Mindful Consumption: The Way Out for Us as a Society | Thich Nhat Hanh (EN subtitles)

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In Buddhism, we learn that

we can have happiness

with adequate

conditions for living.

There's a teaching of
"knowing we have enough".

When we're capable of building
brotherhood and sisterhood,

father-son relationships,

teacher-student relationships,...,

even when we run a less luxurious car,

even when we eat a less sumptuous meal,

happiness is still as great.

In Buddhism, we talk about the Pure Land,

symbolizing a realm of happiness.

In Plum Village, we practice living in
the Pure Land of the Present Moment.

All the miracles of life

can be recognized and in touch with

if we're able to come home to this moment.

If we know how to build
brotherhood and sisterhood,

if we get nourished by
brotherhood and sisterhood,

by the happiness generated by
brotherhood and sisterhood,

we can live a simple

yet content and happy life.

When we know how to live
a simple life happily,

we no longer want to exploit
natural resources on planet Earth.

We

no longer pollute the environment,

and we leave behind a heritage
for our children.

So, knowing we've already had enough,

being easily satisfied with what we have,
having few desires and cravings,

is a way of living that can save the planet

and

leave a better future for
our children and grandchildren.

I see

our way of living right now

destroys

not only nature but also humans.

I heard that here in Bình Định,

violent crimes among youths

are getting increasingly serious.

Just this morning,

I received a letter.

In this letter, they said, "Even at school,
children as young as 14 or 15 years olds

gang up,

and come against each other
in bloody street fights and killings.

Over trivial things,

they easily get into shouting matches.

Recently, on Monday the 4th of April, 2005,

a tragedy happened
at Trung Vuong Senior High.

Over a trivial matter at a classmate's birthday
party, they carried knives & sickles to school,

waited for the rival members
to appear at the school gate,

and stabbed their schoolmates
many times to death.

This act of killing was
brutal and cold-blooded

which could only be found
in professional killer movies."

In the West, as well as in Asia,

industrial development

has given rise to such social evils.

Moreover,

young people nowadays over-consume
movies, magazines, and media products

that have graphic scenes
displaying violence and hostility,

acts of revenge, and sensual images.

That's why our children

have easily picked up
the substance of desires

and violence and aggression

from the contents and images
in these media products.

That's why these social evils
happen to us in real life.

In Buddhism, we learn that

we have to protect our body, heart and mind.

When we eat and drink, we have to be careful
and mindful of what we eat and drink

so that we don't bring toxins

into our body.

When we consume media products such as
books, magazines, movies, videos, photos,...,

we have to consume them mindfully.

If we consume media products

that contain toxins like sensual stimulation,
rage, revenge-seeking, violence,...,

well,

they become poisons in our heart and mind

and in the hearts and minds of
our children and grandchildren.

That's why observing
the fifth mindfulness training

i.e. mindful consumption,

can help keep us as a society
from those social evils.

That's why

one of the things Shakyamuni Buddha taught

that we should take seriously

is we should never strengthen the potentialities, or water the seeds,

of violence and aggression,

of sensual stimulation and pleasures,

of rage and revenge-seeking in us

by way of consumption.

That's why

if we really want to protect

our children and grandchildren,

if we really want to protect our society,

we have to go on the path of mindfulness,

which means producing and
consuming everything mindfully.

Teachers, educators, and politicians

in our country must pay
special attention to this matter

if we don't want our society
to go from bad to worse.

I would like to stop right here to save
some time for questions and answers.