I'm a lover of books, always have been and always will be - I love the smell of books, especially new ones - so it was only natural that on my quest for living a slow and simple life, I looked for guidance in book form.
I came across the book, 'Zen: The Art of Simple Living' while I was at work one day - the company I was working for at the time were stocking it online, so I got to write the copy for it, and I loved what it was about. It's written by Shunmyō Masuno, a Japanese monk and award-winning Zen garden designer, and is filled with 100 bite-sized activities for you to incorporate in your day to day that will help you live simply in the most simplest way.
So I ordered a copy and as soon as it came through the post, delved right in.
The whole book makes you feel at peace, through the soft, painterly images that accompany the words to the carefully constructed tips to help you on your journey. It's broken into four parts;
'Part One: 30 Ways to Energise Your 'Present Self' - Try Making A Subtle Shift In Your Habits'
'Part Two: 30 Ways to Inspire Confidence and Courage for Living - Try Changing Your Perspective'
'Part Three: 20 Ways to Alleviate Confusion and Worry - Try Changing How You Interact With Others'
'Part Four: 20 Ways To Make Any Day the Best Day - Try Shifting Your Attention to the Present Moment'
Below is a sneak peek of what to expect in the book, and just four of my favourite tips which I've implemented and found have made a huge difference:
1) MAKE TIME FOR EMPTINESS
First, observe yourself
Be with yourself as you are, but without haste, without impatience
In our everyday lives, do any of us have time to think about nothing?
I imagine most people would say, 'I don't have a moment to spare for that.'
We're pressed for time, pressured by work and everything else in our lives. Modern life is busier than ever. All day, every day, we try our best just to do what has to get done.
If we immerse ourselves in this kind of routine, unconsciously but inevitably, we lose sight of our true selves and of true happiness.
Any given day, a mere ten minutes is all you need. Try making time for emptiness, for not thinking about anything.
Just try clearing your mind, and not being caught up in the things around you.
Various thoughts will float up in your mind, but try to send them away, one by one. When you do so, you will begin to notice the present moment, the subtle shifts in nature that are keeping you alive. When you are not distracted by other things, your pure and honest self can be revealed.
Making time for not thinking about anything - that is the first step towards creating a simple life.
2) DO NOT BE SWAYED BY THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS
The secret to breaking free from confusion
Decisiveness is about having the ability to trust in yourself
The arrangement of rocks plays a a central role in Zen gardens. Rocks can be configured in endless ways, to represent microcosms, symbolisations and abstractions. In my work as a garden designer and practicing Zen monk, you might say that my designs correspond to the state of my mind. This is why there is such a positive tension among the elements in Zen gardens. The actual work I do is not something I can manage on my own. Large rocks and trees must be transported. Various tools are necessary, and the work itself requires a team.
Before completing a Zen garden, I need to borrow the hands of many.
In my experience, however, if I focus too much on what the team sees, then it can be difficult to complete the garden as an expression of my own thoughts.
Although it may seem counter-intuitive, when it comes to coordinating what direction the rocks will face, the fewer people involved, the easier it is to synchronise.
And when it's time to make the final adjustments, it's best to do it alone.
Decisiveness is about having the ability to trust in yourself.
3) TRY JUST SITTING QUIETLY IN NATURE
Make time to look closely at yourself
The reason why, when you encounter a garden, you have an unconscious desire to sit down
The temples of Kyoto and Nara attract many visitors. Their gardens have existed for hundred of years. When we see these gardens, we automatically find ourselves sitting down. Although we can view them while standing or walking, for some reason we find that we want to sit. Sitting encourages contemplation.
What we think about will differ from person to person, but when we encounter a garden, some of us may reflect upon the garden itself. By doing so, we transcend hundred 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 re-examine our everyday self.
It is very important to make time for this kind of experience. You need not go all the way to Kyoto or Nara - a garden, temple or Church in your neighbourhood will do just as well.
Try sitting and having a dialogue with nature.
4) APPRECIATE ALL THE PEOPLE WHO CAME BEFORE YOU
Realising the miracle of 'being here now'
If you were to take away just one of your ancestors, you wouldn't exist
Japanese people used to have large families. There was the grandfather and grandmother, then the parents, then the children. Three or four generations, all living together under one roof - and this facilitated the passing down of family history.
The eighty-year-old grandfather might tell his five-year-old grandchild about his own grandfather. The grandchild could hear stories from two hundred years earlier. They would know what kind of people their ancestors were. This makes history truly come alive.
It is thanks to the existence of your ancestors that you are here today. If you go back ten generations, you might find more than a thousand ancestors. Imagine how many more there would be if you were to go back twenty generations, or even thirty - it could be more than a million people. And if you were to take away just a single one of these ancestors, you would not have been here.
When you think about it this way, you cannot help but feel a sense of gratitude to your ancestors. It genuinely seems like a miracle that you are here. When we become aware of this miracle, we come to understand the preciousness of life.
☾
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