The Art of Simple Living: 100 Daily Practices from a Zen Buddhist Monk for a Lifetime of Calm and Joy

by Shunmyō Masuno

If the world is not going the way you want it to, perhaps it is better to change yourself.

Try not to be swayed by the values of others, not to be troubled by unnecessary concerns, but to live an infinitely simple life, stripped of wasteful things. That is “Zen style.”

Any given day, a mere ten minutes is all you need. Try making time for emptiness, for not thinking about anything.

In Japanese, the character for “busy” is written with the symbols for “lose” and “heart.”

In Zen Buddhism we have a saying that means “Look carefully at what is under your own feet.”

It has a literal meaning, but it also suggests that those who do not pay attention to their footsteps cannot know themselves, and cannot know where their life is going.

Discard your attachments. Let go of your assumptions. Reduce your possessions.

Living simply is also about discarding your physical and mental burdens.

Your desk is a mirror that reflects your inner mind.

In Zen temples, monks do cleaning every morning and every evening. We clean with all our heart, though not because the temple is dirty. The purpose is not only to make the temple sparkle, but also to polish our minds through the act of cleaning. With every sweep of the broom, you clear out the dust in your mind. With every swipe of the cloth, your heart gleams brighter.

Do not allow yourself to be disrupted by your anxieties or troubles—the key to keeping your mind invigorated is to first put the things around you in order.

Life requires time and effort. That is to say, when we eliminate time and effort, we eliminate life’s pleasures.

Consider trying to write or draw with care—not with the intention of showing it to others, but rather by mindfully facing your inner self.

When you speak loudly, as a matter of course, you are able to hear your own voice clearly. But moreover, it stimulates and activates your brain.

In Zen Buddhism we have a saying: “Eat and drink with your whole heart.” It means that when you drink a cup of tea, focus only on drinking the tea. When you eat a meal, focus only on eating that meal. As you enjoy a dish, think about the people who cooked it. Visualize the field where the vegetables were grown. Feel a sense of gratitude for the bounty of nature.

There is a direct link between mind and body. When you hone your mind, your renewed vitality naturally shows in your body as well.

Food typically does not serve merely the body. It also has a significant effect on the mind. Food is what creates both your body and your mind.

In the old days, all Japanese homes featured an alcove called a tokonoma. A hanging scroll would be placed in the tokonoma, and people could reflect on it whenever they were home. Whether it was a favorite painting or the calligraphy of a guiding principle, the tokonoma revealed the spirit and lifestyle of those who lived there.

“Within nothingness there is infinite potential.” It means that human beings are born possessing nothing. Yet within all of us lies infinite potential. For this reason, there is nothing to fear. There is nothing to worry about. This is truth.

Among the temples in Kyoto, the rock garden at Ryoanji and the grounds at Daisenji serve as exemplary models of Zen gardens. Both are what are called dry landscape gardens, because they evoke beautiful landscapes without employing ponds or streams or other water elements.

Acquiring lots of things isn’t freedom. What’s important is acquiring the mind-set of using things freely.

Simplicity is about stripping away what is not useful. Determine whether something is truly necessary, and if it is, then take good care of it.

In the Japanese word for “breathing,” kokyu, the character for “breathing out” comes before the character for “breathing in.” That is to say, the act of exhaling comes before the act of inhaling.

Focus your awareness on the point below your navel—your tanden—as you slowly exhale a long, thin breath. Once you have fully exhaled, inhalation naturally follows. Let your breathing relax, allowing this flow to take over.

The word Zen derives from the Sanskrit word dhyana, which means “quiet contemplation.”

Deep contemplation about absolute truth in the world or the meaning of life is not something that can be accomplished while in motion.

For zazen, first we assume the correct posture, next we focus on our breathing, and finally we steady our mind. Once we arrange all three of these things, then we begin to practice zazen. Try sitting zazen: Empty your mind and allow your thoughts to float up and then drift away.

What is gassho? The right hand represents anyone other than yourself. It might be the Buddha or God or perhaps someone around you. The left hand represents you. Gassho signifies bringing these two together to become one. It is a feeling of respect for those outside of yourself—an offering of humility.

By joining our hands together, we foster a sense of gratitude. It allows no room for conflict.

“Mountain dwelling” is the lifestyle idealized by Japanese people.

Reading while listening to the sounds of birds and the rush of water.

We monks say, “Beneath a tree, atop a rock.”

I hope to embody the Zen concept that the way we live should complement our understanding of life and that we should strive to achieve the things of which we are capable.

Simply work hard to do today what needs to be done. And fortune will surely come your way.

There is another you within yourself. This version of you is freer than the self you think you know, and rich with potential. It is your essential self.

There is no need to be troubled by things that have not yet happened. Think only about what is happening right now. Almost all anxieties are intangible. They are the invention of your own mind.

“Be the master wherever you go. Then, wherever you find yourself, things will be as they truly are.”

munen muso, that describes a state of being free from worldly desires and distracting thoughts. Another way to say it is just mushin, or “clear mind.” You empty your mind and do not let it settle anywhere or wander.

Try simply immersing yourself in what is before you. You may discover that doing so can be surprisingly powerful.

“A day without working is a day without eating.” In Zen practice, we believe in the importance of not thinking about work as labor, and for this reason we call it samu. When Buddhism first originated in India, monks did not engage in any form of productive activity—they lived solely on whatever alms they received. These offerings of food or money became known as samu. However, when Buddhism spread to China, the temples were all built deep in the mountains. The monks were unable to descend from the mountains in order to beg for their keep, and so they began cultivating their own fields and growing crops—which became a form of practice.

A Zen lifestyle is one that is constantly in contact with nature. We perceive the life that dwells within nature and experience ourselves as part of it. A sense of well-being and peace of mind springs from that awareness.

“Think of an amulet as an alter ego of the deity or of the Buddha himself. You’re looking after the deity for a year. You must protect the deity. And by cherishing the amulet, you are cherishing your own self.”

In Japanese, we talk about the concept of mitate—seeing a certain item not in its originally intended form but as another thing; seeing something as resembling something else and putting it to use in another way. The notion of mitate originates in the aesthetics of the tea ceremony, in which practitioners put everyday objects to use in elevated forms—for example, a gourd that was originally a water flask being used as a flower vase.

There is abundance not in the accumulation of things, but in knowing how to use things well.

The Zen monk Ikkyu, famous for his wit, often demonstrated how keen both his knowledge and his wisdom were through the brilliant ways he solved difficult problems.

In today’s world, when we’re constantly inundated with information, there is a tendency to neglect using our own brains to think. It can often seem we’re about to burst with knowledge. But how you live your life is your own decision. And this is all the more reason to have wisdom—to help you decide how to go about your life once you’ve acquainted yourself with the various ways there are to live. See as much as you can. Feel as much as you can. And make sure to think with your own head.

One way to strengthen the mind is through cleaning. When we clean, we use both our head and our body. While what we learn from expending mental effort may be important, what our body learns from physical labor has a greater effect on mental strength. The practice of Zen Buddhism involves learning through physical labor.

“Experience for yourself hot and cold.”

when we encounter a garden, some of us may reflect upon the garden itself. By doing so, we transcend hundreds of years and are able to enjoy a quiet dialogue with the people who created it. Within the relaxed flow of a contemplative state, we try to discover our own existence. It presents an opportunity to reexamine our everyday self.

By emptying our mind, we enable a state of nothingness. In the world of Zen, we call this mushiryo, or “beyond thinking.” It refers to a state in which we retain nothing within ourselves.