How Much is Enough?: Buddhism, Consumerism, and the Human Environment [Paperback]

Richard Payne (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2010

The massive outpouring of consumer products available to most people living in the West today might alone lead one to ask "How much is enough?" But at the same time, if we allow ourselves to see the social, political, economic, and environmental consequences of the system that produces such a mass of "goods," then the question is not simply a matter of one’s own personal choice, but points to the profound interconnectedness of our day-to-day decisions. The ease with which we can acquire massive quantities of food, clothing, and various electronic goods directly connects each of us with not only environmental degradation and with sweatshops and child labor in India or Africa, but also with the ongoing financial volatility of Western capitalist economies, and the increasing discrepancies of wealth in all countries. How Much is Enough? confronts these issues with brilliant critiques.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Wisdom Publications (March 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 086171685X
• ISBN-13: 978-0861716852
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #569,854 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good intentions but poorly written, May 29, 2011

By 

Tom Carr "Tom Carr" (Atlanta, Ga. USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How Much is Enough?: Buddhism, Consumerism, and the Human Environment (Paperback)

The basic idea of the book is great, but the writing is not. It is a selection of essays and almost all of them are from people in academia. It is sad but true that most academic writing is not very good.

We read this book in our Zen book discussion group and talked as much about the style as the content. We discovered an interesting article on line that explains the problem with academic writing. Do a google and read this:

Dancing with professors: the trouble with academic prose. P. N. Limerick. NY Times Book Review

If you can deal with the tortured prose of academia there are some interesting ideas. There are several essays about the environmental work of Zen temples in Japan. There are interesting questions raised about the nature of environmentalism as we normally think of it, and what really matters for human happiness.