I was observing the goings on surrounding an event called "Black Friday" recently, in which it appears North Americans hit the shopping malls in a mindless frenzy of consumption for the sake of consumption without considering any of the ramifications such actions cause. Rather than considering the unmistakable negative consequences from buying into an imploding anti-economic system built on buy-break-toss-buy again, they ravenously fill their shopping carts and lives with 'stuff' they believe will make them feel better, happier or more fulfilled.
I've been reading a book by Thich Nhat Hanh about transforming suffering into peace, joy and liberation. In it, he retells a story of the Buddha speaking to a group of monks; ...We need to practice Right View when we shop, cook and eat... or consume anything in this world. The Buddha offered this example;
Much of our suffering comes from not eating mindfully. We have to learn ways to eat that preserve the health and well-being of our body and our spirit. When we smoke, drink and or consume toxins, we are eating our own lungs, liver, and heart. If we have children and we do these things, we are eating our children's flesh. Our children need us to be healthy and strong.
We have to look deeply to see how we grow our food, so we can eat in ways that preserve our collective well-being, minimize our suffering and the suffering of other species, and allow the earth to continue to be a source of life for all of us. If, while we eat, we destroy living beings or the environment, we are eating the flesh of our sons and daughters. We need to look deeply together and discuss how to eat, what to eat, and what to resist. We need to practice Right View when we shop, cook and eat.
I've been reading a book by Thich Nhat Hanh about transforming suffering into peace, joy and liberation. In it, he retells a story of the Buddha speaking to a group of monks; ...We need to practice Right View when we shop, cook and eat... or consume anything in this world. The Buddha offered this example;
A young couple and their two-year-old child were trying to cross the desert. They soon ran out of food and after deep reflection, the parents realized that in order to survive, they had to kill their son and eat his flesh. They realized that if they ate such and such a portion of their baby's flesh each day and carried the rest on their shoulders to dry, it would last the rest of the journey. But with every morsel of their baby's flesh they ate, the couple cried and cried. After he told the story, the Buddha asked, "Dear friends, do you think the young man and woman enjoyed eating their son's flesh?" "No, Lord, it would not be possible for them to enjoy eating their son's flesh." The Buddha said, "Yet many people eat the flesh of their parents, their children, and their grandchildren and do not know it."
We have to look deeply to see how we grow our food, so we can eat in ways that preserve our collective well-being, minimize our suffering and the suffering of other species, and allow the earth to continue to be a source of life for all of us. If, while we eat, we destroy living beings or the environment, we are eating the flesh of our sons and daughters. We need to look deeply together and discuss how to eat, what to eat, and what to resist. We need to practice Right View when we shop, cook and eat.
