Surviving the Economic Crisis with Simplicity

A year ago the majority of my phone calls, as a psychic, were about love relationships. Now the majority of my calls are about finances. Am I going to be laid off? Is my business going to fail? Do I need to file bankruptcy? Will I have enough money to send my kids to college? These are the questions I hear every day.

People are living in a state of fear because of the economy making a change downward. Being a country of consumers we do not know the philosophy of saving and living simplistically.

My father came through the depression and he always said, “If I can’t afford something I don’t need it.” He never owned a credit card and would always pay cash for what ever he needed. You would be amazed at what you can live without.

With the economic crisis Chicken Little is running around screaming, "The Dow is falling, The Dow is falling." Fear is causing people to panic and the media feeds the panic. Fear keeps people in line and following the actions of those in charge. We must not give in to the fear. As my dear friend Kerin Webb (http://www.hypnoticprophet.com) says: “Warning: Do Not Let the System Control Your Mind…” Do not let the government or the media control your mind.

In the words of George Harrison, “All Things Must Pass.” Realize that you have a hand in controlling your destiny.
One way to control your destiny is by putting into practice the ancient and time-tested Teachings of Buddhism.

Buddhism is less a religion than it is a philosophy of life and a prescription for living it.

If you’ve lost your job, had your house foreclosed, or have been forced to file bankruptcy, you could benefit greatly by adopting the wisdom of Buddhism.
Although Aldous Huxley didn’t call it Buddhism, I think he captured the essence of the concept in his spiritual classic, The Perennial Philosophy:
The spiritual journey does not consist in arriving at a new destination where a person gains what he did not have, or becomes what he is not. It consists in the dissipation of one’s own ignorance concerning one’s self and life, and the gradual growth of that understanding which begins the spiritual awakening. The finding of God is a coming to one’s self.

In other words, the answer is not “out there.” It’s all within. If you can go inside your self you will find the answers coming through.

Jesus didn’t want his followers to find salvation only in him, but also in themselves,
[N]or will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you. (Luke 17; 21)
Here are the tenets of Buddhist thought:

There are Four Noble Truths
1. Suffering exists
2. Suffering arises from attachment to desires
3. Suffering ceases when attachment to desire ceases
4. Freedom from suffering is possible by practicing the Eightfold Path

There is an Eightfold Noble Path
1. Right View,
2. Right Thought
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Mindfulness
8. Right Contemplation

There are Three Characteristics of Existence
1. Transiency
2. Sorrow
3. Selflessness

There are Five Hindrances to the Noble Path
1. Sensuous lust
2. Aversion and ill will
3. Sloth and torpor
4. Restlessness and worry
5. Skeptical doubt

There are Seven Factors of Enlightenment
1. Mindfulness
2. Investigation
3. Energy
4. Rapture
5. Tranquility
6. Concentration
7. Equanimity

Finally, although it has little to do with Buddhism, remember this:
Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, it's not the end.