than you earn

 

3) Make saving an automatic thing. Save 10 to 20% of your income - whatever your income may be.

 

4) Invest your savings wisely.

 

And that’s it.

I haven't the vaguest clue about investment.  Any advice on where to start?

[Bhathen]

Everything that you have mentioned(relationships, thoughts about money) seems to point towards an imbalance of the root chakra.

The root chakra is related to stability, relationships, money, safety... and the other end is anger, power, etc. 

 

Exercises to strengthen the root chakra might be helpful (or)

you could use more 'rooting and grounding' exercises in your practice.

 

Edited February 23, 2021 by Bhathen

[freeform]

1 hour ago, Creation said:

I haven't the vaguest clue about investment.  Any advice on where to start?

As you can imagine this is a pretty massive and contested area...

 

I’m pretty simple with mine - I invest using what are called ETFs - which are funds that track many different stocks/bonds/commodities at the same time. I tend to pick ‘ethical’ stock ETFs (that basically avoid oil, pharma, arms, tobacco companies)

 

Have a look at: https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/all-weather-portfolio/

 

And also learn the caveats and risks involved - because there are some!!

 

I just ‘set it and forget it’. I don’t watch the market, I rarely check on my investments - it’s not an area I’m interested in particularly  

 

[Maddie]

1 hour ago, Bhathen said:

Everything that you have mentioned(relationships, thoughts about money) seems to point towards an imbalance of the root chakra.

The root chakra is related to stability, relationships, money, safety... and the other end is anger, power, etc. The creative energy center is the chakra above the root and is the reason arts and money go together for some.

 

Exercises to strengthen the root chakra might be helpful (or)

you could use more 'rooting and grounding' exercises in your practice.

 

 

Yes the root chakra is something I've pondered often. The root chakra is something I've worked on in the past but I've not seem to made much progress with it for what ever reason.

Edited January 8, 2021 by dmattwads