The lessons I learned about material wellbeing at the intentional Buddhist community, Srisa Asoke, are pretty straightforward. Cut back on consumption to just what you need and ensure that your resources last as long as possible by reusing, repairing, and re/upcycling. This approach is not a likely path to early retirement, but it will help
Tagmaterial wellbeing
Poverty vs. Plenty: How to Help All Consume Enough
Although to this point we have been primarily concerned with reducing consumption for those of us who currently consume far more than we need, it’s vital to remember that there are vastly more people in the world who occupy the other end of the spectrum. I’m talking about people living in poverty. Underlying all this
12 Tested Tips to Build Your Self-Sufficiency
It’s not always easy to figure out our consumption sweet spot. On the one hand, we have the subjectivity of sufficiency. As Asoke Buddhists reasonably observed, individuals must determine for themselves what is enough. On the other hand, we have the objectivity of ecological constraints. There are real, concrete limits to what we can consume
7 Consumption Movements Lead the Way to Wellbeing
The Santi Asoke Buddhist Reform Movement of Thailand, the group I studied, were serious about reducing their consumption. They only had two suits of clothing (and no shoes), furnished their houses sparsely, had no cars, ate communally, and otherwise gave everything they owned to the collective. This is austere, to be sure, but there are
Understanding Sufficiency: 7 Ways to be Happy with Less
We’ve come to the T in the INTENT 365 project, which stands for Thrifty. Being thrifty, or not wasting money and resources, is a long-held American virtue that fosters material wellbeing. Material wellbeing starts with the ability to meet basic needs for food, water, shelter, and clothing, plus essential services like health and education. If you’re reading