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Kaza, Stephanie. 2005. Penetrating the Tangle, in Hooked! Buddhist Writings on Greed, Desire, and the Urge to Consume, ed. Stephanie Kaza, Boston: Shambhala Publications, pp. 139-151. Penetrating the Tangle StephanieKaza corNG sHopprNG can be a perilousmentalactivitythesedays.As I wanderthrough the departmentstore,I am barragednot only by a dauntingarrayof goodsbut alsoby virtually nonstopmoralisticthoughts.A new bedspread-7oudon't reallyneedthis, the old one'sgoodenough.A stylish dress-why would a Zen personneed thk? A stunning carpet-was this madeby enslaved children?It goeson and on. The critical voicesare all too familiar.As a professorof environmentalstudies,I am especiallyplagued by environmentalcritiques-if it's not organic,it must be lscedwith toxic pesticides. Or Wo knowshowfar thiswoodhasbeenshippedandfrom what decimated forest? The koan of consumerismis vastand deep,a tanglewithin tangles,impossibleto completelyuntangle.Part of the tangle is the resistance,the questioningmind, the naggingthoughtsthat add up to moral engagement. SometimesI find myself paralyzedin the co-op, staringat the bounty on the shelves,lost in thoughtsof fair trade,farmworkers,and food security. Critiquesof consumerismare not new,but as the delugeof productsbecomesa flood, more and more voicesareshoutingtheir concerns. Someof my own questionscomefrom earlytraining in self-sufficiency in the r97os;othersstemfrom painful exposureto increasingenvironmental assaulton belovedforests.Still other critiquesseemto be part of the 139 withDesire Practicing a stubborn socialfabric of being American-a puritanical righteousness, perspective shed any light a Buddhist resistanceto corporatecontrol. Can on this mix of critiques?As in any mindfulnesspractice,it helpsto be able resisting,judging judging-these acto identifr what is going on. Resisting, tivitiesof the mind arepart of a much biggerhistoricalpatternof moral reI sponseto consumerism. SociologistMichaelSchudsonlistsfive traditional critiques,which proThe first of theseis vide a preliminary taxonomyof consumerresistance.2 the "Puritan" critique,referringto the earlyNew Englandcolonistswho beand more lievedpeopleshould investlessmeaningin materialpossessions meaning in religiouspursuits.Puritansfelt goods should servepractical Consumeristathuman needsbut shouldnot be endsof desirethemselves. titudeswerethought to corrupt people,impairing their capacityfor spiritual development. The "Quaker"critique focusesmore on the wastefulnatureof the goods choiceand pointlessproliferaexcessive From this perspective, themselves. Plannedobsolestion of productsis seenas extravagantand unnecessary. cence,as in the annual new modelsof carsand computers,is particularly objectionable.If goodscannotbe made to endure,keepingthe limited resourcesof the earth in mind, then they should not be made at all. The a corevalueof consumerism-that more choice Quakercritiquechallenges is good for consumersand good for the economy. the impact of What Schudsoncallsthe "republican"critique addresses apview a consumerist consumerismon civic societyas a whole. In this proachreplacespublic engagementin politicswith privateinvolvementin personalgoods.It also shifts a person'sidentity away from work (what one does) and toward lifestyle (what one owns), promoting individual pleasureover socialjustice.Historically,the increasingorientation to consumerismhasturned peopleawayfrom socialactivity."Peopleabandoned the town squarefor the front porch, and then later the front porch for the backyardor the televisionroom."3This trend is corroboratedin the Srare of the World 2oo4 report with studiesshowing that overall social health hasdeclinedin the United Statesin the last thirty yearsdespitehigher levelsof consumption.a The "Marxist,"or socialist,critique objectsprimarily to the exploitation of workersin the capitalisteconomicsystem.The production of a common cotton T-shirt, for example,meansfarmworkersare exposedto intensive theTangle Penetrating work long hours for toxicpesticidesand garmentworkersin sweatshops consumerismcan alsobe seenas lo* *ug.r. From the Marxist perspective, or opiate,leadingworkersto seeksatisfactionin goodsrather adistra--ction last of schudson's thanimprovethe abusiveprofit-driven workplace.The iaristocratic"critique,focusesmore attentionon aesthetics' attacklist,the ingmass-producedgoodsasugly.Thatwhichisrareorexclusiveholdsthe value,thus generatinga classistsenseof privilege' griatest the strongestcritique of consumerismtoday is being mounted Perhaps Thirty yearsago concernsabout population growth byenvironmentalists. werethe primary topicsof environmental andtheearth,slimited resources made But since the rygz Rio Earth Summit, the global South has debate. It concern. equal it clearthat the wastefulconsumptionof the North is of ecological pointsout that the North is generatingfar more significant Somehavededurug. with its high useof water,oil, minerals'and timber' and scribedthis as castingan "ecologicalshadow"on the middle-income costs moral who bearthe burden of the hidden economicand poorclasses nations' overio the environment.Environmentalistspoint to industrial to sustaincurrent levsizedecologicalfootprint. This is the land necessary American elsof resourceconsumption and wastedischarge'The average would need five hasa thirty-acre footprint-if everyonelived like this' we population may moreplanetsto support human existence'Though world that consumpleveloff by midcentury,environmentalistsare concerned tionwillonlykeepgrowingasmoreandmoreoftheworld'spopulation entersthe consumerclass.5 BUDDHIST CRITIQUES Are What can Buddhism contribute to thesecritiques of consumerism? expressedcriBuddhist critiques simply a variation on the commonly is helpful in tiques above?or can Buddhism offer a new approachthat on this from my ,oduy', gallopingrush to consumethe planet?Reflecting I beown perspectiveas a Zen student committed to environmentalism, As a new relilieveBuddhismofferssomethingdistinctiveand very useful. the potential gion in the west with growing popularity,Buddhism holds offering a pracio, not only challengingglobal consumerismbut alsofor tice path to liberation through the very thick of the tangle' Practicing with Desire I Sorting through my own questioningvoices,I find three critiquesthat clearlyderive from a Buddhist orientation.6The first critique focuseson the role of consumerismin the processof personalidentity formation.The usualideaof selfis seenasa significantdelusionin Buddhistthought.Consumersin today'smarketplaceareurgedto build a senseof selfaroundwhat theybuy.Consumergoodsaresymbolsof status,politicalor religiousviews, socialgroup, sexuality-all of which solidifr a senseof self."I am what I have"hasbecomethe operativeslogan,using shoppingto defineidentity. Advertising aggressively promotes self-involvement,playing on people's needsfor securityand happiness. When self-identitydependson products, the needfor socialacceptance can fuel addictionsto brand names,to styles, and evento shoppingitself.Consumerismcan actuallyhavea negativeeffect on self-identity,preventingthe mind from engagingin more positive life-affirming activity. From a Buddhist perspective,ego-basedviews of self are fundamentally mistaken,promoting ignoranceand suffering. Deep identification with the separateselfasautonomousand fixedpreventsus from experiencing the world asrelationaland co-creative,alwaysin dynamic flux. Material accumulationstronglyreinforcesthis mistakenview.The more we relate to materialobjectsasrealand permanent,the more deeplywe tend to think of ourselvesas a fixed self with specificidentity. More attachment,more need for consumergoodsto prop up our identity. Or you could take the (false)position that nothingis real or permanent.If nothing is real,then nothing matters,so why not indulgein whatevermomentary pleasureyou like?with this logic you cansuccessfully avoidengagingthe actualrelationshipsof the world that shapeand condition your life. If nothing matters, why be concernedabout the sufferingbehind consumerproducts? A secondBuddhistcritiqueis that consumerismpromotes,rationalizes, and condonesharming. The foundational principle behind all Buddhist ethicsis nonharming,or ahimsa,expressed asthe first of the five precepts: "do not kill," or "do no harm."Monks weretaughtnot to destroy"the life of anyliving beingdown to a worm or an ant."7This preceptreflectsthe Buddhist understandingof interdependence-that the flourishing of life is a complex and ever-changingweb of relationality.Killing or harming another being in the web has seriousconsequences, especiallyif you do so with the intention to harm. such an act would show obviousdisregardfor the true natureof reality. Penetrating theTangle Whileconsumergood manufacturersmay not intentionallychooseto harm,their actionsnonetheless often leavedeathand injury in their cause In somecasesthe choiceis deliberate-to clear-cutforests,to pollute wake. to abuseworkers on the production line. Producersjustifr waterways, harm to many forms of life to meet the bottom line of profit tremendous andgain.Slaveryis not uncommon eventoday.8Harmful actionsproduce karma,leadingto lowerrebirthsandincreasedsuffering,while minnegative imizingharm leadsto positivekarma and lesssufferingfor selfand others. Perhaps the strongestBuddhistcritique is that consumerismpromotes the very sourceof suffering,as explainedin the desireand dissatisfaction, FourNobleTruths.The stateof dissatisfaction-clinging,craving,impulse, thirst,attachment,compulsion-could not be more oppositeto contentmentand equanimity.Cravingin its most fundamentalsenseis the desire for existence. Justto want to exist or be alive is a basicbiological drive. Oftenidentified in terms of karma and rebirth, cravingis the "thirst that givesriseto repeatedexistence." Marketersplay on this strategically, stimulatingthis desireto be alivethrough deliciousfoods,powerful cars,and exoticvacations.Craving alsoincludesaversion,the desirefor nonexistence. In this caseone cravesrelief or escapefrom what is unpleasantor undesirable-mosquitoes,for example,or a heat wave or maybejust bad body odor.Marketerstake advantageof this too, offering a paradeof products thatprofessto relievealmostany form of human suffering. EarlyBuddhistteachingsdescribethe resultsof desirein terms of four The first is clinging to sensingand sense typesof clinging or attachment.e objects.Graphic examplesare consumer addictions such as tobacco or alcoholand their attendantsensorypleasures.The secondis clinging to viewsand valuesthat reinforcea senseof self.The desireto promote one's viewsor senseof what is "right" can afflict consumers(aswell astheir critics).The third result of desireis clinging to actions.Attachment can developaround behaviorsnecessary to support consumervalues.Choosing what to wear,what and what not to eat,and who to pleaseall becomepart of the consumer'sidentity, carefully analyzedby market specialists.The fourth, self-clinging,meansliterally clingingto one'sown senseof identity assubjectivelyexperienced. This is the attempt to bridge the senseof fragmentation that arisesfrom experiencingthings as separate.Paradoxically, identity building exacerbates the gap it is trying to eliminateand thus can neverbring satisfaction. r43 with Desire Practicing Of the threeBuddhistcritiques,we can seethat someoverlapwith traditional critiquesyet alsooffer distinctivecontributionsto this discussion. The Buddhist critique that consumerismpromotes a false senseof self might parallelthe Puritan critique of materialgoodsas distractionsfrom spiritual development.The Buddhistconcernfor nonharmingwould reinforcethe Marxist critique regardingworker exploitation.But the Buddhist focuson desirein promoting an endlesscycleof sufferingmay be the most penetratingcritique.Awakeningor enlightenmentrestson realizingthealldrive.Thkingup the studyof desire pervasivenatureof this existence-based in the form of consumerismoffers an endlessfield for spiritual practice. With the structureof this critique firmly in mind, the consumerbesetby desirecanplungeinto the tangle,seekinginsight in the midst of confusion. BUDDHIST METHODS FOR LIBERATION What, then, are someusefulliberativemethodsto relievethe sufferingof consumerism?Thking consumerismas the context,we can look to traditional methodsof insight and practicefor cultivatingenlightenment.Here I offer one approachfor eachBuddhistcritique of consumerism.The first providesexposureto the processof identity formation; the secondoffers guidelinesfor nonharming; and the third describesthe specificlinks that perpetuatedesire. ExposingldentitYFor mation The first Buddhistcritique points out that the problem with consumerism is its constantreinforcementof ego identity.Misunderstandingthe selfas either fixed or insubstantialmissesthe empty natureof self.This is almost impossibleto graspthrough armchairreflection.You needa more vigorous method to challengethe falseviewsof the consumerself. find one approach In Dogen'swell-knownversefrom the Genjokoan,we to dismantlingthesefalseviews: To study theBuddha way is to study the self To study the selfis to forget the self Penetrating theTangle Toforget theselfis to beconfirmedby the myriad things Tobeconfrmed by the myriad thingsis to drop off bodyand mind of selfand others.to ZenpriestShohakuOkumura explainsthat the original lapaneseword for "study"in Dogen'stext was narau.This derivesfrom nareru,which means "to becomefamiliar or intimate with."rl Dogen approachesthis in the sense-studyingone'smind, body,senseorgans,speech,and social biggest relationsas deeplyconditionedby self-centeredneeds.Studyingand forgettingthe self,in Dogen'sview,is fundamentalto becomingauthentically human. How doesone study the consumer-constructed selfl SupposeI really (I lovedrinking tea. do.) I can study how my self is constructedaround for a certainbrand or teashop.I drinkingtea.I can observemy preferences canstudymy pleasure:What delightsme about the act of drinking tea?Is it theflavors,the stimulation,the socialcompany?(All of the above.)I can studymy memoriesof drinking tea and seehow they add up to a specific identity asa teadrinker conditionedover time. subjective Looking closelyat any one of theseaspectsof my self asa consumerof tea,I seehow dependentmy ideaof selfis on conditionsoutsidemy "self." Timeof day,quality of tea,sourceof the water,mind of the teapreparerallof thesecontributeto my experienceof tea.Thereis no suchthing asmy separate self enjoyingthe separatetea.It is all happeningat once.Observing the endlesslyconnectedweb of tea conditions and relations,I go beyondthe small self.I seemyselfas part of the co-creatinguniverse,my inflatedself-identityasteadrinker busted.The delusioncrumbles. "Selfand all othersareworking together.The working done by selfand all othersarecalledour actions."r2 Okumura points out that we think "we" "driving" are a"car."But actuallythe "car" is "driving" "us."The carwe drive isbeingdriven by the oil economy,its partsproducedacrossthe globe.Our driving is the action of highwaybuilders,car designers,city planners,and policy makers.All thesebeingscontribute to our existence, congressional poking us to let go of confusedviewsof a separateself. But how is this "dropping off body and mind?" Dogen'steacherNyojo said,"Dropping off body and mind is zazen.\A/henwe just practicezazen, we part from the five desiresand get rid of the five coverings."l3 The five desirescome from contact with the five senseorgans,generatinga false with Desire Practicing senseof self that is attachedto the pleasuresor aversionswe experience with our senses.The five coveringsare the hindrancesof greed,anger, distraction,and doubt that keepour minds from functioningin sleepiness, a healthyway.Discardingsensoryattachmentand hindrancesis one path to deflatingthe consumerself.Studyingdeeplythe myriad aspectsof my consumeridentity,I seeinto the delusionof selfasconsumer'of selfasanything separatefrom anythingelse. The insights from studying one type of attachment can be applied from one context of consumerismto another. Studying my self as tea drinker givesme practiceexperienceto study my self as consumerand producer of knowledge,for example.(I am quite attachedto my books.) Seeinghow self-constructionworks, I am lessgullible to the consumer industry and its endlesshooks (including the hooks of books).I can check my psychologicalconditioning as I lean toward various book purchases. But this self-examinationis not in itself the experienceof enlightenment. Zazenprovidesa deeperground for awakeningto the actualexperienceof the selflessstate.This more profound level of insight only strengthens your capacityfor seeingthrough the luresof the consumerself' PracticingNonharming The secondBuddhistcritique of consumerismis that it promotesharming. This critiqueraisesquestionsof right and wrong-how do you decidewhat The Buddhisttextson ethicalbeis harmful in the realm of consumerism? havior offer specificguidancein the form of the FivePrecepts:not killing' not stealing,not abusingsexuality,not lying, and not usingor sellingintoxicants.The preceptsrepresentpracticesof restraint,callingfor personalresponsibilityfor reducingenvironmentaland human suffering.Thkentogetherthey indicatechoicesone can maketo avoidharming others. I will work primarily with the first precepthere,though eachprecept can apply to aspectsof consumerism.The first preceptis the practiceto abstainfrom "destroying,causingto be destroyed,or sanctioningthe destruction of a living being."laA living being is anythingthat haslife, from a small insectto a complex forest.Clearly,everyact of consumingraises the issueof harm-just to stay alive we have to eat food that has been killed or harvested.Acceptingthis paradox,we nonethelesscan choose r46 Penetratingthe Tangle howmuchharm we want to be responsiblefor. For example,many people practice vegetarianismbecausethey don't support the harming of animals from industrial agriculture.rsothers eat organic fruits and vegetablesto reduceharm to soil from chemicalfertilizersand pesticides.some avoid fastfood becauseof labor exploitationand human healthimpacts. Consumerawarenessmovementsare now promoting "chain of custody"verificationthat can documentthe sourceand treatmentof material goods.Forestcertificationand greenbuilding aretwo arenaswhereknowledgeof production processes havegiven consumersthe option to choose moreethicallyproduced goods.Buying locally often shortensthe chain, makingit easierto track harmful impacts.under pressurefrom students andthe Environmentalcouncil, my campusat the university of vermont is now including green building standardsin new capital projects.Our neighboringcampusat Middlebury collegehasusedlocallycertifiedwood productsthroughout its new sciencebuilding. Thepreceptof nonharmingcanalsobe statedasa positivecommitment to practicemetta,or lovingkindness.One versionof the mettaverseis: May all beingsbefreefrom enmity,affliction, and anxiety,and lite happily. May all breathingthings,all who are born,all individualsof whateverkind befreefrom enmity,ffiiction, and anxietymay theylive happily.l6 Activelyholding this wish for all beingsmakesit very difficult to participate in their harm. Quite the opposite-you want all beingsto flourish and thrive and be free from the impactsof human excess. I think of the blunt checkerboardof clear-cutforestsin my home stateof oregon: it hasbeen so painful to witnessthe fragmentationof the Northwestforest.offering the mettaverse,I wish for kindnessto theseforests-may they be freefrom profiteeringand politics,may they live happily. Tiaditionally the precepts,including nonharming,havebeen oriented toward individual conduct;the Buddha did not offer a counterpartset of moral guidelinesfor institutions.Becausesocialstructures(governments, schools,churches,and so on) contribute to consumer-relatedharming, ethicalguidelinesfor socialstructureswould alsobe useful.Individualsand institutionsinfluenceeachother.More consciousstandardsof restraintin r47 Practicing with Desire public arenas(such as no advertisingin schools)can encouragegreater personalpracticeof nonharming, and the reversecan also happen.This meansholding socialor institutionalagentsaccountablefor the impactsof their actions.By taking the initiative here,consumerscould reclaimmoral integrity that hasbeenerodedby consumeristagendas.It is not necessary for one to haveperfectedmoral practicebeforeaskingothersto consider their own actions.The point of the preceptsis to reducesufferingand to practiceinterrelationshiprather than self-interest. BreakingtheLinksof Desire The third Buddhistcritique is that consumerismpromotesdesireand dissatisfaction,the causeof suffering.A classicmethod for working with desire is the teachingof the nidanas,or causation.The TwelveLimbs (or Links) of Co-dependentOrigination aresometimesportrayedasa wheelof becomingdescribingthe processof reincarnationand rebirth.tTBut these can also be usedto describecommon patternsof causationthat arisein each moment of desiringor grasping.Consumerismutterly dependson this process,reflectingits completelyhuman nature. The twelvelinks follow eachother in order: ignorance,karmic formations, consciousness, name and form, six sensefields, contact, feelings, craving,grasping,becoming,birth, death,then on to ignorance,and the cyclecontinues.The pull of eachlink, basedon the strong experienceof the one that precedesit, is so powerful that we are continuallyin the grip of this metapattern.Releasefrom this cycleof graspingand sufferingis what the Buddhacallednirvana.As consumerismis a never-endingfield of desire,it offersan idealplatform for studyingthe twelvelinks. We can start our study at any point in the cycle;for this discussion,let's begin with craving-for the latestDalai Lama book, for instance.Craving is the experienceof being hooked by an object,a thought, or a need and then yearningto graspit. In the twelve-linkcycle,craving dependsupon feelingsthat arisefollowing contactwith objectsin the sensefields.I seethe book,it feelsgoodin thehand,thewordsfeelgoodin my mind.Feelingstates in Buddhist psychologyare categorizedaspleasant,unpleasant,or neutral/ indifferent.It doesn'tmatter so much whetherone is happy,afraid,tender, or irritated; for eachfeeling,one eitherwantsto perpetuateit (usuallythe 148 Penetratingthe Tangle pleasantfeelings)or get rid of it (usuallythe unpleasantfeelings).Since feelingsare impermanent,advertisersor salesagentscontinuallyrestimulatepotentialbuyersto keeppleasantand unpleasantfeelingsgoing. This is doneby generatinga barrageof contactpointsfor the senseorgans,such ascolorful displays,flashingsigns,tantalizing caf€aromas.The point of contactis wherethe objectofperception (book), the senseorgan (eyeand (sight perception)come together.The hand),and the senseconsciousness bookstoreprovidesthe object;I, as consumer,provide the alreadyconditioned senseorgansand consciousness. To slow the production of feeling statesand the craving arising from feeling,we can reducethe points of shopping-related contact. The six sensefields of eye,ear,nose)tongue,body, and mind include both perceptionand consciousness shapedover time by nameand form. This is the material form of a being-that is, your body, including your physicalsenseorgans.What you perceivethrough your sensefieldsis completelyconditionedby your experience. How I readthe Dalai Lama'sbook is conditionedby hearinghim speak,seeinghis picture, eventhe memory of meetinghim once.Consideringthe power of the sensefields,I wonder aboutyoung childrenwatchinghours of television-does their consciousnessbecomedominatedby productsand brand names? Nameand form areconditionedby previousexperiences that mold consciousness and the material form it takes.Suchconditioning is well documented for alcoholism and other addictions. Repeateduse of alcohol changespeoplephysiologicallyso they are more attractedto the statesinduced by alcohol.Apply this conditioning to other forms of excessconsumption and you can extendthe addictivecycleto luxury foods,designer clothing,and televisionserials.Advertisersdo their bestto captureteenage consumerconsciousness by imprinting brand-nameloyaltiesfor cigarettes, beer,and hygieneproductsat an early age.Teenproduct companieseven hire teen trendsetters,passingout free samplesto establishbrand loyalty. Resistingthe slogansof consumerismbecomesone way to breakthe conditioning that is being so aggressively promoted.18Culture-wideconsumer consciousness eventuallyresults in long-term karmic formations,which will requireculture-wideattentionto transform. Turning back to craving,we can seehow cravingperpetuatesthe other limbs. In cravingpleasantexperiences, one graspsaftertheir continuation; in craving the absenceof unpleasantexperiences, one graspsafter their 149 with Desrre Practicing cessation.Theseforms of graspingare especiallystrongwhere the egoor senseof "I" attachesto what is cravedor avoided.Marketersare masterful at using human graspingto createspecialtyniches;evengreenconsumers and dharma practitionersare now well-establishedmarket groups.reNo one is immune from having his or her identity needsworked for profit. Breaking the energy in this part of the cycle is especiallychallenging. the more one graspsafterconsumergoods becoming: Graspinggenerates or values,the more one becomesa consumer,leadingto"birth" of the selfidentifiedegothat defineslife primarily asconsumption.Thus we havethe phenomenaof suburban"mall rats,"Tupperwarequeens,and eBaytreasurehunters. Eventually,of course,the consumermust confront the twelfth limbFueled death-when the selfcan no longerbe propped up by possessions. mas(compounded by by ignoranceofthe natureof dependentorigination sivedenialin consumerculture),karmic tracescarry overfrom previousactions or lifetimes.Considerthe alcoholicfatherwho modelsthe patternof alcoholabuseto his son,or the shopaholicmother who fostersan appetite for fashionin her daughter.From generationto generation'consumerconflourishes,feedingthe cycleof causationdriven by desire. sciousness originationcanprovidea penetratObservingthe natureof co-dependent ing tool for analyzingconsumerism.The cyclecan alsobe studiedin terms aswell asorigination.Breakingthe driving energyfrom onelink of cessation cycle.If you reducecontact to the next slowsdown the desire-generating with consumerstimulantssuchastelevision,yoursensefieldsarelessflooded you overcomea debilitatingaddiction,that cravwith product messages.If The point hereis not that the ing haslessimpact on your consciousness. cycleof causationcan be brought to a halt, sincebeingskeeptaking form and areconditionedjust by existing.But by applyingmindfulness,one can observethe processand evenlearn to unhook from the craving'Eachmoment of consumption can thus be an opportunity for insight, tasting' if only in a smallway,the freedomfrom graspingand dissatisfaction. PRAGMATIC RELIEF The Buddhatold his followersthat his teachingsshouldoffer pragmaticrelief for their suffering.If theyweren'tusefulin everydaylife, then the teachings were not of value.It seemsto me that Buddhist methodsof working 150 Penetrating theTangle with consumerism offer very practical methods to addressthe suffering it generates. consumerism is a dominant practicefield of our times; if the Buddha'steachingshavemerit, they can be appliedto untanglethe complexweb of all-consumingrelations. For me,this work is an ongoingpersonalexperimentin resistingthe invasionof consumereconomicsand consciousness. Does Buddhism help relievethe suffering of consumerismfor me personally?The critiquing voicesareneverfar away,but now I seethem aswake-upcalls,eachone an opportunity for liberation. Hearing about slaveryon cocoaplantations,I yow to practicenonharming and reducemy desirefor chocolate.Reading aboutpesticideson strawberries,I vow to support my local organicfarmersin the interdependentweb.Studyingthe privilegethat comeswith first world status,I vow to studythe twelvelinks that perpetuateglobalpoverty. Practicingdeeplywith consumerismmay provide a very wide Dharmagateto awakening.Endlessdesire,endlesssuffering,endlesscyclesof consuming.The tanglefills the whole universe-how far into the tanglecan the Buddhaeyesee? 151