Cattāri Brahmavihārā

It’s Asalha Puja Day and yet another chance to observe the Eight Precepts. This year, however, in addition to observing and (hopefully) spending more time on formal practice I will also be committing to a three month fast from buying anything for myself other than food. So why am I doing this? 

Ostensibly, my purchases all look good and fall within our budget but how many books, shirts and tools does someone need to have enough?  When I consider just how much stuff I own I get a little nauseous. In fact, when I was organizing the house the other day I kept finding things that I’d forgotten I even owned. Clearly something is wrong here. Imagine what a hoard I could amass if I owned a house in the suburbs instead of renting a tiny apartment in Manhattan! Frightening! 

So, in addition to fading from consumption I’m making the aditthana right now to make a gift of something each day to someone. No matter how big or small I resolve to gift a possession every day for a month. At the end of the month. 

Wishing you all on this Dhamma Day!