It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the environmental problems we face. Climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and other issues are enormous challenges. Yet each of us has the power to take action. Every choice we make in our daily lives can contribute to positive change, and one such choice, hard as it may be to believe, is to have few desires.
The practice of having few desires
Buddhism has always understood that small individual actions can have a profound impact on humanity as a whole. Therefore, our Buddhist practice can make a significant contribution to building a more sustainable future for everyone. We find an example of this in one of the Buddha’s final teachings before his death: a teaching he gave his disciples so they could continue forever on the Buddha way—the eight awakenings of great beings.
The first awakening of great beings
The first awakening of great beings is to have few desires. This means not letting ourselves be swept away by the objects of the senses. The Buddha said: “Understand that people who have many desires eagerly seek power and fame, and for this reason they suffer greatly. Those who have few desires do not seek power or fame, and are free from this suffering.”
Having few desires is rewarding in itself, but it also brings further benefits. Those who have few desires do not need to ask others for favors, and they are not indebted to them. They are not held captive by the senses; they maintain a serene mind and have no worries because they are content with what they have and feel that nothing is lacking. Those who have few desires readily experience nirvana.
The first awakening is to have few desires
The Buddha speaks of having few desires; he does not say that we should eliminate all desires. Some desires have a biological basis that sustains life: we want to drink water when we are thirsty, to eat when we are hungry, and to sleep when we are tired. There is also the desire for recognition from others, the desire to be heard and given attention when we speak. We desire the affection of others. Many desires are part of life, and we cannot eliminate them.
But we can see that, as the Buddha said, the less one desires, the happier one is. It is a mistake to think that happiness means getting what we desire. Everything is impermanent. Nothing can be possessed, and there is no one who can possess it. By contrast, when we are not caught up in wanting, we can be happy with what we have, just as we are, without adding anything. This is what it means to have few desires.
The less one desires, the happier one is
In a humorous little story that circulates on social media, a Zen monk opens a birthday present. He discovers that the box is empty and exclaims, “Nothing! What I’ve been wishing for all my life!” It is a scene that can make us smile while also expressing a profound truth. If we desire nothing, that nothing will always be wonderful, because the dissatisfaction of opening the box and finding that what is inside is not what we expected, or not what we wanted, will have disappeared.
Zazen is having few desires
Sitting in zazen, we observe desires as they arise. We can notice the feeling that accompanies a desire: is it perhaps a feeling of calm? Or is it a feeling of unease and restlessness? Often, when a desire arises and we see that we cannot fulfil it, anxiety appears—the unease that desire stirs throughout our body and mind. Having few desires means not falling once again into the fantasy of imagining ourselves fulfilling a desire somewhere else, at some other time.
There is no point in trying to deceive ourselves. It is far better to be aware of the true nature of desire, which we can feel in the present moment. And when desire disappears, even for an instant, let us notice what feeling remains. Is this peace not much better?
Lluís Nansen
Excerpts from the book by Lluís Nansen Salas,“Mindfulness Zen, la consciencia de l’ara”, 2018, Barcelona, Viena edicions”