'We already know everything… …it's time to remember'

178 Pages·2010·2.52 MB·English

‘We already know everything…
…it’s time to remember’
Why do deeply spiritual people never
seem to have enough money?
Why do stand-up business-people lose
their souls chasing their goals?
Why do a chosen few appear to have it all,
materially and spiritually?
The answers to these questions are simple
though not necessarily easy:
We find all we need when we look
within and without.
We have all we need when we find
our love and our money.
We find the answer when we find
our balance between the two.
To help us along the way Zen Money
details the action we can take to uncover
all we deserve in life, and discover the best
way to live the delicate balancing-acts that
are our lives.
www.dereksharpe.ie
Design: NewGraphic.ie
Zen Money
83 Steps to Zen Success
by
Derek Sharpe
‘We already know everything … it’s time to remember’
Dedicated to Zoe Kennedy-Sharpe
Copyright ©2010 by Derek Sharpe
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any
means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including recording, taping and
photocopying, or by any information storage retrieval system without the
written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Zen Money may be downloaded by logging on to www.dereksharpe.ie
Cover Design by NewGraphic www.newgraphic.ie
Photography by Arnold Bell www.arnoldbellphotographer.com
Printed by Naas Printing Ltd. [email protected]
ISBN 978-0-615-40046-4
MY STORY
During the editing of this book it was suggested to me that in keeping my
ego out of the content I had omitted my back-story or the circumstances and
experiences that brought me to this point. If the reader will prevail with me,
I would like to give a brief outline of my story to date, which will help
explain the genesis and purpose of Zen Money.
At age 11, I decided the only way to feel safe was to be a success - and
that meant becoming a millionaire. By age 21, I had a business degree from
University College Dublin: I was suited, booted, educated and ready to go.
By age 31, I had ten years practical experience in the business world. I
held management positions with two of Ireland’s largest companies and
worked for a self-made multi-millionaire. I understood the corporate world
and had experience at the coal-face. It was time to do it for myself.
By age 41, I was the self-made multi-millionaire. In 1996 I opened a
retail business, using the cash it generated to become a property developer
during the Irish property boom. Fortunately, I cleared off all debt before the
market crashed. Life was good. I had achieved all my goals. Nothing could
touch me now.The moneywould solveall my problems.
But there was a problem. The money wasn’t solving all my problems.
The empty feelings from my youth were nowfull-blown and unavoidable. I
didn’t feel safe no matter how much cash I had. Having failed to allay my
fears by accumulating more, I tried a holistic approach. I read anyself-help
booksIcould find. I tried reiki, therapy, tai-chi, reflexology, kineaseology
and past-life regression. I met with hands-on healers, hypnotists, psychics
and shamans. While they all helped, I still didn’t have ‘the’ answer.
More dramatic action was clearly needed. In 2006 I sold the business for
a nominal amount, but kept some property and cash. Having enrolled to
study for a Masters degree, I quit when it suddenly came to me: Rather than
looking outside for answers, what if I looked inside? When I took the time
to look deep enough inside something amazing happened - I found peace at
last.
My hope is that what I’ve written helps you achieve all the success you
want but, more importantly, helps you find your peace in the process.
83 PROBLEMS
Afarmer approached The Buddha, understanding him to be a wise and
learned teacher. After describing his many difficulties, the farmer asked The
Buddha for solutions to his problems.
The farmer began:
‘Master, I have a good farm, but it often rains too much or too little,
and my crops don’t grow as well as I would like.
Ilove my wife and she loves me, but she nags me a great deal.
My children are well-behaved, but demand too much, too often.’
The Buddha responded:
‘I cannot help you.’
The man was aghast, remonstrating:
‘What kind of wise man are you?
You must have answers. You must help me.’
The Buddha expanded:
‘Everyone has 83 problems. No matter howmanyproblems you fix,
anew problem always replaces the old one, leaving 83 remaining.’
The farmer was totally confounded. So The Buddha elaborated further:
‘An 84th problem exists: ever expecting to rid oneself of the 83
problems that will always exist!’
If never rid of our problems, applying sufficient skill in their dealing
lessens their impact and relevance. Zen Money offers 83 Steps to deal with
the problems that will always exist, helping us obtain the resources which
match our best lived lives. In turn, this creates all the time and space to find
our answer to the 84th problem, should we choose.
Expect paradox and confusion on your journey. Life is mysterious and
ambiguous by design to facilitate exploration and discovery. I hope reading
Zen Money helps you along this path as much as writing it helped me on
mine.
ZEN MONEY
Zen Buddhism developed in China and Japan between the 6th and 12th
centuries. Its philosophy originated with Buddha, or The Enlightened One,
born Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal c.563 BCE.
The Buddha recognised the universality of suffering and understood its
cause to be desire. Desire is created by our attachment to outcomes and
objects. Only by separating ourselves from this burden of craving can inner
peace be achieved.
The Buddha attained this enlightened awareness or alertness to reality
solely through his personal endeavour. As he only ever considered himself
to be human, he knew this higher consciousness was within the capacity of
all human beings. As we work toward becoming increasingly conscious or
awake, we must still find a way to negotiate our daily material reality.
‘Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment,
chop wood, carry water.’This old Zen saying describes succinctly howthe
material and spiritual worlds are inextricably linked. Focusing exclusively
on one or the other will not result in the fullest living experience.
Zen Money helps with this dilemma. The 83 Steps offer a guide to
accessing your abundance while keeping an eye to the greater journey of the
soul. It co-joins Eastern thinking with Western business practice, thus cre-
ating a philosophical-pragmatic guide to modern spiritual materialism.
The spiritual materialist walks well in both the material and spiritual
worlds simultaneously. She celebrates a Universe of plenty by her mastery
of the art of creating abundance, travelling with a clear conscience, without
the bind of desire. She stops pouring when her cup is full, however, turning
then to the assistance of others.
83 STEPS TO ZEN MONEY
1. I Am
2. There is No Secret
3. There is No Failure
4. Master the Mind
5. Thinking and Feeling
6. Mindfulness
7. 21 Days
8. Happiness is a Skill
9. Everything We Believe is True
10. If WeOnly Knew What We Knew
11. Deciding is the Hardest Part
12. Fear of Success
13. Rich get Richer
14. Money Addiction
15. The Crash from the Cash
16. The Paradox of Money
17. Less is More
18. Know How to Make it - and Enjoy it!
19. If it Bothers you Don’tWorry about It
20. Too much Money makes you Crazy
21. Charity and Venture Philanthropy
22. Charity and Confucian Circles
23. Charity and Children
24. Talk to Yourself
25. Listen to Your Body
26. Life Validation
27. Life Resources
28. Your Five Layers
29. Your Sixth Sense
30. Your Dark Side
31. Your Personal Library
32. Love Yourself
33. Rest
34. +1 0 -1
35. Axis of Negativity
36. The Obtuse Obstacle
37. Ignore Compliments and Criticism
38. I Know What You Are. What Am I?
39. Engaged but Detached
40. The Gifts of Pain and Desperation
41. Have To … Like To … Love To …
42. Fake It until You Make it
43. Let The Outcome Go
44. No Short-Cuts
45. Do the Right Thing
46. The Currencyof Truth
47. Rules of Payback
48. Peace Dividend
49. Plot the Patterns
50. Work the Method
51. Pace versus Perfection
52. Paralysis by Analysis
53. SlowDown to go Faster
54. Quick, Slowor No Decision
55. Daily Action and Grand Gestures
56. Don’t Gamble and Cover the Risk
57. Take Stock and Balance the Books
58. Let the Money Burn a Hole in Your Pocket
59. Always Add Value and Always Do as Promised
60. Go with the Flow and Make all plans Temporary
61. Too much too Soon, Too little too Late
62. Experience and Potential
63. Perspective and Context
64. Character and Charisma
65. Humility and Resolve
66. Optimism and Pessimism
67. Fulfillment and Achievement
68. Life Purpose and Functions
69. Revolution and Evolution
70. Karma and Choice
71. Truth and Reality
72. Loveand Truth
73. Soul and Ego
74. Co-Creation
75. Gratitude
76. Wisdom
77. Nothing is as it Seems
78. More Questions than Answers
79. No New Ideas? So What!
81. Everyone’sdoing their Best
80. Everyone’s a Genius, a Hero and an Artist
82. What’sthe Worst can Happen?
83. Just Keep Going