How Buddhism Teaches us to Un-Learn the Mindset of Materialism
We live in a world that favours more over less, but is it possible to unlearn this mindset to live a clutter-free life?
From time to time, we all feel the pull of a good sale and that boost of dopamine experienced when buying something new and shiny. The annual onslaught of Black Friday and its lingering aftermath is ever too visible this time of year.
The pandemic has caused many of us to spend more time online. When scrolling on social media, we are continually influenced by advertisements and personalities trying to sell as the benefits of some unbeknown product we don’t need.
It’s not surprising that we, as consumers, are easily influenced and part ways with our cash without much convincing. Social media and online shopping have made it easier for companies to convince us to buy things — but this mindset of materialism has been engrained within Western culture for at least 100 years. At the heart of materialism is the idea that wealth, commodities and possessions are the routes of all happiness.
Buddhism is the world’s fourth-largest religion, but it also promotes a minimalist philosophy of how to live. Religious or non-religious, it has teachings on how living a life lead by…
