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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’.
In the course of your everyday shopping, before you acquire something new, give some thought to whether you really need it, and take another look at what you already have.
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. This is different from frugality. Frugality is about subsisting with things of low value. By ‘value’, I’m referring not only to its price; it also includes the depth of feeling towards such items.
Living simply means, for instance, that the mug you use every day for coffee is a mug that you really like – one that you take good care of and that you will use for a long time. Acquire only good things that will truly be needed. A lifestyle of simplicity is the fundamental practice that will hone the mind.
One time, Huike shared his troubles with Bodhidharma. ‘My mind is always filled with anxiety. Please help me to quieten it.’ Bodhidharma replied, ‘I will calm these anxieties for you. But first, will you bring them to me? If you can set them before me and say, “These are the anxieties that burden me,” I will be sure to calm them for you.’
You can start something as long as you have the energy. Finishing, too, is easy. The hard part is just to keep going. If you tell yourself, day in and day out, that something is wrong for you, then how will it ever be right for you?
