This is almost exactly the path I went down as well, except on a shorter timeline.
However, I believe Zen Buddhism is one of the more ritualistic versions, as opposed to 'Secular Buddhism', which removes the spiritual aspect for a more personal philosophical take on some of the core principals.
A couple of the principals of Secular Buddhism resonate with me in particular:
- Karma is not some metaphysical storage of actions, but instead just consequences. If you constantly speed everywhere, eventually you'll probably end up with a ticket - Thats your "karma" (consequences) of your own actions you chose to take.
- Rebirth is instead interpreted as the rebirth of the self, in that each living moment you are not the same person you were a moment ago. The idea is that in striving to be a better person, you are 'reborn' as a better version of yourself in each moment which compounds over time. Almost like the "1% rule" where your goal is to be 1% better in some aspect than you were yesterday.
Im curious what you dont like about the dashboard? Ive been using Actual since the day it went open sourced, and the Custom Reports really make the 'dashboard' whatever I want it to be.
Theres a couple tiny things I wish would be implemented that Ive suggested on Github, but the core is solid.
As someone who has been new car shopping for the first time recently, its absurd how much some of these cars are. A new prius at the top trim costs ~43k, whereas a lexus actually costs less than 42k for a higher level trim
The Prius gets ~60mpg whereas the Lexus gets ~42mpg, so it seems like it would pay for itself a bit more over time if you drove it into the ground, but at that price, it makes no sense to stick with the lower build quality cars.
Photography has been the only real 'non tech hobby' that Ive stuck with through the years. It encapsulates everything I love into one hobby:
- Fun social activity if you make friends with other photographers/find a club locally
- Instant Visual creation of something (since my brain rejects spending too much time on something like a drawing, only for it to turn out crappy)
- Fun/Neurotic Tech options when it comes to Lenses/Bodies/Gear. Love the rabbithole of researching exactly what I need/want.
- Lots of technical detail involved in learning different aspects of it, and really understanding properties of light
- I love DataHoarding, so organizing photos on my NAS using Lightroom makes my brain happy too.
- Actually gets me active, outside and moving, which has been a problem for me in the past (since I hyperfocus on logical problems, and loathe the gym as a waste of time)
The only downside is that during the winter I find it harder to get out and take pictures, but at least they're getting warmer!.. :(
However, I believe Zen Buddhism is one of the more ritualistic versions, as opposed to 'Secular Buddhism', which removes the spiritual aspect for a more personal philosophical take on some of the core principals.
A couple of the principals of Secular Buddhism resonate with me in particular:
- Karma is not some metaphysical storage of actions, but instead just consequences. If you constantly speed everywhere, eventually you'll probably end up with a ticket - Thats your "karma" (consequences) of your own actions you chose to take.
- Rebirth is instead interpreted as the rebirth of the self, in that each living moment you are not the same person you were a moment ago. The idea is that in striving to be a better person, you are 'reborn' as a better version of yourself in each moment which compounds over time. Almost like the "1% rule" where your goal is to be 1% better in some aspect than you were yesterday.