The Path of ‘No’ Resistance to Temptation: Lessons Learned from Active Buddhist Consumers in Thailand

Active Buddhist practitioners in urban settings have transformed their consumption behaviors through a seven-stage process grounded in Buddhist principles, moving away from consumerist culture. Based on in-depth interviews with fifteen active Buddhist practitioners, the study develops a Buddhist-based behavioral change model that draws on the transtheoretical model and the stepwise model of behavior change. The model shows how these individuals overcame temptation without resistance and altered their lifestyle and consumption patterns. The research also identifies transformative mechanisms and consumer strategies that offer lessons for managing mindful consumption.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Mindfulness practice and mindful consumption have increasingly attracted the interests of academics and the general public worldwide. Despite the fact that mindfulness meditation has its roots in Buddhism, little empirical research has studied mindfulness and mindful consumption from the Buddhist principles and from the perspective of active Buddhists who regularly dedicate themselves to Buddhist practice with the goal of achieving liberation from suffering. This study builds on and extends previous research that established a research agenda regarding how mindfulness could transform consumer behavior and lead to higher levels of well-being. The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of the ways in which active Buddhist consumers living in the city have disengaged from the consumerist culture and altered their lifestyle and consumption behaviors. To grasp the subtle complexity of the experience, fifteen active Buddhist practitioners were interviewed in depth. As a result of this, a Buddhist-based behavioral change model with seven stages is developed. Drawing on behavioral change models, such as the transtheoretical model (TTM) and the stepwise model of behavior change (SMBC), this model aims to demonstrate how active Buddhist consumers have transformed their consumption behavior patterns and overcome temptation without resistance. The transformative mechanism and consumer strategies were also extracted to provide lessons learned and management implications.