For all the new followers.

 A bit about me and how I became the phantom planter for all the new followers.

I grew up in a Loyalist housing estate in Belfast, my father a Protestant and my mother was a Catholic from Ardyone, that had big complications here in Northern Ireland but I always knew I was a mongrel, a bit different!

My dad was a delboy ( a buyer and seller of everything and anything) and from I could walk he had me a mini Delboy.

From selling round the doors to off loading container loads cigs and booze straight in from Andorra. I was his runner from ever I can remember. He was one cunning man, anytime the police used to raid the house I was always part of the escape plan with the books and cash. He always said to me if the police ever come they will go to the shed and he will start shouting and wrestle one of the police. All the rest of the police will run to the shed to see whats going on and you lift that bag and run round to his mates house.

Several time I had to do this and every time it worked a treat. Its probably one of the reasons I was always the fastest sprinter in my class growing up was I was always running from the police.

My dad I can honestly say was one of the biggest dodgiest dealers in Belfast for a very long time. He had every top man in his back pocket also. 

I learned fast how to make money and school for me was my business, I had more money than the teachers and my dad would have stocked my bag up at lunchtimes for me with more of his dodgy goods. Perfume, tobacco, clothing, all sorts I had in my bag, even sold some of my goods to the teachers!

When I left school I was financially embarrassed for a very small time, 1000 pupils to me was 1000 people with a money in their pockets, people were pounds to me!

My wee mum God rest her didnt want me ending up like my dad so I then became a chef for 1 year to keep my wee mum happy but I made more money selling my dads dodgy goods out the back door!

I left and went on my journey to get rich!

From then I had chippies, mobile pound shops (great deals on wheels) glow sticks at raves, king Billy kebabs cooked by Pakistani prods on the twelfth, even put red, white and blue food colouring stripes on them, markets, carboots, house clearance, cash for gold, furniture shops, Mattress manufacturing, importing and lots of other stuff, I had my finger in so many pies!

And then there was my underworld dealings, which I cant go into too much detail for my own safe keeping. But lets just say there ain't much I haven't been up too.

I was rich by the time I was 21 and when I was 25 I had more money than I could ever spend in a lifetime!

From 25 till about 35 life was a blur, more money bought me more problems, more addictions and more people around me just for my money!

I got fat, unhealthy, angry, unhappy, I was a lost mess.

My negative karma which no one can escape came into fruition and my life went on a downward spiral for years. Pain and suffering just went on and on and I lost everything.

I then find myself rowing this Viking boat down the river Shannon for a bit of fun one day, I was still an alcoholic mess and was drunk on the boat and when my beer ran out I wanted off!

I jumped off like a maniac, knocked on a farmers house for help and a girl answered the door and said something like my God we just seen you walk out of the river, she brought me in and gave me a hot whisky and then someone asked me was I a Buddhist?

I found this a strange thing to ask, I was bald but I drunken Buddhist jumping off a Viking boat seemed a bit of an odd thing to ask!

They said that there was a Buddhist monastery down the road and maybe I got lost or something.

For some reason something sparked in me, like I had to go there!

Her uncle give me a lift to get my bags and I went to the Buddhist monastery a drunken mess and asked if I could stay, they welcomed me in with a smile and my life changed that day! 3 days I stayed with them. 

The Buddha provided me with all the tools I needed to change my life.

Made me realise that everything was my own fault, we make our own problems in life, no one else is to blame but us!

My mind was blown by how these monks can live so simply and happily, completely the polar opposite to how I was living!

The rat race was no longer for me, how I was living was not in harmony with nature or our world, I was a parasite, using mother nature like filth, take, take, take without even thinking of the impact I was having!

All for what, so I could get my next illusory fix, desire, selfish passion!

Buddhism has opened my eyes and mind massively, our world is a mess with greed and self gratification, all in a rush to go where?

Buzzing around with no sense at all of the damage we are doing to our souls and our planet. Feeding our ego with meaningless crap which are of no benefit to anyone but our own selfish self!

I set this page up to share my journey and the way of the Buddha, I'm not here to make money or sell anything, my days of selling the earths resources to feed my habits and ego are well gone!

I still do request financial help from you guys now and again and promote my day job, but this is to help pay for my tree planting projects.

Today I live in a 24ft x 12ft cabin, my van has officially got moon miles on it, 240k to be precise. I dont want to be rich in money anymore, I want to be rich in trees, life and friends.

Buddhism is a beautiful way of life, it's brought me to a place no money ever could have bought and when your thoughts and actions are of benefit to the world in return the world and everything in it will benefit you!

No one has ever became poor by giving.

Be of service to your community and the world around you. It's not what life can give you it's what you can give life.

Thats what Buddhism has taught me!

As big D says the world has enough successful people, we need more lovers and peacemakers!

Hope you enjoy guys and if you do I challenge you to phantom plant a tree 

Peace and love 

The Phantom Planter