Desire vs Materialism vs Life Tools

FairyFeller

I was reading an article about Bhutan today and one of the pieces within it was the increasing influence the West is starting to have.

On one hand there was a grandfather was proud to have a CD player that he could use to play sermons and music but this was balanced by the desire of other members of the community and an increase in crime for something as simple as a CD player is in my community (virtually disposable they're that cheap and available). But there was also the case if a man who wanted a Nokia, there was no network, there was nobody he could call is was purely materialistic.

I am not averse to buying 'gadgets' but these tend to be useful, I've got an iPad because it helps me with browsing for information, Kindle for reading as I can choose which book to read at work as my fancy takes me (Buddhist literature or a good novel), iPod for the same reason with lectures or music and a good mobile as it helps me stay in touch with home, work and friends.

When does the line blur though, I'm under no impression with my bits and pieces. I have never thought they would make my life better, my life is not happier because I've got them but they are things I could possibly do without but at the end of the day I'll spend an hour or so checking things out out when I get home rather than just let the drift by me during the day.

karasti

I think the line is different for everyone. If you are feeling like you have too much stuff, then perhaps you do. Just curious, but why the Kindle if you already have an ipad, which can use a Kindle app? or did you just have the Kindle first? Everyone has their "things" they enjoy. There isn't anyone who is going to tell you you have to give up certain things. Renouncing material things seems to come along naturally as people progress in their practice. I still have a lot of stuff, but I no longer buy much anymore. As stuff gets broken or wears out, we do not replace it anymore.

I have a kindle, and an ipod, too. But my ipod is 6 years old. I know people who buy every apple device that comes out because for them it seems to be a status symbol. I don't understand it, but hey, I'm not them. I don't need a new one because mine works just fine. My kindle was a gift, and I really enjoy it. It means when I have to wait for 25 minutes to pick up a kid from an activity, I can bring it with and play a game (Mahjong is my favorite) or read a book. I can read at night without disturbing my husband by having a lamp on. It serves a purpose for me for sure. I don't feel guilty for having it just because it would be a luxury in other places in the world. But I am mindful of that fact.

On the flip side, sometimes I envy those who live such a simple life, such as many in Bhutan. I find myself longing for a time when my life isn't so complex and I can live outside of the demands of the material world. So, perhaps people who live that way aren't so bad off.

FairyFeller

The Kindle I use mainly for work for security reason as leaving an iPad in my locker would not only pose a theft risk to myself but encourage the possibility of encouraging thefts from other lockers.

I also have three iPods as I have a classic for audio books (my audiobooks are nearly 50gb) and a classic for music (my music collection is nearly 90gb) and a Nano for the gym because of weight, damage and security. I use audiobooks to help me sleep.

I actually have two mobiles, an old one which I use for walking the dog and general out of the house meditation walking as I'm a Carer for my partner and she needs to be able to get hold of me in an emergency but nobody else has the number. My other one I leave at home on these occasions.

I could possibly also be criticised for some kind of sensory attachment I suppose lol.

karasti

your reasons are yours, and that is all that matters I still get crap from people because we had 3 cell phones and a land line at our house. I have a phone, my husband has a phone, and my 16 year old has a phone (which he did not get until he started driving). We have our reasons for having the 4 phones, which are good reasons for us. Other people think it is wasteful. *shrugs* Not my problem what they think, they don't live my life. The kind of amusing thing is, when they push me about it, I'll finally answer them, and then they feel dumb for making incorrect assumptions about our life, lol. We live in an extremely rural area with a lot of hazards, so when my son is out driving in the winter, I want him to have a phone so he doesn't have to risk walking 5 miles in -30F weather. We also have a young diabetic child at home, and we need to be reachable at ALL times if we are not home in case there is a problem.

I think more about what I purchase than I used to. I would see something I wanted, and I'd buy it. Now, I am much better bout that, and teaching my kids better ways too, or trying to anyhow. Today someone was selling a used game for $10 and I thought "oh that's a good deal, I should get that." Then I stopped myself from buying it because I asked myself why on earth we needed another game when we have several that haven't even been played yet. Just little things like that have made a difference in our stopping accumulating so much stuff. We try to have more in savings, and to save money more towards having fun family experiences than just buying stuff. But different things work for different people.

riverflow

FairyFeller said:

my life is not happier because I've got them but they are things I could possibly do without...

I have a laptop and a cellphone I hardly know how to use (I never owned a cell phone until 2008 - and I keep it strictly for my job because I am on call 24/7 - I barely know how to operate it). I have been without a TV since the early 1990s (I occassionally watch movies on my laptop though). Having the laptop gives me access to the internet and probably more importantly, I can listen to a variety of music which is probably my greatest materialist desire.

I say I would like to one day get rid of the laptop altogether, though I would still like to have a CD player. And I won't be at this job of mine much longer, so it would be nice to ditch the cell phone too. But I would still like to at least remain in contact with my parents, my sister, and the very few friends that I have. I could almost be a luddite (and I could easily be a hermit), and I tend to dislike having lots of material possessions-- it just feels like so much clutter to me, not just physically, but mentally. (of course this is really a kind of attachment, isn't it?)

I lived in Dallas many years ago, living high on the hog, making good money, bought a new car, almost bought a house, ate out all the time, but I finally got sick of it, as if I had gorged myself on junk food.

Things have their uses, and certainly it is our attachments to them that are not good, not the things themselves. However, I think the more a society is saturated with material goods, the more likely those attachments will develop, where wants become needs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gCQIGiXf0JA

Awakening

The line is whether or not there is craving and clinging resulting in dukkha.

lobster

You can live in a techno palace and be totally unattached or in a cave and attached to every crevice.
As ever it depends on where you are in your practice, not where you practice.

robot

The iPad is great. Can't wait for this.

http://www.google.com/glass/start/what-it-does/

lobster

The iPad is great. Can't wait for this.

me too
I am such a beginner. What I need is a nice quiet cave somewhere . . . Preferably with internet connection . . .
Maybe I could use project glass to set up 'Buddha Cam' . . .

lamaramadingdong

footiam

FairyFeller said:

I was reading an article about Bhutan today and one of the pieces within it was the increasing influence the West is starting to have.

On one hand there was a grandfather was proud to have a CD player that he could use to play sermons and music but this was balanced by the desire of other members of the community and an increase in crime for something as simple as a CD player is in my community (virtually disposable they're that cheap and available). But there was also the case if a man who wanted a Nokia, there was no network, there was nobody he could call is was purely materialistic.

I am not averse to buying 'gadgets' but these tend to be useful, I've got an iPad because it helps me with browsing for information, Kindle for reading as I can choose which book to read at work as my fancy takes me (Buddhist literature or a good novel), iPod for the same reason with lectures or music and a good mobile as it helps me stay in touch with home, work and friends.

When does the line blur though, I'm under no impression with my bits and pieces. I have never thought they would make my life better, my life is not happier because I've got them but they are things I could possibly do without but at the end of the day I'll spend an hour or so checking things out out when I get home rather than just let the drift by me during the day.

Don't let all these bother you. If you have desires, just make sure that they are for doing good things. Then, when you have material things, you make life tools out of them, using them to bring about goodness not just to you but to everyone around you.