Source: The News Journal

http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/business/2003/11/27buddhistlamacon.html

On November 27, 2003 The News Journal reported that Buddhist Lama Surya Das, a Buddhist meditation teacher and scholar who is the head of the Dzogchen Foundation in Boston, hired Opinion Research Corp. of Princeton, N.J., to conduct a telephone survey of holiday shopping intentions. According to the article, "the survey found that only 33 percent of shoppers plan to visit the malls Friday. Other results of the survey: • 33 percent of Americans got at least one gift last December that ended up in the trash. • 35 percent have a gift from last year sitting in their closet that they've been unable to use. • 8 percent of Americans will max out their credit cards by the end of the holiday season." The Lama urged readers to eat a peach, light a scented candle, or give a hand- made gift instead.