One of the Best Books About Making Positive Money Ever

Mindfulness and Money: The Buddhist Path to Abundance

by Kulananda and Dominic Houlder

Kulananda and Dominic Houlder are Buddhist teachers who have also been highly successful in the business arena. They have observed that one of the greatest causes of suffering the wealthy West is our love/hate relationship with our money: No matter how much we have, we don’t feel it is enough, or we fear losing it, or we mourn the way we are forced to earn it. In Mindfulness and Money, the authors use their Buddhist understanding, and the examples of others on the Buddhist path, to reveal the key to financial peace, whatever one’s income.

The root of suffering in our financial lives, Kulananda and Houlder say, is our desire to use money to make us feel complete, and the problem is that money cannot do that — in fact, nothing can. That sense of incompleteness is an indelible part of our human experience, and fighting it can cause us to live pinched, defensive, fearful money lives. Instead, Kulananda and Houlder offer us the Path of Abundance, which suggests practical strategies for countering our suffering. The Path is formed of five precepts — kindness, generosity, contentment, honesty, and awareness — which together teach us to earn and spend creatively: the key to living peacefully with money.

Mindfulness and Money lays out the Path of Abundance with practical wisdom, exercises, meditations, and real-life examples that speak to Buddhists and others alike. When we follow the Path, the authors promise, we not only avoid suffering about money; we also move closer to knowing who we really are, and we set ourselves free to live with our life’s true purpose.

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Broadway Books; (December 24, 2002)
ISBN: 0767909143
List Price: $23.95

Charter For Compassion

This is the amazing charter for all of you to read. Please check out the website as this is a movement that the world needs to know about:

http://vimeo.com/20548401

http://charterforcompassion.org/

The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves. Compassion impels us to work tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of our fellow creatures, to dethrone ourselves from the centre of our world and put another there, and to honour the inviolable sanctity of every single human being, treating everybody, without exception, with absolute justice, equity and respect.

It is also necessary in both public and private life to refrain consistently and empathically from inflicting pain. To act or speak violently out of spite, chauvinism, or self-interest, to impoverish, exploit or deny basic rights to anybody, and to incite hatred by denigrating others -even our enemies- is a denial of our common humanity. We acknowledge that we have failed to live compassionately and that some have even increased the sum of human misery in the name of religion.

We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings -even those regarded as enemies.

We urgently need to make compassion a clear, luminous and dynamic force in our polarized world. Rooted in a principled determination to transcend selfishness, compassion can break down political, dogmatic, ideological and religious boundaries. Born of our deep interdependence, compassion is essential to human relationships and to a fulfilled humanity. It is the path to enlightenment, and indispensable to the creation of a just economy and a peaceful global community.

To The Power of The Magic Kid In Us All

the magic time in the Lee Family circa 1969!

What were you like when you were a child who saw the world through enchanted lenses? You know the one: the version of you that could discover endless possibilities with simple items like a rock and a piece of string. You were the kid who could take blankets and chairs and construct a regal and impenetrable castle made of housewares and imagination. This was the version of you that had endless magical powers of mind and mental resources. In addition, you could host a tea party with the most illustrious of royal dolls or take a kite and fly it so high that it could touch the moon and return to earth unscathed.

As a boy, I was an unstoppable force of hope, creativity and possibilities. I had two loving and brilliant parents who encouraged me to explore the world around me with my imagination, my curiosity and plenty of book to read. To me the world was full of magic,  miracles and seemingly unlimited fun vocational pursuits. I wanted to become an artist, an archeologist, a herpetologist, a rock star, a paranormal investigator and a few other cool job endeavors. My world was rife with possibilities and mom and dad gave me the freedom and intellectual powers to investigate as much as I could.

Though my later childhood and youth had their definite complications, I never lost hope in the face of some serious adversity. My father had a major personality disorder and a mental illness that caused our once healthy nuclear family to implode. This in turn created my own mental havoc and unleashed my bipolar issues but I managed to weather these life storms with my creativity and imagination intact. Even after my parents’ destructive divorce and in spite of my dad’s issues, he still showed me great love and continued to help to foster my imaginative powers as best he could. My mom (the rock solid foundation of my life) also continued to encourage and inspire me to use my creative abilities and guide me on a positive course.

Now, as a successful adult who has figured out a new version of his life’s mission, I am constantly in communication with my young Pauly. Through all my trials and tribulations, I’ve managed to maintain my creative talents and it’s my hope that I can continue to help people from all walks of life stay in touch with or rediscover that power of their inner-kid. Being able to draw on your magic child is the key to living the magic of a mindful life and rekindling your creative and mindfully healthy spirit.

 

Party Like It’s 2012

Having a grand time running into a sculpture...

Here’s a simple sentiment today for you folks: get out and have a good time. Party it up. Live life to the fullest and just have some fun. I use the term party for any activity that involves upping your positive energy. This includes pursuits like hiking, hitting the beach, sports, artistic endeavors, being with loved ones, meditation or just having a party because you’re six feet above the ground. I can’t say it enough but our existences’ are impermanent and there ain’t no guarantees that you’re going to live to a ripe old age so get to it.

Unrealistic Expectations

We are often unrealistic in our expectations. We wish we could attain enlightenment swiftly without having to apply any effort, and we want to be happy without having to create virtuous causes. Unwilling to endure even the slightest discomfort we want all our suffering to cease, and while living in the jaws of the Lord of Death we wish to remain like a long-life god.

We are often unrealistic in our expectations. We wish we could attain enlightenment swiftly without having to apply any effort, and we want to be happy without having to create virtuous causes. Unwilling to endure even the slightest discomfort we want all our suffering to cease, and while living in the jaws of the Lord of Death we wish to remain like a long-life god.

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
Living Meaningfully, Dying Joyfully

Compassion for Everyone

here’s another place to help change our world:

HOW we do business and treat people is the future of our race

Even if you’re not in business, you still have to realize that business is what runs our world. The sooner our countries take care of each other and promote healthy global economics  through interconnectedness and community, the more successful our species and world will be.

Impressive Impermanence

Every day, I think about the fragility of my life and those around me that I love. I cherish every moment of contact with my family and friends whether it’s a Facebook chat, an email, phone call or best of all spending old-fashioned, 3-D moments in realtime with them. Truly, I don’t sweat the small stuff with people that I love and I only surround myself with people who can enrich my life. I can no longer make time for the psychic drainers.

I have no doubt that the more we focus on the impermanence in our worlds, the happier we can be. If we can help to convey this to people who do stress and suffer more than they should, we can in turn make this world a better place. So, I challenge you dear readers to spread the word. Help people realize that life is difficult but once you can shift your perspectives and live the impermanent dream we’ll all be better off.

New Joy Meditation

IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!

IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!.