I think this one could go for about five hours, right? Think about it, think about it for yourself, materialism, what does it mean? Would anyone like my vest? There would be some people on the planet who would like it and some who wouldn't like it. People who would like it, might want it. What has happened? They saw something material with their eyes, their mind started thinking about greed, hmm, there you go. The other day walking on the road a car comes and it is a fancy sports car, convertible - really fancy, a very nice, fancy one. When I was a young man and Rosemary and I dated, we dated in an MGA, a 1958 MGA with a top that came down and windows you put in and took out. An old, beat up car. And here I see this fancy one and the eyes go, hmm, nice - I don't want one now, but I think when I was 19 dating Rosemary I would have loved that one. There you go. Materialism, eye contact with the car, and the mind starts thinking, greed, I want, etc.
With food it happens all the time, right. Go to the meal. All you are doing is that you are seeing some material objects, sometimes hmm, sometimes ugh. It is classic, you like, you dislike. Materialism. So in a sense when we are talking about materialism, if it has anything to do with material elements the minute that you go into liking, disliking, the minute you go off into your mental fears and worries, there you go, that has affected your mind. Materialism has affected your mind and you go into different states.
This is why it is so very important to use the actual mental noting of seeing, seeing, hearing, hearing, smelling, smelling, tasting, tasting, being able to take your food and just eat knowing it is just to keep your body alive and healthy, so the materialism does not affect your mind. If you can think wisely with every contact that you have every time you see something beautiful you like, if you can just note, "hmm, nice colour, beautiful", whatever. And if the mind starts to crave it, "I want, I want, desire, desire" then we let go. So the mental noting has a powerful effect to help us stop materialism affecting our mind.