Thich Nhat Hanh: “We laugh all day long, yet not one of us has a private bank account.”

Gift-giving is one thing; materialism is another. So: what can we do about excessive materialism in our culture? It's a good question — and, it would seem, an especially timely one, given the seasonal pressures some of us are feeling –  and it was put to Thich Nhat Hanh in "Be Beautiful, Be Yourself," the feature interview from our current magazine. Here's how the Zen teacher replied:

"You can set up an environment where people live simply and happily, and invite others to come and observe. That is the only thing that will convince them to abandon their materialistic idea of happiness. They think that only when you have a lot to consume can you be happy, but many are very rich without being happy at all. And there are those who consume much less, but who are happier.

"We need to demonstrate that living simply with a practice of the dharma can be very fulfilling, because until people see it and experience it, they cannot be convinced. In Plum Village, we laugh all day long, yet not one of us has a private bank account. [...] There is a belief that unless you have a lot of money, unless you hold a high position in society, you cannot be truly happy. It is hard to let go of that belief until you see the truth that happiness is possible in another way. Seeing that will make the future possible for our children. So I think in Buddhist circles we have to reorganize so that we can show people a way of living happily based on mutual understanding, not materialism. Just a dharma talk isn't enough, because a dharma talk is just a talk. Only when people see such an unmaterialistic community, when they see such a way of life, will they be convinced."

See "Be Beautiful, Be Yourself" in our January 2012 magazine for more from Thich Nhat Hanh — on why Buddhists don't really believe in reincarnation, why meditation is only worth doing if its enjoyable, why you don't have to be a Buddhist to be a good Buddhist. And for more of his teachings, visit our special Thich Nhat Hanh Spotlight page. Or perhaps you just want to get started exploring Buddhism and meditation? There's something for everyone at our Shambhala Sun Spotlight pages.

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