Buddhism after 20 years of practice

The four noble truths can be interpreted as such:  Suffering exists, the cause of suffering is craving (wanting things to be different than the way they are), it is possible to be free of suffering, the way to be free of suffering is the eight fold path (the pursuit of mastery in all things).

The suffering being worked is the unnecessary suffering on top of things.  For example, if somehow you were cut by a knife, the wound would hurt and there would be pain as the injury recovered, this pain is real.  The unnecessary suffering is the layer on top, the thoughts that may occur, “with this injury I won’t be able to work, do I have enough sick leave to cover this?  If not I won’t be able to pay my bills and then …”, this extra layer, which could be described as self-induced or “untrained” is the suffering we can be free of.

It is through meditation and allowing the mind to slow down and become still which allows the suffering to lesson until it is essentially no longer present.

Once the mind is still there are still interests and pursuits, plans can be made and worked towards.  Thought is used with planning but once the mind has reached stillness, a majority of the time is spent hanging out with the stillness, as it is a nice place to be.  Of course the familiar thinking mind can be kicked back on as needed, such as when selecting tile to install in a bathroom remodel, but there is no longer a need to ride the endless untamed thinking.

Are Buddhists happy?  Well not necessarily.  Someone who has trained will be more and more free of the unnecessary suffering, but does being free of suffering necessarily result in happiness?  No.  However, it is a good starting point.  There is a next step.

The next step is allowing something to grow within you.  It’s tricky for this to happen with all the extra suffering as it wears you out.  Once free of it though, and whatever other major self-destructive habits you have which deplete you, there is extra “life force energy” to work with, and this will build up within you on its own accord with time.  The human body runs on this “life force energy” and dormant parts will come to life as things power back up.

The awakened being is fully energized with this “life force energy”, free of suffering, and influential in the world.  Awakened can be interpreted as the opposite of asleep, literally the opposite of someone who wakes up groggy in the morning, someone who is awake and full of life & potential.

This guy knows: https://18.tyler-brown.com/watch/44271695_163557957

Budgeting money

Here’s the best way to budget money based on all of my life experience up till this point.  May all who read this benefit from it.

*Note: This method is an evolution from the “envelope method of budgeting” which works well when you are down to near nothing.  If there is no money it is tricky to budget, in such a case go with the “envelope method of budgeting”, otherwise, let’s proceed…

  1. setup a bank account
  2. create 5 checking accounts, and 1 savings account
    • note: checking accounts are needed because if you do too many withdrawals from savings you will be penalized by the bank
  3. using online resources name your checking accounts:
    • Main – paychecks go here
    • Budget – food
    • Projects – unplanned expenses for things you want to do, projects, fun, parking meters
    • Overdraft – source of overdraft for main, budget, projects
    • Monthly – regular monthly payments
  4. the next time you go to the bank ask the bank teller to configure Main, Budget, Projects to all overdraft from the Overdraft account
    • This step is surprisingly difficult, the tellers are in a hurry and very prone to mess this step up.  I’d recommend asking to have this setup again the next couple times you go in to the bank.  Maybe use the method of saying you have some questions and want to meet with someone, then go to their area and ask them to set it up.  Those are higher paid employees in less of a rush, and are more likely to set it up correctly.  The last thing you want is a $35 overdraft fee and a teller saying its your fault for not having setup an overdraft account.
  5. using online resources setup an automatic transfer the day after your biweekly paycheck deposits to Main and deposit half of your
    • rent/mortgage to the Monthly account
    • credit card payment to the Monthly account
  6. setup a bill pay monthly to make automatic monthly payments on time to your
    • rent/mortgage from Monthly account
    • credit card from Monthly account
  7. using online resources setup an automatic transfer the day after your biweekly paycheck deposit something to
    • overdraft, such as $20, since you should not be hitting the overdraft this can build up to something useful over time
    • projects, whatever makes sense, this is for things you may want which are not a planned part of the budget, games, fun, projects
    • savings, something, it adds up over time – hide this account from normal view if possible, so you can’t see how much is in there
  8. using online resources setup a weekly automatic deposit from Main into budget, this is your food budget, $100 a person?
  9. now here is the tricky part, after using a credit card to spend money, you have to access your bank and move the funds used to the credit card account… either right after you do it, or just something you do now and then

Main should only be used for monthly regular bills, if you open up your bank account and look at main it should be a record of only the bills you pay each month.  Included in this are regular expenses such as gas for the car.

And that’s it, you may want another checking account for Household expenses if that makes sense or Clothing, but otherwise, long as your stick to the budget you should be good.  Long as you have a little left over, the main account will slowly grow over time.  Let it have some slush, if it gets up over say twice your monthly budget you can chop off the extra and put it in savings or invest it.

Life Lessons learned while making deliveries for extra cash

Down Syndrome

Some folks come out to help bring in the delivery. A young man with down syndrome helped out once, opening up the garage and making conversation. He may have been just about the most positive kind person I have ever met.

Shaking

A man once slowly answered the door, his whole body trembling. I feared when I handed him his bag that he might not be able to hold it. He did though, and slowly he reached in a pocket and brought out a tip of a few dollars. It was a humbling moment. He radiated kindness.

Disability

The note on the wall said to ring the doorbell for 5 minutes as the occupant has a disability and it may take time. A young lady answered seemingly the most energized and awake person ever! Over the top energy and caring, going out of her way to be helpful in every way. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was on the upper side of an up & down disability. If the down side is as intense as the up side, I can only imagine.

Blind

Many people don’t hear a door knock. Usually I try texting next as most are always with their phone. A tenant answers the door, “Is there someone there?!” “Yes, here with your delivery”, he raises his hands to receive, he says, “I’m blind. Texting doesn’t really work well with me!”