I started my journey of mindful consumption almost 10 years ago after reading the following words by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh.
“When I drink my tea mindfully, I can see the universe in my tea.”
I had no understanding of what the words meant. At best, I was only able to sense a profoundly deep nature of such a practice. Although I did not understand the words, when I read them, something inside me woke up. I knew at a very deep level that I had found something I had been searching for.
The practice of mindful consumption revolutionizes. It has the capacity to revolutionize you and it has the capacity to revolutionize our world. I drink my tea differently than I did 10 years ago. Before I practiced mindful consumption, I practiced mindlessness and forgetfulness. I would drink my tea in the morning while checking my email, making a shopping list, and watching the news all at the same time. I did not taste or enjoy my tea. In our fast-paced world, we proudly, call this “multi-tasking”.
Consume in a manner that grows your capacity for love and peace.
Being proud of multi-tasking is ignorant. It is the same as being proud of not showing up to live your own life.
Where is your attention when you are multitasking? Scattered. Nowhere. Everywhere. My tea is gone and I have no recollection of drinking it. I never tasted it and did not enjoy the experience. When we live mindlessly, we grow a sense of boredom or dissatisfaction with our lives because we are only giving it half of our attention. The act of mindlessness and forgetfulness then becomes habituated. After beginning my practice of mindfulness, and my awareness grew, I realized most of my consuming was mindless. I would look down at an empty bag of potato chips, and not remember eating one bite. Everything thing we do with mindlessness has a karmic effect. If I eat potato chips mindlessly, the consequences are not so big. Only my cholesterol level and my mass. I don’t feel well afterward and I gain weight.
Other types of consumption done mindlessly have big karmic effects. I began to have a deeper awareness of all types of consumption. I realized my ears, eyes, mouth, and mind all consumed mindlessly. What we watch on TV or read is consumption. The images your children see on video games are eye and mind consumption. Consumption of trashy and violent movies or video games desensitizes us to the images of violence which go into our consciousness.
When we are listening, we are consuming. When you are listening to resolve a misunderstanding with another, be mindful of how you are listening. If your listening has the qualities of impatience, anger, and judgment, there will be karmic effects on the outcome of your conversation. If you can listen with patience, peace, and openness, there will be a different outcome.
Mindful listening changes the outcome of difficult relationships. It has the qualities of patience and openness. We can either choose to consume in a manner that supports or un-supports our mindfulness practice. We can consume material that makes us smarter and refreshed or more ignorant and unconscious.
be in peace - diane