With apologies to the quality of the recording, this talk is one of a series which continues to address the theme “How Do You Want to Live?”, which was introduced during the Dharma talk on February 16, 2022 and is found in the archives.  There is a review of the sociocultural impact of consumerism, which began in the late 19th century and is now the dominant driver of our lives, whether we are mindful of this issue or not.  During the discussion, consumerism is related to the Four Noble Truths: 1) The distress and confusion we currently experience and the effects on the biosphere as a result of indiscriminate consumption, 2) The delusional craving and clinging characteristic of commercial advertising, 3) The opportunity that Buddhist principles and practices offers to provide alternatives to thoughtless and undisciplined consumption, and 4) the practices of the Noble Eightfold Path that will facilitate liberation from the distress and confusion of consumerism.

Here are the notes prepared for this talk:  Mindful Coping With Consumerism

The topic for the next talk will be on how Mindfulness practices can be effectively applied to promote environmental responsibility.