I’ve been reading about possessions.
The Dalai Lama, via Howard C. Cutler:
“For example, in the case of wanting more expensive possessions, if that is based on a mental attitude that just wants more and more, then eventually you’ll reach a limit of what you can get; you’ll come up against reality. … When it comes to dealing with greed, one thing that is quite characteristic is that although it arrives by the desire to obtain something, it is not satisfied by obtaining. … The true antidote of greed is contentment. If you have a strong sense of contentment, it doesn’t matter whether you obtain the object or not; either way, you are still content.”
OK, so does getting rid of all your possessions solve anything? Brad Warner’s What If We Gave It Away?:
“But the proverbial monk with nothing but a robe is largely a thing of the past. I’ve come across a few people who’ve tried to create modern day variations. But I’m largely unimpressed. One guy I saw followed the ancient Buddhist custom of never handling money. Only all this really meant was that he never picked up the check.”
So I think what these guys are saying is that it’s not a problem to have stuff, in the sense that in modern society it simplifies everything, for you and for those around you. If you want to brush your teeth, you are just going to be a pain for everyone unless you have your own toothbrush.
But there is another reason for owning something, and I think it boils down to this:
“It’s just, when you buy furniture, you tell yourself, that’s it. That’s the last sofa I’m gonna need. Whatever else happens, I’ve got that sofa problem handled. I had it all. I had a stereo that was very decent, a wardrobe that was getting very respectable. I was close to being complete.”
(Fight Club.) i.e: to feel better about yourself – to turn yourself into the kind of person who would would have a particular thing.
. I also took the opportunity to work on the stylesheet for the site a little bit. Please let me know if anything doesn’t work right…