Right consumption - Samma Paribhojana

Abstract

At the time Buddha taught the people the Noble Eightfold Path, as the path leading to the cessation of suffering, there was no necessity for “Right Consumption” to be included. Today the biggest obstacle to the attempt for the cessation of suffering and unhappiness is the uncontrolled, uninhibited consumerism. All religions have been commodified, but the worst damage happened to Buddhism with commodification after Buddha Dhamma changed into Buddhism. People who worship God could worship Mammon too, but there is no Mammon for those of who follow the Buddha Dhamma, yet they too have started worshipping Mammon. Buddhists are being seduced to use Buddhism to promote their own egos, communities, and agendas in the market place. The consumer society is turning Buddhism into a commodity like everything else. The Mammon today is big business. The priests are advertising industry, especially in visual media, which has brainwashed people to believe that their ‘wants’ are their prioritised ‘needs’. That is also the reason the Gandhian statement “the world has enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not for every man’s greed” also becomes redundant, because ‘need’ and ‘greed’ too have become synonymous. What we need is voluntary simplicity as described by Toynbee. Right consumption is an areligious way of life, which could be practiced by anyone of any faith, without compromise. It would lead to better distribution of the world’s resources, natural and man-made. This in turn would lead to the lessening of inequality, leading to lessening of conflicts and violence and probably to saving the earth from final destruction.