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Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?

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Re: Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?

#91

Post by ivm »

wu-ikkyu wrote: post #5

The Way of Zen by Alan Watts. The book is a historical analysis of the culmination of zen buddhism from its roots in hindu, buddhist, and toaist philosophies. Watts presents a perspective on how to approach your everyday life (relationships, communication, work, play, boredom, stress, anxiety, happiness, sadness) that is contrary to how we're taught to live in the "western world".

I find his books a bit wordy and boring but his "Out of Your Mind" lectures are amazing.

Though "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind" by Shunryu Suzuki is a much better introduction to the topic – Watts had a scholarly approach to it and lacked the actual practice.

Re: Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?

#92

Post by SirLJ »

More Money Than God by Sebastian Mallaby - solidified my experiences in the market with great examples for my "hobby" - developing trading robots and resulting in constantly making more money that my real job in IT and giving me my FU money and ultimate freedom in life...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Money_Than_God

Re: Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?

#93

Post by tomjen3 »

brad0 wrote: post #90
tomjen3 wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a place where you can (supposedly) buy it, but it is pricy: http://www.lulu.com/shop/leigh-louey-gung/endgame/ebook/prod...

If it costs you $50 and a few days reading a book that could potentially alter the way you fundamentally see the world I think that’s pretty cheap. If you want something free I can suggest their free goodies page on his site. http://attractioninstitute.com/free-goodies/ There’s lots of articles on there that gives a feel for the book.

If I believed for certain it would chance my life, I wouldn't have written that comment, I would have brought the book and read it then and there.

However there are a lot of great books out there, but they are not really going to chance my life.

Re: Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?

#94

Post by CodeKommissar »

xaedes wrote: post #80
CodeKommissar wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not OP, but the book he is referring is probably Endgame by Leigh Louey Gung aka "Logun", and he was an Australian "pick-up artist" (I don't think he called himself a pick-up artist, but whatever). He wrote some books, did video courses and writed articles in this site: http://attractioninstitute.com/ , but I don't think he is active anymore (altough his site is still online). I would recommend the book. It wasn't ju…

Pick-up community got me into personality development. IIRC it is often called "inner game" there, in opposition to the "outer game", which is how to approach women, talk etc. The inner game aspect was very interesting and can be used as a starting point for any personal spiritual development. But you certainly have to look over the edges of the pick-up community.

Yeah exactly, the whole book was about improving your "inner game" (your beliefs, your values, etc) so you wouldn't have to worry yourself about the "outer game".

> But you certainly have to look over the edges of the pick-up community.

Agreed, many of the teachings and mentors of the pick-up community can be very shaddy and outright bad for the long-term development of a person.

Re: Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?

#95

Post by CodeKommissar »

thisisit wrote: post #88
CodeKommissar wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I couldn't find any online link for the pdf, but I think I still have the book somewhere in my laptop. I can send it to you as an email if you want.

Is it the ebook linked by the sibling comment? If yes, I downloaded a copy :)

Yeah it is the same book :)

Re: Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?

#96

Post by CodeKommissar »

jollycrow wrote: post #89
CodeKommissar wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I couldn't find any online link for the pdf, but I think I still have the book somewhere in my laptop. I can send it to you as an email if you want.

hey my email is jollycrow@maildrop.cc, I would appreciate if you can send me the book. Thanks in advance!

Sent!

Re: Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?

#98

Post by taohansen »

taohansen wrote: post #68

here's another fiction book for you: The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. a professional torturer is exiled for showing mercy to a client. what it's really about is love, self, and how self relates to other. if you'd think this covers the whole spectrum of what it means to be human, you wouldn't be far off. i have read and re-read this book in great lengths of leisure, frequently leaving my paperback copies with fr…

and if that hasn’t convinced you, i’ll leave it to a passage from the thing itself, a conversation between a courtesan and the protagonist:

> Aren't you strong enough to master reality, even for a little while?"

> "What do you mean?"

> "Weak people believe what is forced on them. Strong people what they wish to believe, forcing that to be real. What is the Autarch but a man who believes himself Autarch and makes others believe by the strength of it?"

> "You are not the Chatelaine Thecla," I told her. "But don't you see, neither is she. The Chatelaine Thecla, whom I doubt you've ever laid eyes on-No, I see I'm wrong. Have you been to the House Absolute?"

> Her hands, small and warm, were on my own right hand, pressing. I shook my head. "Sometimes clients say they have. I always find pleasure in hearing them."

> "Have they been? Really?"

> She shrugged. "I was saying that the Chatelaine Thecla is not the Chatelaine Thecla. Not the Chatelaine Thecla of your mind, which is the only Chatelaine Thecla you care about. Neither am I. What, then, is the difference between us?"

> "None, I suppose."

> While I was undressing I said, "Nevertheless, we all seek to discover what is real. Why is it?”

Re: Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?

#99

Post by kerouanton »

The Art of Thinking Clearly : a 2013 book by the Swiss writer Rolf Dobelli which describes in short chapters 99 of the most common thinking errors - ranging from cognitive biases to elements like envy and social distortions. Really changed my way of life.
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