shopping greed and shopping therapy

With the Gurprasad (god's Grace) of Satnaam Roop Sant Satguru ji (God in the form of Guru),

Dandauth bandhana ji (Prostration Greetings),

 

at this time of year we are thnakfully coming to the end of several months of constant SALE! SALE! SALE! adverts.

We get excited to get up early and go to the early morning sales, to beat the rush, to get some bargains.

But in reality, we are just being driven by desire for things we dont need.  Dassan Das ji called it Shopping Greed in one of his articles.

The desire to get a bargain gives us instant gratification when we purchase something for less than 50% of the original price.

But that happiness is short lived.  That is what desires for anything do.  They make us feel good for a while after they are fulfilled. 

But, they cause us grief and frustration when they are not. 

 

People nowadays also talk about "Shopping Therapy".  Meaning when they feel down or depressed they make themselves feel better by going shopping.

But, as we all know, it is only temporary happiness. 

 

Also at this time of year alot of people get themselves into financial trouble.   Shopping Greed and Shopping Therapy leads to overspending on our credit cards. 

The short term happiness in buying goods and giving some of them as Christmas presents soon fades away when the credit card bills come in.

This leads to more mental stress and worries.  Overspending on Christmas presents fulfills the desire of ours to being seen as being GENEROUS, even though we know we cant afford it.

 

How do we get out of Shopping Greed and Shopping Therapy?

 

First of all let us accept that the root cause of our greed and overspending is DESIRE.

 

Let us replace fulfilling desires with fulfilling needs.

 

Let us notice what happens to our mind when it sees SALE! signs.  And rather than getting excited and rushing in, let us breathe in, put our hands together and pray to Satguru ji. "Dear Satguru ji, I have given everything to you and You have already given me the greatest gifts of naam, seva (service) and bandagi(devotion).  I dont desire anything else.  May all these worldly desires leave my mind.  Please just give me what I need when I need it."

 

Then recite "Sat Naam Sat Naam Sat Naam" inside and wash away the desires.  But, the feelings for Shopping Greed dont go so easily.  So keep doing this everytime those thoughts come in.  And no matter how strong those desires dont act on them.

 

We all do need things now and again, so the best way to avoid getting sucked in by Shopping Greed, is to write down what we need.  Make a shopping list eg I need a pair of trousers.  Then with Gurprasad and Satnaam on your mind, just go and buy that, without buying or looking at anything else.

 

Also another emotion sets in once we have purchased our items.  That is ATTACHMENT and PRIDE.  We take out the new clothes that we got in the SALES, we put them on and feel real proud.  We dread spilling or tearing those clothes.  Our behaviour changes on wearing those clothes.  Our mind and feelings are being controlled by these worldly items.

 

Gurbani teaches us to remember the One who has given us food to eat and clothes to wear.  That is the cure for freeing our mind of ATTCHMENT and PRIDE of our purchases.

 

Dassan Das ji taught us to sit in meditation and to wipe away EGO before even starting to do naam simran.  With Dassan Das ji's kindness we have been doing this for a number of years now with great success.  Please try it yourself.

 

So sit in the morning.  close your eyes, pray to Satguru ji, please wipe away my ego please free me from my attachments.

 

Then imagine you are sitting in a fire.  And the fire is burning every part of your body.  That infact you are cutting your body joint by joint and throwing it in the fire.

That burns the mental attachment to our own body.  Then throw all the mental images of the special purchases that are affecting our mind and beahviour.  Throw in all those SALE purchases. See them all burn.  Feel your mind becoming free.  Then burn everything else we are attached to as well.  Attachments to our prized possessions, attachments to our house, our car, our family, our computer, our bank account ..anything and everything - throw it all into the fire.

 

Whilst doing this we recite the words of Dhan dhan Gutu Ram Das Ji:

 

than man kaatt kaatt sabh arapee vich aganee aap jalaaee ||4||
Cutting my mind and body apart into pieces I offer them all to You; I burn myself in the fire. ||4||

SGGS 757 

 

 

May SatGuru Ji bless us all to free our minds from Shopping Greed, Shopping Therapy , Attachment and Pride of prized possessions.

 

Dust of your feet

Harjit