Consuming Compassion

When seeds are planted in our consciousness, they must be nurtured before they can sprout and grow strong. We must be careful which seeds we nurse since our store consciousness contains dangerous seeds, such as those of ignorance and delusion, that are toxic to our health. The Buddha identified the store consciousness, the deepest level of consciousness that contains everything, as the fourth nutriment for the spiritual pilgrimage. (The first nutriment is edible food, followed by sense impression food, and the third is the food of volition.)

Our store consciousness consumes what we consume. All that we feed those first three nutriments is consumed by our store consciousness; and because it is our store consciousness that drives us, we must always be conscious of what we consume. Still, our store consciousness contains more than we choose to consume, such as our karma. We must become consciously aware of the negative karma that pollutes our inner ecology. In doing so we can make decisions to not water seeds of suffering. Or we can go further. We can transform the seeds in our store consciousness. By acknowledging manas, the base of mind consciousness that is the root of our delusions of separation, we can move beyond our ego attachment and ignorance - into awakening. Meditation and mindfulness practice allow us to transform the seeds of store consciousness, and manas, so we can grow on our spiritual journey.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings plant the seeds for the mindfulness practice we must nurture during our spiritual journey. I have discussed how all of the trainings consider the importance of conscious and compassionate consumption. When we water wholesome seeds in our store consciousness, we nourish our heart consciousness. Here we see the connectedness of consciousness, and it is in our heart consciousness that we find our true self.

When we choose to consume with compassion and mindfulness, we become closer to our true self. It may seem easy enough, but the truth is that most of us struggle with this everyday of our life. The struggle can be seen as we strive for freedom from suffering. We know that making choices about how we consume and can expand our consciousness. Yet we sometimes struggle to make the right choices; sometimes we don't know what the right choices are; and other times we may not know we have a choice. By committing ourselves to continual learning and mindfulness practice we can make mindful choices with greater ease.

In the supermarket we are faced with so many choices that the experience can seem overwhelming. We decide whether we will consume nourishing foods; but this is not the only choice we are faced with. We also decide how much money we are willing to spend for certain foods; how much time we will spend in preparing our food; how much thought we put into our choices. Some of us could actually learn something about ourselves and our values if we were able see ourselves shopping.

Do we rush down the isles carelessly filling our carts with everything on special. Or do we engage in voluntary simplicity as the second mindfulness training suggests, buying only what we need. Do we make ethical consumption choices?

Not long ago I became concerned that my consumption choices were careless. After considering how little I knew about so much of what I consumed, I decided I would change. I began by looking for ethical corporations and was soon left feeling lost in a pile of scattered information. It is easy to reflect upon my experience and see that this is all that could have come from such a scattered state of mind. But at the time, it wasn't so clear. We can become overwhelmed if we overload our consciousness with too much. This is why it is so important that we meditate.

From this clarity we can make choices that support ourselves, society, and the environment. Choosing to become vegetarian, we consider the first mindfulness training lessons on consumption. We can also buy organics and choose to buy our products locally. I've found the atmosphere of the farmer's markets and local stores such as Herb & Spice much friendlier and more enjoyable to shop at than big supermarkets. Though sometimes more expensive, I've found myself buying only what I need. Most importantly, I've also realized a fanatical attitude towards corporations, consumption, and judgments about others consumption will do no good for no one. Only from the clarity that comes from meditation can we act in a way that brings us closer to our true self.