Tantric Impact: Lessons on Promoting Fair and Sustainable Communities - Softcover

Knipping, Toine

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1504398491 ISBN 13: 9781504398497

Publisher: BalboaPress, 2018

Synopsis

What good is financial success if it doesnt lead to fulfillment, satsifaction, and happiness? Toine Knipping, the co-founder and CEO of Amicorp, an independent global provider of company secretarial and fiduciary services, tackles that question head-on in this book. Drawing on wisdom from Tantric masters, who said that the fabric of life can provide true and everlasting fulfillment only when all the threads are woven according to the pattern designated by nature, he reveals how to: Control your wealth and use it well. Encourage and empower employees to give back. Embrace high ethical standards and community involvement. Knipping also describes charitable projects, impact investments, and social enterprises drawn from his personal experience to provide context and show the elements involved in any one investment. From setting up an outsourcing business in India, to starting a social enterprise in South Africa to protect endangered species, to establishing a daycare center in Curacao, youll be inspired to give back with the lessons in Tantric Impact.

About this title

About the Author

Toine Knipping is involved in managing or coordinating several sustainable business activities. He is the Chairman of the Amicorp Group, where he is responsible for strategic development. As a co-founder, he is closely connected and involved with the ongoing global development of new tax-compliant and efficient investment solutions, as well as the development of new markets and opportunities. He has been instrumental in convincing multiple High Net Worth Individuals to structure their wealth in ways that not only serve their familys needs for financial security, but also create common endeavors that reflect a common mission and common values which help to keep the familys members, business, wealth, and ideals together for more than just one or two generations. Toine regularly speaks at universities, conferences, and seminars on developments in international taxation and financial structuring. In addition, he is involved in a variety of often agricultural business ventures that serve to demonstrate the impact small investments can have. He strongly believes that all relevant change in the world ever has come from small groups, with a razor-sharp focus. If enough people simultaneously make impact investments, however small, or organize sustainable efforts, we will jointly change the world. One of the companies he invests in has been instrumental in developing new applications for aloe vera-based supplements and health drinks. Some of those supplements and creams are based on ancient recipes. In 2012, Toine authored Mind Your Business, a book that links ones spiritual life with advice on how to run a business. It encourages everyone to truly believe in themselves and to passionately dedicate their talents to meaningful efforts, in order to be happy and successful in life. Toine loves the outdoors. He has been hiking, scuba diving and skydiving in many parts of the world. He particularly enjoys Bali, the Himalayas, the African Wild and the Southern Cone of Latin America. He strongly promotes the protection of endangered species, such as rhinoceros and elephants, in Southern Africa. Toine lives between Singapore and South Africa, with his wife Paula.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Tantric Impact

Lessons on Promoting Fair and Sustainable Communities

By Toine Knipping

Balboa Press

Copyright © 2018 Toine Knipping
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-5043-9849-7

Contents

Dedication, x, 
Disclaimer, xi, 
Acknowledgments, xiii, 
Foreword, xvii, 
Preface, xxii, 
Chapter 1 Wealth and Value, 1, 
Chapter 2 Wealth preservation versus creating a wealth of experiences and having impact, 16, 
Chapter 3 What is Tantric Impact?, 28, 
Chapter 4 Enter the matrix, leading a balanced life, 36, 
Chapter 5 Many ways to have a significant impact, 42, 
Chapter 6 How to organize and shape your project, 52, 
Chapter 7 How to maximize the impact of your investments, 64, 
Chapter 8 Bali - more for les, our Kamar Mandi Project!, 78, 
Chapter 9 Curaçao, South Africa - farming for life, 99, 
Chapter 10 Israel - the kibbutz!, 109, 
Chapter 11 Curaçao - Tuma Mi Man, 118, 
Chapter 12 India - for the karma of being alive, 132, 
Chapter 13 Cuba - ¡Hasta la Victoria, Siempre!, 148, 
Chapter 14 South Africa - Shared Universe Ventures - elephants on the rise!, 165, 
Chapter 15 Nepal - Bhutan: sustainable development, 197, 
Chapter 16 Chile - trees to breathe, 212, 
Chapter 17 Suppression and Exploitation - freedom is not free, 220, 
Chapter 18 Argentina - Alma y Pasión!, 236, 
Afterword, 255, 
About the Author, 262, 
Contact Data, 263, 
Glossary, 266, 
Bibliography, 291, 

CHAPTER 1

Wealth and Value

With wealth comes opportunity and responsibility. We can use our wealth to create value and change our world for the better.

Someday, somewhere — anywhere, unfailingly, you'll find yourself, and that, and only that, can be the happiest or bitterest hour of your life.

— Pablo Neruda

I have spent much of my working life in the financial services industry, dealing mostly with corporations that establish international investments or obtain international financing, but also with High Net Worth Individuals (HNWIs), people who make or have more money than needed for their immediate financial needs. Although much of what is written below is directed at HNWIs, I hope that the key concepts will appeal to a broader category of people. You do not need to be a millionaire or exceptionally gifted to add something of real value or meaning to the lives of others. In the first few chapters, I will focus on the "what, why, and how" of making a contribution. In later chapters, I will describe some real-life cases I have been involved with, and will try to explain the many tangible and intangible benefits of adding value and meaning to the lives of others.

Our business specializes in what is called "fiduciary services." This business sector is not widely known. Essentially, it helps individuals and companies structure their assets against the negative influences of death and taxes. As it deals with the two key certainties in life, it is no surprise that it's arguably the oldest business in the world, at least for Christians and other "people of the Book." In Genesis 2:15, Adam is appointed the first trustee of the garden of Eden, which was reputedly located somewhere near Basra in Iraq, at the confluence of five known rivers (global warming flooded the area several thousands of years ago and two of these rivers are now dry). The tasks entrusted to him included taking care of the Garden of Eden, together with his partner, Eve, according to the wishes of God, the settlor and protector: "The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." And the Lord God, (in legal terms, the settlor), commanded (written instructions did not yet exist) the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die."

After Adam acted outside the powers granted to him by the settlor, with respect to the trust, by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the consequences were swift and the cushy eternal life of being a trustee was replaced with a much harder transient existence. From that point on: "by the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken, for dust you are and to dust you will return." With that death penalty verdict, the eternal cycle of working up a sweat to simultaneously make a living and make your life meaningful was established, through generational transition, proper asset management and estate planning, and deciding whether or not to leave a legacy.

Homo sapiens sapiens (the man who thinks, and knows he thinks) is us, the only species on earth with the capacity to think abstractly about the future (as far as we are now able to ascertain). Our frontal brain lobes are further developed than those of any other species. This is a double-sided sword. Being able to look back and think ahead, we can plan for the future (although plants, trees, mopane worms, bees, squirrels, and brown bears also plan for winter), imagine the greatest ideas and dreams, and cooperate effectively with other humans. As Karl Marx said, in Das Kapital,

A spider conducts operations that resemble those of a weaver, and a bee puts to shame many an architect in the construction of her cells. But what distinguishes the worst architect from the best of bees is this, that the architect raises his structure in imagination before he erects it in reality.

As a consequence, we can also visualize and plan for our own unavoidable deaths, deciding how to dispose of our assets, what to organize for our relatives, and to whom we should bequeath our work, accomplishments, plans, and dreams.

One of the wealthiest people in the modern world, Warren Buffett, once said, "If you belong to the luckiest, wealthiest 1 percent of the world, you owe it to the other 99 percent to care about their wellbeing." Based on cold numbers, you belong to that 1 percent if (believe it or not) your gross annual income exceeds U.S. $60,000 (this is not a typo). Alternatively, the major private banks estimate that, once debts have been subtracted, an adult requires just U.S. $4,000 in net assets to be within the wealthiest 50 percent of the world's citizens and about U.S. $80,000 to reach the top 10 percent. An amount totaling U.S. $800,000 in assets is also enough to put you in the club of the wealthiest 1 percent of the world's inhabitants.

I assume that many of the readers of this book either belong to or are close to belonging to the luckiest 1 percent of people in the world, either through income or inherited wealth. I direct my comments to them. Many of those who are not fortunate enough to be in this category either cannot read, are too busy surviving to have time to read, or may not be interested in the subject of this book.

Let me start with the very basics:

How does one achieve a top 1 percent income or become wealthy? This question has a simple answer, as there are really only a few ways:

1) Swing the Wheel of Samsara well and be lucky at birth. Lots of wealth is inherited and kept in families for a few generations (three generations is usually about the maximum, as we will see). People are born into wealthy families or wealthy countries (in Singapore, 17 percent of the population consists of millionaires). They acquire assets that end up being gold mines (sometimes literally) or easily increase in value, as often happens with real estate. If you are reading these words, chances are it's too late to influence where you were born.

2) Your second option is to marry well and be lucky enough to have a good pre-nuptial agreement, or even to marry on the basis of intestate rules. This requires some effort, but it works for many. Being female and good-looking tremendously increases your chances of succeeding with this approach. In general, however, marrying for friendship, care, and love is a better choice. The correlation between wealth and happiness is a weak one. But the wealthier you are, the smaller is the chance that your suitors, friends, and business partners will only be interested in your sense of humor or humility. Gold diggers come in many disguises.

3) Winning the lottery or getting lucky in a casino is an often-tried but not very promising way to get rich. The odds are solidly stacked against you. And in reality, people who win big — musicians who have a few top hits or sports champions with a few great seasons — very often end up poorer than they started out. One-time shots at getting rich hardly ever stick and leave one poorer and less satisfied at the end of the roller-coaster ride.

4) Stealing, cheating, misusing power, corruption, and bribery are often tried, but won't do much for your self-esteem, restful nights, or happiness. Poverty with honor feels better than ill-gotten wealth. As Mother Teresa commented: "Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat." Now that robbing banks has become more complicated due to all kinds of electronic security and less physical cash, most aspiring bank robbers, the ones who milk clients for fees, are actually employed by banks. German poet and playwright Bertold Brecht said it best: "Bank robbery is an initiative of amateurs. True professionals establish a bank."

5) The seemingly harder, but definitely surer way to become wealthy is to actually earn money, by reaching a top position in a multinational organization, being better at sports or an art than anyone else, being sufficiently entrepreneurial to start and run a successful business or trade, or by investing prudently and wisely. Working hard at something worth doing can also be a source of great satisfaction. Most entrepreneurs keep working hard long after they no longer have to; after all and whatever less fortunate people think, it is not the money that motivates them.

The way in which you get rich makes a lot of difference; realistically speaking, only the entrepreneurs have a fair chance of ever repeating the feat. As a consequence, most wealthy people share the same nightmare-inducing fear: that they might become poor (again).

The fear of being poor is one of the key fears of life, together with the fear of losing the love of your life, friends, or social contacts, and the fear of ill-health, getting old, and death itself.

"You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred."

— Woody Allen

The fear of poverty and the need to plan for inevitable death is what private bankers and a whole industry of financial advisors feed on. Their mantra is that wealth preservation is the key purpose of investing money (with the help of wealth managers and private bankers).

But is this true? I do not necessarily believe it. Why should it be true?

Money by itself does not make you happy! It can help to satisfy needs at the lower levels of the Maslow pyramid (food, drink, sex, shelter) but not at the higher levels (friendship, self-realization). The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered:

Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die and then dies having never lived.

In one of the world's very first philosophic books, the Indian epic, Mahabharata, written in Sanskrit about 3,000 years ago, the most amazing thing in the world is "man's unfaltering belief in immortality, ignoring the inevitability and omnipresence of death."

Although we are very well aware of the inevitability of death, "the worm at the core of our existence," most of the time we pretend and act like we will live forever, wasting humongous quantities of energy and time on totally irrelevant activities. As we get older, ignoring the approach of death becomes increasingly difficult, especially as we watch our bodies decay, and friends and older family members die. We confront diseases and repeated loss, but live in denial until almost the last moment of life. Death happens to others, not to us!

Although our self will be extinguished, our life energy, experiences and memories once stored in our amygdala, will remain available somewhere or in multiple places in the universe for future use.

Memories are not being stored in our brains like books on library shelves, but must be actively reconstructed from elements scattered throughout the brain. As there is no compelling reason why this information should only be stored within our physical brain, the related energy streams are just as likely to remain accessible as energy waves somewhere in the cloud, and thus one day can potentially be downloaded onto some device, and maybe the i-mind would be an appropriate name for it. Previous life memories and other amazing feats of memory could result from minds downloading information from or hacking into this cloud.

All of the belief systems and religions that we have created promise one type of afterlife or another as a consolation prize. As life is easier to manipulate and bear if we have the prospect of an afterlife, the majority of people believe in an afterlife, in spite of most of the evidence being circumstantial at best. We conveniently forget that we created all of these beliefs and religions ourselves, and have just repeated them often enough to convince ourselves that they are eternal truths. After all, they are written in the Bible, the Quran, or ancient texts. Our imaginary friends, the various Gods, provide true or imaginary consolation. Having these imaginary friends helps us to remain in denial most of the time, as well as motivating us to give life meaning by doing meaningful work (doing something important or bigger than ourselves). We may long for a sense of freedom or impact, or hope to master a skill better than anyone else. These motivators are very important, as worrying about death all the time would be pretty depressing and take the pleasure out of living. We also have an innate need to be important, to feel that we have added something to the universe or at least to one tiny part or a few people. We want to find meaning beyond simply existing and passing our genetic code on to our offspring.

Manfred Kets de Vries says, "Children are our major immortality project, the living messages we send to a time we will not see." We project our own aspirations and achievements onto our children, hoping that they will perpetuate our beliefs and values. Children help us to see death as a transition that we can survive through others' memories. After all, the dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them. Work, creating successful businesses, erecting buildings and statues, making art, writing books and songs, and scientific work are all in that same category.

When we get closer to the end of our lives, we should be able to look back with integrity and see with satisfaction a life full of accomplishments and meaning. If we can see that we have led a generally happy, balanced, and productive life, shared with friends and family, we can feel content that our mission has been fulfilled. In the Hindu tradition, life has four age-based life stages of about 24 years each, known as ashramas. The first three are Brahmacharya (student, learning phase, bachelor, growing in knowledge, and skills), Grihastha (provider, worker, protector, creator, becoming independent) and Vanaprastha (retired, coach, teacher, helping others to become successful), which starts when a person hands over household responsibilities to the next generation, takes on an advisory role, and gradually withdraws from the world.

The last phase, Sannyasa, starts from an age of 72–75 and represents a form of renunciation. This stage is traditionally associated with men or women in the last years of their lives. However, some young people purposely choose to skip the provider and retirement stages, renounce worldly and materialistic pursuits, gift away all their material goods, and dedicate their lives to spiritual pursuits (moksha) through medication and contemplation.

For those people who get older by leading "lives of quiet desperation", and who are going to their graves "with their song unsung," thus failing to reach the stage of Sannyasa, John Maynard Keynes proposes eight alternative motivations that can lead individuals to refrain from spending or gifting their money.

These are:

1) To build up a reserve against unforeseen contingencies.

2) To provide for an anticipated future relation between the income and the needs of the individual or his family different from that which exists in the present, as, for example, in relation to old age, family education, or the maintenance of dependents.

3) To enjoy interest and appreciation, i.e. because a larger real consumption at a later date is preferred to a smaller immediate consumption.

4) To enjoy a gradually increasing expenditure, since it gratifies a common instinct to look forward to a gradually improving standard of life rather than the contrary, even though the capacity for enjoyment may be diminishing.

5) To enjoy a sense of independence and the power to do things, though without a clear idea or definite intention of specific action.

6) To secure a masse de manoeuvre to carry out speculative or business projects.

7) To bequeath a fortune.

8) To satisfy pure miserliness, i.e. unreasonable but insistent inhibitions against acts of expenditure as such.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Tantric Impact by Toine Knipping. Copyright © 2018 Toine Knipping. Excerpted by permission of Balboa Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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Edition details

• Publisher: BalboaPress
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1504398491
• ISBN 13: 9781504398497
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320