Can Buddhism Survive and Thrive in a

Consumerist, Materialist World?

OVERVIEW

• Look at state of modern world• What does Buddhism offer?• What did the Buddha see?• How to communicate this vision/perspective

in modern world?• Opportunities of modern world• Need for living portals/exemplars

CAN BUDDHISM SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN A CONSUMERIST & MATERIALIST WORLD?

DOES IT MATTER?

DOES IT MATTER?

YES!

RESOURCE LIMITATIONS

DIS-EASE

• In 2002:• 154 million depression (4TH most leading

contributor to burden of disease worldwide. Predicted to be second most by 2020)

• 25 million schizophrenia• 91 million alcohol abuse• 15 million drug abuse

DIS-EASE

• Deep down all human beings want the same thing:– Freedom from suffering– To be happy, content, fulfilled

• Consumerism has the illusion of providing happiness – but never quite does it – shop some more! Going global – very problematic.

WHAT DOES BUDDHISM HAVE TO OFFER?

WHAT DOES BUDDHISM HAVE TO OFFER?

• Vision and guidance on how to live in harmony with THE WAY THINGS ARE

• Turn to root of dis-ease = the MIND• Buddha discovered this through direct

experience 2500 years ago• Invented meditation as we know it

WHAT DOES BUDDHISM HAVE TO OFFER?

• Gradually turned inwards, transformed his mind, aligned himself with truth and then taught it tirelessly

• Untamed free spirit who roamed the plains• Pragmatic, empirical

WHAT DID THE BUDDHA SEE?

WHAT DID THE BUDDHA SEE?

• Central = Impermanence & its implications:• Actions have consequences – can guide the

direction of change in beneficial or harmful direction through our actions – rooted in mind

• To do this need to be AWARE = MINDFUL. Central to Buddhism

• Need to be KIND, EMOTIONALLY ENGAGED, WARM in our practice.

WHAT DID THE BUDDHA SEE?

• Continually co-creating experience of world through how we are – if bring awareness and kindness will have huge effect on our impact on the world.

• Interconnectedness• Everything matters!• Every action body, speech and mind has an

effect so choose wisely how you live

PRIMARY ROLE OF MIND

What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: our life is the creation of our mind.

If a man speaks or acts with an impure mind, suffering follows him as the wheel of the cart follows the beast that draws the cart.

PRIMARY ROLE OF MIND

What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: our life is the creation of our mind.

If a man speaks or acts with a pure mind, joy follows him as his own shadow.2

PRIMARY ROLE OF MINDThe thought manifests as the word;The word manifests as the deed;The deed develops into habit;And habit hardens into character;So watch the thought and its ways with care,And let it spring from loveBorn out of concern for all beings…As the shadow follows the body,As we think, so we become2

WHAT DID THE BUDDHA SEE?

• Also – Opening to more fluid, open way of being

• Impermanence resolves into flow, process, spaciousness, vastness, luminous mind, the ‘open dimension of being’

• WONDER – ILLUMINED IMAGINATION• Direct experience lit by a light beyond

egotism

WHAT DID THE BUDDHA SEE? • Using impermanence to allow growth to blossom –

letting the light shine through• Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with

mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds. Shine

• Images of Buddha convey something of that– Still– Calm– Mysterious– Unshakeable

When you attain Enlightenment…you no longer have a will that is separate from that of others. It’s as though you utterly identify with others, and with what they are doing….You don’t experience another person as a sort of brick wall you are coming up against, and you no longer experience yourself as a separate and conflicting solid force. You experience others in a completely different way: they become diaphanous or transparent, because your will is not coming into collision with theirs. This completely different, more relaxed, lighter, freer attitude taken to the nth degree, is something of the nature of Enlightenment. The world is the same but you see it differently.Sangharakshita ‘Know Your Mind’ pg 53

HOW TO COMMUNICATE IN MODERN WORLD?

HOW TO GET FROM CONSUMERISM TO FREEDOM?

?

HOW TO COMMUNICATE IN MODERN WORLD?

CHALLENGE!• Anyone can ‘wake up’, yet how to make this

known?• Cast very wide net – share Dharma in

whatever way we can• SKILFUL MEANS• 84,000 gateways to the Dharma• Buddha always taught appropriately

BUDDHA’S TEACHING OF TRUTHCOMMUNICATED WITHIN POLES OF

Change world to fit Buddhism

Change Buddhism to fit world

MIDDLE WAYBOTH APPROACHES

• Maintain ‘right view’ Buddha taught in uncompromising way but continually adapt it to modern world.

• Buddhism poor at adapting to modern world compared with other main religions

• Has impact on a smaller proportion of world than any time in last 1000 years

• Urgent to find ways to make it relevant

MIDDLE WAY

HOW?• Be clear what Buddhism is• Radical• Different to status quo• Offers real alternative• Keep teachings ‘pure’• Guardians of tradition• And yet…

MIDDLE WAYHOW?

• Creative• Adaptive (Innovate or die)• Work with prevailing cultural conditions directly• Go out into world in a range of different ways• Engage arts and culture to communicate higher

values• Be fearless• Be bold

MIDDLE WAY

WHAT?• ‘Socially engaged’ Buddhism

– eg social change in India freeing people from oppression of caste– Environmentally aware Buddhism – deep ecology– Buddhist hospices, health centres etc– Get away from being solely based in Buddhist Centres

• Mindfulness-based approaches in health care (eg Breathworks) – Pain and illness– Mental health– Recovery etc

MIDDLE WAYWHAT?

• Right Livelihood in ‘world’ in line with – Ethics of ‘non-harm’– Generosity - Genuinely contribute to world– Creativity – fulfilling for those involved– Community – sharing common higher values– Spiritual practice

• Arena to practice Dharma, mindfulness, emotional positivity, inspiration, insight into nature of things

THREATS

• Too conservative• Rigidity• Ossification (losing moisture of creativity)• Disconnected from people who need Dharma

in prevailing cultural contexts• Aversive to life/dry idealism• Arrogance• dogmatism

THREATS

• Water down Dharma to mere humanism• Just another psychological technique to feel

better• Manipulate life to get on own terms rather

than ‘see through’ fundamental delusion of clinging to illusion of permanence in self/other/world.

• Lose radical vision• Forget to look up

MIDDLE WAY

• CONSTANT VIGILANCE REQUIRED• Continual awareness and calibration• Mindfulness • Total commitment to making changes to self

and world using example of Buddha as guide; truth and teachings as compass and map (Dharma); and supportive friends and inspirers around you (Sangha)

OPPORTUNITIES IN MODERN WORLD

OPPORTUNITIES IN MODERN WORLD

• Psychology and awareness of power of the mind (established 1879 as separate science)

• Scientific culture provides a way in for teaching Dharma aligned with Buddhism in that we are used to analytical approaches to experience.

• Getting some ‘proof’ that meditation changes the brain – can capitalise on this

• Huge growth in neuroscience last 10 years

OPPORTUNITIES IN MODERN WORLD

• Social freedom – eg new for women• Peaceful democracies allow religious freedom• Living through a revolution• First decade of 21 century massively

influential decade in human history• Media• www• Dharma available very easily – at click of

button

NEED FOR LIVING PORTALS

NEED FOR PORTALS

• Living examples of followers of Buddhist path most powerful social tool for transformation– Kindness– Mindfulness– Tread lightly– Go against materialism and consumerism– LIVE SIMPLY

• Much more widely established in west now that 30 years ago. Then few teachers, now many

• Different personalities and temperaments

NEED FOR PORTALS

• I am a Buddhist because of the people I met, not primarily because of the teachings.

• People who are extraordinarily ordinary in a range of life-styles

SUMMARY• The world is in a state

– Consumerist/materialist economic model will not lead to happiness and fulfilment

– Limited resources/ecological unsustainability– Dis-ease

• Buddhism offers radical alternative– Look into MIND as source of dis-ease and become AWAKE and free– Cultivate values of awareness and kindness– Open up to wonder

SUMMARY• How to communicate in modern world?

– Middle way between conservatism and liberalism– Maintain core values and vision in uncompromising way and yet– Be creative, adaptive, responsive

• We can use aspects modern world to advantage– Media and www– Awareness of working with mind in modern psychology etc

SUMMARY• We need portals

– Living examples of the effects of practising according to Buddha’s teachings.

– Individuals who can rise to challenge of facing their own mind/heart – tremendously difficult thing. Very inspiring when come into contact with that.

SUMMARY• Buddhism CAN survive and thrive to the

extent that it is LIVED AND COMMUNICATED in an accessible, inspiring and appealing way.

• It WILL survive and thrive to the extent that this is done.

SUMMARY• A hunk in trunks may well give you temporary

satisfaction.• But will it last?• You will get old, he will get old• Stuck in a cycle of desire and loss = dis-ease.• Buddha’s example and teaching is a more

reliable refuge!