1 00:00:00,380 --> 00:00:01,939 You Deserve a Better Life 2 00:00:02,500 --> 00:00:03,539 the American Diamond Sutra 3 00:00:04,219 --> 00:00:05,799 I wasn't the first to say that 4 00:00:05,980 --> 00:00:09,519 a few days ago a viewer called Actor in the Human World left a comment 5 00:00:09,699 --> 00:00:10,599 saying hey Leo 6 00:00:10,699 --> 00:00:12,618 there's a book called You Deserve a Better Life 7 00:00:13,060 --> 00:00:15,819 supposedly it writes about money from the angle of the Diamond Sutra 8 00:00:15,820 --> 00:00:17,079 I'd love to hear you break it down 9 00:00:17,219 --> 00:00:18,458 I read through it carefully 10 00:00:18,699 --> 00:00:19,998 and the conclusion is pretty interesting 11 00:00:20,452 --> 00:00:22,070 that rumor is half right 12 00:00:22,331 --> 00:00:23,651 the wrong half is easy to clear up 13 00:00:24,052 --> 00:00:25,750 the author knows nothing about Buddhism 14 00:00:25,851 --> 00:00:27,871 the whole book never quotes a single sutra 15 00:00:28,212 --> 00:00:29,130 but the half that is right 16 00:00:29,491 --> 00:00:31,270 is what really sent chills down my spine 17 00:00:31,531 --> 00:00:34,610 an American who never touched a prajna text 18 00:00:34,611 --> 00:00:35,851 feeling his way alone 19 00:00:35,851 --> 00:00:37,951 actually reached the door of the Diamond Sutra 20 00:00:38,131 --> 00:00:39,891 and then right at that doorstep 21 00:00:39,891 --> 00:00:42,070 he turned and took a different road 22 00:00:42,493 --> 00:00:42,811 hello 23 00:00:43,213 --> 00:00:43,692 everyone 24 00:00:43,933 --> 00:00:44,951 I'm Leo Wang 25 00:00:45,253 --> 00:00:45,972 in today's episode 26 00:00:46,293 --> 00:00:47,991 no bashing and no hyping 27 00:00:48,293 --> 00:00:51,872 let's do something better take the map of the Diamond Sutra 28 00:00:51,973 --> 00:00:54,792 and see how far a man without a map got 29 00:00:54,893 --> 00:00:57,112 and at which fork he went off course 30 00:00:57,412 --> 00:00:58,412 once you see his route 31 00:00:58,692 --> 00:01:00,131 your understanding of the Diamond Sutra 32 00:01:00,132 --> 00:01:02,671 may go a layer deeper than just reading it 33 00:01:03,484 --> 00:01:04,904 first the author's story 34 00:01:04,964 --> 00:01:07,143 the story alone is worth its own episode 35 00:01:07,524 --> 00:01:09,123 the author is Robert Scheinfeld 36 00:01:09,485 --> 00:01:10,304 an American 37 00:01:10,485 --> 00:01:14,264 his grandfather Aaron Scheinfeld co-founded Manpower 38 00:01:14,364 --> 00:01:16,623 Chinese viewers may not know the company 39 00:01:16,724 --> 00:01:19,283 but it's one of the largest staffing firms in the world 40 00:01:19,285 --> 00:01:21,264 a regular on the Fortune 500 41 00:01:21,324 --> 00:01:23,143 with revenue in the tens of billions 42 00:01:23,285 --> 00:01:23,923 in other words 43 00:01:24,244 --> 00:01:26,143 the author was born into real old money 44 00:01:26,244 --> 00:01:29,063 a family that got rich finding people jobs worldwide 45 00:01:29,495 --> 00:01:31,155 when Robert was twelve 46 00:01:31,215 --> 00:01:32,715 his grandfather called him over 47 00:01:32,816 --> 00:01:34,355 and said something strange 48 00:01:34,575 --> 00:01:36,274 it went roughly like this kid 49 00:01:36,375 --> 00:01:39,554 when you grow up everyone will teach you about money 50 00:01:39,616 --> 00:01:40,455 it will all sound reasonable 51 00:01:40,736 --> 00:01:42,155 but none of it is true 52 00:01:42,295 --> 00:01:42,815 about money 53 00:01:43,215 --> 00:01:45,235 there's a secret almost nobody finds 54 00:01:45,336 --> 00:01:46,575 I'm leaving you the clue 55 00:01:46,896 --> 00:01:48,075 go find it yourself 56 00:01:48,176 --> 00:01:50,554 it's a treasure worth more than gold 57 00:01:50,896 --> 00:01:51,815 not long after that 58 00:01:52,176 --> 00:01:53,554 his grandfather passed away 59 00:01:54,090 --> 00:01:55,429 picture that scene 60 00:01:55,810 --> 00:01:57,310 a twelve year old boy 61 00:01:57,370 --> 00:02:00,429 hearing a man who built a Fortune 500 company say 62 00:02:00,730 --> 00:02:03,190 everything you learn about money is fake 63 00:02:03,530 --> 00:02:04,649 and then he was gone 64 00:02:04,851 --> 00:02:06,030 leaving no answer behind 65 00:02:06,331 --> 00:02:08,829 it became an obsession for Robert 66 00:02:08,971 --> 00:02:10,990 he spent over thirty years chasing the answer 67 00:02:11,251 --> 00:02:13,409 this book You Deserve a Better Life 68 00:02:13,610 --> 00:02:15,229 is the answer he turned in 69 00:02:16,147 --> 00:02:17,666 so what answer did he find 70 00:02:18,068 --> 00:02:18,426 he says 71 00:02:18,748 --> 00:02:21,266 the money game by the design of its rules 72 00:02:21,267 --> 00:02:22,847 is one you're doomed to lose 73 00:02:23,348 --> 00:02:25,567 listen to the hidden rules of this game 74 00:02:25,948 --> 00:02:26,266 one 75 00:02:26,707 --> 00:02:27,706 money is outside you 76 00:02:28,028 --> 00:02:29,367 you have to go out and earn it 77 00:02:29,587 --> 00:02:29,907 two 78 00:02:30,267 --> 00:02:31,766 money is scarce 79 00:02:31,867 --> 00:02:32,907 every dollar someone else takes 80 00:02:33,228 --> 00:02:34,446 is a dollar you lose 81 00:02:34,628 --> 00:02:34,946 three 82 00:02:35,267 --> 00:02:36,367 more is always better 83 00:02:36,427 --> 00:02:38,187 a million isn't enough so ten million 84 00:02:38,188 --> 00:02:39,886 ten million isn't enough so a hundred million 85 00:02:39,908 --> 00:02:41,647 the game has no finish line 86 00:02:42,084 --> 00:02:43,383 play by those three rules 87 00:02:43,524 --> 00:02:46,503 and the better you play the fancier a loser you are 88 00:02:46,845 --> 00:02:49,624 anxiety doesn't vanish as the number grows 89 00:02:49,685 --> 00:02:51,663 it just puts on more expensive clothes 90 00:02:52,125 --> 00:02:52,723 this observation 91 00:02:52,965 --> 00:02:54,864 and as an investor I can testify 92 00:02:54,965 --> 00:02:55,983 is frighteningly accurate 93 00:02:56,245 --> 00:02:58,383 I've seen people worth billions 94 00:02:58,405 --> 00:03:00,304 with sweaty palms watching the market 95 00:03:00,364 --> 00:03:03,983 exactly like twenty years ago with barely any savings 96 00:03:04,324 --> 00:03:05,864 the number grew ten thousand times 97 00:03:05,965 --> 00:03:08,143 but the heart clutching that number 98 00:03:08,165 --> 00:03:09,263 hasn't changed at all 99 00:03:10,132 --> 00:03:10,581 so what do you do 100 00:03:11,143 --> 00:03:12,422 Robert's solution 101 00:03:12,423 --> 00:03:14,721 is where this book really explodes 102 00:03:14,983 --> 00:03:15,341 he says 103 00:03:15,703 --> 00:03:16,961 the world you see 104 00:03:17,023 --> 00:03:20,081 including money bills bosses and clients 105 00:03:20,263 --> 00:03:22,602 is all an extremely convincing hologram 106 00:03:22,902 --> 00:03:24,461 and the projector is nobody else 107 00:03:24,782 --> 00:03:26,162 it's a larger you 108 00:03:26,222 --> 00:03:27,822 he calls it the Expanded Self 109 00:03:28,382 --> 00:03:30,102 the character you're experiencing now 110 00:03:30,102 --> 00:03:33,241 is just a player the Expanded Self dropped into the hologram 111 00:03:34,044 --> 00:03:35,422 the game has two phases 112 00:03:35,683 --> 00:03:36,283 phase one 113 00:03:36,604 --> 00:03:38,063 you hide your own power 114 00:03:38,083 --> 00:03:41,823 you fool yourself the illusion is real money is real scarcity is real 115 00:03:41,843 --> 00:03:42,883 and then you struggle inside it 116 00:03:43,164 --> 00:03:44,742 he calls that the immersive experience 117 00:03:45,044 --> 00:03:45,642 phase two 118 00:03:45,963 --> 00:03:47,843 you start reclaiming your power piece by piece 119 00:03:47,843 --> 00:03:48,943 seeing through the illusion 120 00:03:49,044 --> 00:03:52,623 and living in the same world in a completely different way 121 00:03:53,455 --> 00:03:54,093 how do you reclaim it 122 00:03:54,655 --> 00:03:56,014 he gives a concrete practice 123 00:03:56,215 --> 00:03:56,894 called the Process 124 00:03:57,495 --> 00:03:59,413 whenever an uncomfortable feeling rises 125 00:03:59,414 --> 00:04:01,334 a bill arrives and your chest tightens 126 00:04:01,335 --> 00:04:02,753 you see your balance and your heart sinks 127 00:04:02,854 --> 00:04:04,993 you don't run you don't distract yourself 128 00:04:05,014 --> 00:04:06,973 instead you dive straight into that feeling 129 00:04:06,974 --> 00:04:07,894 and feel it fully 130 00:04:08,175 --> 00:04:09,834 no analyzing no judging 131 00:04:09,935 --> 00:04:13,234 then you declare to yourself this is an illusion I created 132 00:04:13,254 --> 00:04:14,693 it has no power of its own 133 00:04:14,694 --> 00:04:15,614 the power is mine 134 00:04:15,854 --> 00:04:17,473 and I'm taking it back now 135 00:04:17,574 --> 00:04:18,734 the last step is the most fun 136 00:04:19,134 --> 00:04:20,074 it's appreciation 137 00:04:20,175 --> 00:04:23,615 you look at the scene that just terrified you and say wow 138 00:04:23,615 --> 00:04:25,074 I made that look so real 139 00:04:26,328 --> 00:04:27,287 he says one more thing 140 00:04:27,607 --> 00:04:29,307 that made me laugh out loud 141 00:04:29,567 --> 00:04:30,687 he says in phase two 142 00:04:31,047 --> 00:04:32,826 understanding is only the consolation prize 143 00:04:33,006 --> 00:04:33,807 meaning 144 00:04:33,807 --> 00:04:36,826 getting the theory in your head is worth nothing 145 00:04:36,927 --> 00:04:39,227 you have to verify it directly in feeling 146 00:04:39,852 --> 00:04:40,051 alright 147 00:04:40,373 --> 00:04:42,712 now let's spread out the map of the Diamond Sutra 148 00:04:42,732 --> 00:04:44,671 and see how much of it overlaps 149 00:04:45,253 --> 00:04:48,592 we devoted a whole episode to the Diamond Sutra before 150 00:04:48,892 --> 00:04:52,971 five thousand words cutting away one thing only appearance 151 00:04:52,981 --> 00:04:55,171 all appearances 152 00:04:55,573 --> 00:04:56,832 are illusory 153 00:04:57,133 --> 00:04:58,652 if you see appearances as non appearances 154 00:04:59,013 --> 00:05:00,231 you see the Tathagata 155 00:05:00,652 --> 00:05:03,152 Robert says the world is a hologram 156 00:05:03,212 --> 00:05:05,231 the Buddha says all conditioned things 157 00:05:05,292 --> 00:05:06,412 are like a dream a bubble a shadow 158 00:05:06,732 --> 00:05:07,852 like dew and like lightning 159 00:05:08,532 --> 00:05:10,871 one uses a twenty first century tech metaphor 160 00:05:10,892 --> 00:05:13,832 the other a metaphor from the Ganges twenty five centuries ago 161 00:05:13,933 --> 00:05:15,791 yet both point the same direction 162 00:05:16,575 --> 00:05:20,054 the core move of the sutra is give rise to a mind dwelling nowhere 163 00:05:20,694 --> 00:05:24,633 the mind still rises still works still buys groceries and pays bills 164 00:05:24,734 --> 00:05:26,953 but it makes a home in no appearance 165 00:05:27,015 --> 00:05:28,794 and no storyline hooks it away 166 00:05:29,015 --> 00:05:29,854 Robert's Process 167 00:05:30,134 --> 00:05:32,073 is essentially training exactly this 168 00:05:32,294 --> 00:05:33,614 the bill's storyline comes to hook you 169 00:05:33,895 --> 00:05:34,934 you don't run after it 170 00:05:34,934 --> 00:05:37,153 instead you turn and look at the thing doing the hooking 171 00:05:37,494 --> 00:05:39,374 even his line understanding is the consolation prize 172 00:05:39,655 --> 00:05:43,133 matches the Zen attitude exactly like drinking water 173 00:05:43,134 --> 00:05:44,013 only you know if it's hot or cold 174 00:05:44,415 --> 00:05:45,554 talking about food won't fill you 175 00:05:46,336 --> 00:05:46,975 even better 176 00:05:47,175 --> 00:05:49,115 he picked the right place to start cutting 177 00:05:49,295 --> 00:05:51,175 Buddhism says afflictions are bodhi 178 00:05:51,535 --> 00:05:54,035 the most uncomfortable spot is the entrance to practice 179 00:05:54,216 --> 00:05:54,814 Robert says 180 00:05:55,175 --> 00:05:56,735 every time discomfort rises 181 00:05:56,735 --> 00:05:58,514 it's a chance to reclaim your power 182 00:05:58,655 --> 00:06:00,915 in phase one you dodge the bad feeling 183 00:06:00,936 --> 00:06:03,134 in phase two you say perfect timing 184 00:06:03,736 --> 00:06:05,534 how does a man who never read a sutra 185 00:06:05,536 --> 00:06:06,854 land this close to the mark 186 00:06:07,776 --> 00:06:10,954 the answer is the deepest belief of this channel 187 00:06:11,375 --> 00:06:13,255 the Dharma is not the Buddha's invention 188 00:06:13,575 --> 00:06:14,875 it's his discovery 189 00:06:15,336 --> 00:06:17,695 the laws of consciousness are just sitting there 190 00:06:17,695 --> 00:06:18,954 like terrain 191 00:06:19,176 --> 00:06:20,175 the Buddha walked it 192 00:06:20,495 --> 00:06:21,414 and drew a map 193 00:06:22,135 --> 00:06:23,654 Robert groped around for thirty years 194 00:06:23,935 --> 00:06:25,154 and drew one too 195 00:06:25,455 --> 00:06:27,414 where the two maps overlap 196 00:06:27,416 --> 00:06:29,435 that terrain is real 197 00:06:29,744 --> 00:06:30,982 but what comes next 198 00:06:30,983 --> 00:06:33,242 is where the two maps diverge 199 00:06:33,624 --> 00:06:34,583 there is only one terrain 200 00:06:34,903 --> 00:06:36,562 but a map can be drawn wrong 201 00:06:36,903 --> 00:06:39,783 Robert's map is crooked in three places 202 00:06:39,783 --> 00:06:42,122 each one worse than the last 203 00:06:42,542 --> 00:06:43,421 the first fork 204 00:06:43,702 --> 00:06:45,522 he cut away the entire world 205 00:06:45,542 --> 00:06:46,741 and kept only the self 206 00:06:47,423 --> 00:06:48,801 listen closely to his theory 207 00:06:49,222 --> 00:06:50,861 the hologram is fake 208 00:06:51,342 --> 00:06:52,621 money is fake 209 00:06:52,623 --> 00:06:53,741 bills are fake 210 00:06:53,983 --> 00:06:56,041 even the people around you are fake 211 00:06:56,342 --> 00:07:00,601 he writes it plainly everyone appearing in your hologram 212 00:07:00,623 --> 00:07:02,342 is one hundred percent your creation 213 00:07:02,823 --> 00:07:04,001 they're actors 214 00:07:04,142 --> 00:07:06,601 speaking and acting from the script you wrote 215 00:07:06,943 --> 00:07:07,662 in other words 216 00:07:08,022 --> 00:07:09,921 the whole universe is a play 217 00:07:10,022 --> 00:07:13,041 and you're the only audience and the only writer 218 00:07:13,492 --> 00:07:14,852 sounds thorough doesn't it 219 00:07:15,333 --> 00:07:16,612 but hold it up against the Diamond Sutra 220 00:07:17,052 --> 00:07:18,352 and the problem shows 221 00:07:18,492 --> 00:07:19,651 the sutra cuts away appearances 222 00:07:20,052 --> 00:07:21,682 but in the end who gets cut 223 00:07:21,692 --> 00:07:27,232 if a bodhisattva holds a notion of self person being or lifespan 224 00:07:27,292 --> 00:07:28,432 he is no bodhisattva 225 00:07:28,692 --> 00:07:29,331 of those four notions 226 00:07:29,612 --> 00:07:31,711 the first to cut is the notion of self 227 00:07:32,013 --> 00:07:32,972 the Buddha means 228 00:07:33,292 --> 00:07:34,672 the world is an illusion 229 00:07:34,852 --> 00:07:37,631 and the self watching it is equally an illusion 230 00:07:37,732 --> 00:07:39,751 both sides must be emptied together 231 00:07:40,242 --> 00:07:42,542 Robert cut the world away completely 232 00:07:42,603 --> 00:07:45,461 then turned around and crowned the self as creator 233 00:07:45,682 --> 00:07:47,062 he didn't break self attachment 234 00:07:47,122 --> 00:07:49,661 he blew it up to cosmic scale 235 00:07:50,122 --> 00:07:51,841 what does that crooked cut cost 236 00:07:52,242 --> 00:07:53,901 compassion dies 237 00:07:54,544 --> 00:07:54,903 think about it 238 00:07:55,223 --> 00:07:57,503 if everyone else is an actor I hired 239 00:07:57,504 --> 00:07:58,182 then being kind to you 240 00:07:58,383 --> 00:08:00,302 is basically liking my own post 241 00:08:00,823 --> 00:08:01,463 your pain 242 00:08:01,583 --> 00:08:03,482 is just a prop in my script 243 00:08:03,823 --> 00:08:04,594 what does the Diamond Sutra say 244 00:08:04,604 --> 00:08:07,682 I liberate countless immeasurable boundless beings 245 00:08:07,823 --> 00:08:09,963 yet no being is actually liberated 246 00:08:10,184 --> 00:08:10,503 notice 247 00:08:10,744 --> 00:08:12,482 this line empties both ends 248 00:08:12,703 --> 00:08:13,503 beings are empty 249 00:08:13,903 --> 00:08:15,883 and the self that liberates them is empty too 250 00:08:16,143 --> 00:08:17,523 precisely because both ends are empty 251 00:08:17,544 --> 00:08:20,403 that liberating is clean and asks nothing back 252 00:08:20,703 --> 00:08:22,242 Robert emptied only one end 253 00:08:22,343 --> 00:08:26,203 the end he kept sits alone in a universe of puppets 254 00:08:26,263 --> 00:08:27,143 that's not awakening 255 00:08:27,343 --> 00:08:28,843 that's cosmic loneliness 256 00:08:29,302 --> 00:08:30,141 the second fork 257 00:08:30,302 --> 00:08:31,742 he uses emptiness to chase having 258 00:08:32,302 --> 00:08:34,633 the English subtitle of the book roughly means 259 00:08:34,643 --> 00:08:38,322 radically change the rules of a game you can't win 260 00:08:38,543 --> 00:08:39,602 sit with that line 261 00:08:39,982 --> 00:08:41,781 he sees through the game 262 00:08:42,142 --> 00:08:42,982 for what purpose 263 00:08:43,181 --> 00:08:43,931 to win 264 00:08:44,867 --> 00:08:45,866 he promises in the book 265 00:08:46,227 --> 00:08:47,886 once you finish the phase two work 266 00:08:47,948 --> 00:08:50,087 wealth and abundance will naturally flow in 267 00:08:50,227 --> 00:08:52,266 money you spend circles back around 268 00:08:52,507 --> 00:08:53,526 and comes back bigger 269 00:08:53,908 --> 00:08:56,906 he even coined a term cosmic overdraft protection 270 00:08:57,387 --> 00:08:59,366 meaning once you cross the threshold 271 00:08:59,387 --> 00:09:01,567 the universe covers your account 272 00:09:01,908 --> 00:09:04,286 that turns prajna into a cash machine 273 00:09:05,099 --> 00:09:07,439 the Diamond Sutra has an extremely precise exchange 274 00:09:07,660 --> 00:09:08,550 the Buddha asks Subhuti 275 00:09:08,560 --> 00:09:12,919 if someone gave away treasure filling a billion worlds 276 00:09:12,979 --> 00:09:13,819 would the merit be great 277 00:09:14,260 --> 00:09:15,638 Subhuti says very great 278 00:09:15,660 --> 00:09:18,498 then adds this merit is not the nature of merit 279 00:09:18,900 --> 00:09:19,738 meaning 280 00:09:19,739 --> 00:09:23,959 real merit rests precisely on not treating merit as a thing 281 00:09:24,140 --> 00:09:25,579 the moment you go for the return 282 00:09:25,819 --> 00:09:26,829 the thing is already spoiled 283 00:09:26,839 --> 00:09:29,179 give rise to a mind that dwells nowhere 284 00:09:29,619 --> 00:09:31,059 the premise is dwelling nowhere 285 00:09:31,459 --> 00:09:34,858 dwelling on abundance dwelling on the universe has my back 286 00:09:34,859 --> 00:09:35,898 is still dwelling 287 00:09:35,900 --> 00:09:37,799 just in a fancier pose 288 00:09:38,651 --> 00:09:40,150 we did an episode before 289 00:09:40,251 --> 00:09:43,430 saying your wallet balance at every moment is set by the script 290 00:09:43,492 --> 00:09:44,550 refunded or topped up 291 00:09:44,812 --> 00:09:48,611 a viewer commented so if I practice well does the money come 292 00:09:49,251 --> 00:09:49,570 see 293 00:09:50,051 --> 00:09:52,111 that's the same mistake Robert makes 294 00:09:52,212 --> 00:09:53,351 the direction is reversed 295 00:09:53,651 --> 00:09:54,690 seeds ripen into experience 296 00:09:55,131 --> 00:09:56,631 the work goes into the cause 297 00:09:56,692 --> 00:09:57,790 the fruit comes as it comes 298 00:09:58,051 --> 00:09:59,511 practicing the cause with your eyes on the fruit 299 00:09:59,612 --> 00:10:02,511 means that cause was crooked the second it was planted 300 00:10:02,831 --> 00:10:03,750 the third fork 301 00:10:03,871 --> 00:10:04,429 about the raft 302 00:10:05,390 --> 00:10:06,949 the Diamond Sutra has a metaphor 303 00:10:06,951 --> 00:10:08,650 that stuns me every time I read it 304 00:10:08,910 --> 00:10:10,750 the Buddha says know that my teaching 305 00:10:11,070 --> 00:10:12,289 is like a raft 306 00:10:12,351 --> 00:10:13,270 even the Dharma must be let go 307 00:10:13,550 --> 00:10:14,730 let alone what is not the Dharma 308 00:10:15,030 --> 00:10:17,449 the teaching I give is a raft for crossing the river 309 00:10:17,550 --> 00:10:18,770 once across you throw it away 310 00:10:18,871 --> 00:10:20,150 even my teaching gets thrown away 311 00:10:20,430 --> 00:10:21,650 let alone everything else 312 00:10:21,991 --> 00:10:25,750 a founder writing discard after use in his own manual 313 00:10:26,270 --> 00:10:28,610 few systems in human history dare write that 314 00:10:29,497 --> 00:10:30,855 what does Robert's raft look like 315 00:10:31,377 --> 00:10:32,435 after you finish the book 316 00:10:32,497 --> 00:10:35,555 he invites you into a system of advanced courses 317 00:10:35,656 --> 00:10:36,916 level after level 318 00:10:36,977 --> 00:10:37,736 and they aren't cheap 319 00:10:38,097 --> 00:10:39,796 all of this is public information 320 00:10:39,936 --> 00:10:41,876 I'm not judging the business model itself 321 00:10:42,017 --> 00:10:43,916 paid knowledge is perfectly legitimate 322 00:10:43,936 --> 00:10:46,036 I run membership content myself 323 00:10:46,217 --> 00:10:48,127 but there's a structural difference worth seeing clearly 324 00:10:48,137 --> 00:10:51,455 the Buddha's raft points to not needing a raft 325 00:10:51,977 --> 00:10:57,036 some rafts are engineered so you always need a pricier next one 326 00:10:57,416 --> 00:10:58,736 a raft is for crossing 327 00:10:58,936 --> 00:11:00,236 not for living on 328 00:11:00,296 --> 00:11:02,315 a raft that keeps getting more luxurious 329 00:11:02,337 --> 00:11:05,435 may not be about crossing anymore 330 00:11:06,252 --> 00:11:06,611 finally 331 00:11:06,892 --> 00:11:09,072 I want to take a bullet for this book 332 00:11:09,092 --> 00:11:11,312 and the bullet comes from its own readers 333 00:11:11,413 --> 00:11:14,812 some will finish it and say if bills are an illusion 334 00:11:14,813 --> 00:11:15,611 then I won't pay them 335 00:11:15,892 --> 00:11:17,172 if work is an illusion 336 00:11:17,293 --> 00:11:18,472 then I'll just lie flat 337 00:11:18,521 --> 00:11:19,322 stop right there 338 00:11:19,333 --> 00:11:22,031 that road goes even further wrong than the author 339 00:11:22,092 --> 00:11:24,891 the Buddha warned about this twenty five centuries ago 340 00:11:24,892 --> 00:11:25,812 he called it annihilationism 341 00:11:26,173 --> 00:11:30,131 the sutra says one who sets out for supreme awakening 342 00:11:30,132 --> 00:11:31,991 does not teach the annihilation of things 343 00:11:32,212 --> 00:11:33,672 emptiness is not nothingness 344 00:11:33,732 --> 00:11:37,312 emptiness means cause and effect link tightly 345 00:11:37,333 --> 00:11:38,552 and no link is void 346 00:11:39,498 --> 00:11:40,878 it's like a lucid dream 347 00:11:41,018 --> 00:11:43,078 knowing you're dreaming is impressive 348 00:11:43,138 --> 00:11:45,317 but the dream's rules keep running 349 00:11:45,618 --> 00:11:47,517 jump off a building in the dream 350 00:11:47,618 --> 00:11:49,517 and the dream leg still breaks 351 00:11:49,699 --> 00:11:52,478 then you keep dreaming with a broken leg 352 00:11:53,018 --> 00:11:54,998 the freedom of seeing through illusion 353 00:11:55,099 --> 00:11:57,297 was never freedom from cause and effect 354 00:11:57,299 --> 00:12:00,037 it's freedom from being dragged by the storyline 355 00:12:00,659 --> 00:12:03,918 lately viewers keep asking if I understand emptiness 356 00:12:03,939 --> 00:12:05,458 why is my life still not going well 357 00:12:06,260 --> 00:12:08,479 those are really two separate accounts 358 00:12:08,899 --> 00:12:12,399 emptiness cuts the string pulling you toward the storyline 359 00:12:12,700 --> 00:12:14,078 not the storyline itself 360 00:12:14,460 --> 00:12:15,499 you still go to work 361 00:12:15,779 --> 00:12:17,318 you still pay the bills 362 00:12:17,500 --> 00:12:20,198 you still face the difficult family members 363 00:12:20,539 --> 00:12:24,519 the change happens elsewhere the same thing hits you 364 00:12:24,620 --> 00:12:26,759 it used to stay in your mind for a week 365 00:12:26,939 --> 00:12:28,958 now it checks out after one night 366 00:12:29,179 --> 00:12:30,418 that checkout speed 367 00:12:30,419 --> 00:12:32,519 is the real progress bar of practice 368 00:12:33,450 --> 00:12:35,290 so is this book worth reading 369 00:12:35,810 --> 00:12:37,370 my answer is yes 370 00:12:37,810 --> 00:12:39,349 but read it with an antidote 371 00:12:39,690 --> 00:12:42,349 its dissection of money anxiety is first rate 372 00:12:42,410 --> 00:12:45,270 and that practice of reclaiming power inside discomfort 373 00:12:45,330 --> 00:12:48,750 is strong medicine for modern people chased by bills 374 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:49,879 the problem is 375 00:12:50,159 --> 00:12:51,678 after you see through the illusion 376 00:12:51,679 --> 00:12:53,979 two roads actually open in front of you 377 00:12:54,279 --> 00:12:56,279 one goes back into the game 378 00:12:56,279 --> 00:12:57,879 to play it bigger and harder 379 00:12:58,519 --> 00:13:02,198 the other stops and asks this person playing the game 380 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:02,958 who is he really 381 00:13:03,720 --> 00:13:04,958 Robert took the first 382 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:06,899 the Buddha took the second 383 00:13:07,279 --> 00:13:08,578 at the end of the first road 384 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:11,499 is a lucid dreamer living inside a luxury dream 385 00:13:11,960 --> 00:13:12,958 at the end of the second road 386 00:13:13,360 --> 00:13:14,259 the dream ends 387 00:13:14,367 --> 00:13:15,827 I wonder which one you'd choose 388 00:13:16,448 --> 00:13:17,987 have you ever had a moment 389 00:13:18,088 --> 00:13:19,886 looking at the number in your banking app 390 00:13:19,887 --> 00:13:21,247 when it suddenly felt unreal 391 00:13:22,048 --> 00:13:22,646 in that moment 392 00:13:22,968 --> 00:13:23,947 were you afraid 393 00:13:23,968 --> 00:13:24,967 or were you relieved 394 00:13:25,647 --> 00:13:26,786 tell me in the comments 395 00:13:27,168 --> 00:13:28,707 and keep the topic requests coming 396 00:13:28,848 --> 00:13:30,806 which book this series breaks down next 397 00:13:30,808 --> 00:13:31,786 is up to you 398 00:13:32,127 --> 00:13:32,806 I'm Leo Wang 399 00:13:33,088 --> 00:13:33,880 see you next time