Hi Everybody,
We're in the middle of this chapter on Buddhism and Happiness and we've just been talking about what has become known as the ' materialist dead end'. That is to say the powerful external cause of inner discontent represented by all the ' stuff' that's on offer wherever we look. Retail therapy may well be therapeutic in the short run, but the research clearly shows, it doesn't deliver the stable long term sense of well-being that we all seek. But that having been said we can't just blank it all off can we? The range of material possessions has never been greater, and with the instant global reach of film and TV and the internet, the circle of comparison that we are drawn into is virtually unlimited. The consequent potential for what we might call induced dissatisfaction with our lot is all the greater.
And it's important to note that it's not simply a matter of envy. Not at all. Positive psychology has even coined a phrase to describe the downward spiral into which it is all too easy for us to be drawn. It's called ' reference anxiety.' The emotional burden if you like of constantly trying to keep up with the material wealth we perceive so many other people as having...but not us! We have allowed who we are if you like, to somehow become synonymous with what we have.
So what does Nichiren Buddhism have to say that might help us rebalance ourselves in the face of this constant materialist onslaught that can so deeply undermine our sense of self-worth. Well it makes it clear right from the start that it's not about simply rejecting material possessions. It's not about denial or giving things up, since that doesn't of itself achieve anything. Nichiren Buddhism fully embraces both the material and the spiritual aspects of life, since both are clearly important to us. We all have both material and spiritual needs. The absolute key it argues to re-establishing a durable sense of well-being is awareness; recognising the situation for what it really is, seeing the threat to our stability and understanding that we need to establish a meaningful balance.
And it's that balance that we go onto explore in the next episode.
Hope to see you then.
Best wishes,
William
PS The Case for Buddhism is available from Amazon and as a download from Kindle
No comments:
Post a Comment