Originally written in English
Simplicity
March 15th, 2010
Simplicity is something that many of us want to achieve. In fact, I heard Anyen Rinpoche speaking about it with a student just this afternoon. Today, when I heard Rinpoche’s advice, I was reminded how simplicity often evades us. We may misunderstand it completely–and how to achieve it–while we trying to force the appearance of simplicity on life.
Here are some interesting words about simplicity that I found…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simplicity
Specifically, one of the things this passage says is that “simplicity denotes freedom from hardship, effort or confusion.” Ahhh…!
At times I have heard Rinpoche give advice to Westerners who are trying to achieve simplicity through (what I call) the normal American way–having a low-paying job and a life free of responsibility. It seems that by having less, we will naturally be attached to less. To the (samsaric) mind, this seems logical because we don’t have as many beautiful things to be attached to. But Rinpoche’s advice always goes something like this: do not be fooled that the appearance of simplicity on the outside (by having less expensive possessions or a smaller house) means that your mind is resting in simplicity (defined above as freedom from hardship, effort or confusion). Your state of mind is not dependent on how many possessions you have. You can be just as attached to a penny as to a gold coin.
Actually, each and every one of us is “controlled” by our material situation, so to speak. Although avoiding responsibility can seem like a good decision now, and in support of our spiritual life, when we have financial problems (especially as we grow older and become more fearful of not being able to work) the mind becomes filled with turmoil and has no freedom to think of anything else. Actually, we are just frittering away the “leisure” (the Buddhist word for freedom to practice) of our future.
If simplicity doesn’t depend on your home and your job, then what does create simplicity? Rinpoche says that simplicity is actually supported by two spiritual elements: mental satisfaction and proper motivation. When we cultivate a feeling of satisfaction with what we have, we do not feel as wrapped up in or exhausted by our responsibilities. We are more able to focus. The mind is more relaxed, we enthusiastically share what we have with others. We become happier people.
Proper motivation is (of course) bodhichitta, or at very least the wish that your actions can be of benefit to others. Naturally, when we focus on the task at hand with the wish to benefit others, the task becomes more fulfilling–it has the ability to affect us deeply because we know that we are working for the greater good. Again, we become happier people.
Safe to say–the mind, resting in natural simplicity–is authentic joy.
Another definition of simplicity is focusing on the things in the life that are the most important, and focusing less on those that are less important. As practitioners, this is something we can all take to heart. Most of us suffer from over-commitment, or spend time doing mundane things at the expense of our spiritual life. Priorities and commitment…these are probably things all humans struggle with.
When have you achieved simplicity? Or have you? We’d love to hear from you!
Allison
www.anyenrinpoche.com
Simplicity can be elusive! Simplicity does relate to gratitude, appreciating your life as it is along with identifying and focusing your energy on the things that are meaningful. For me that means a bit of planning ahead, looking to see what is on the schedule, and then prioritizing to meet the needs of my family and then myself. As do so many others, I have a tendency to over-commit, and to try to do too many things at once. Most of the time I can just push myself harder to get things done – but –the consequence is that I am stressed out and overwhelmed in the process. And like they say, when mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy, right?
Seriously, though, I am realizing the importance of my own state of mind in caring for husband and kids, parents, grandmother, friends, the ever widening circle of interaction with others. When I do too many things, I am consumed by these activities, and am not aware of choices I am making, almost kind of mindless, too busy to think!
I can become indecisive when I am doing too many things, which tends to compound the problem. It seems for me I associate simplicity with activity more than objects. I do consider less material possessions to be simpler, but in regards to how much time one spends interacting with things. If I tried to do all of the things I could put on the “list” it would be endless…kind of like samsara, non?
By slowing down, and letting things that really aren’t necessary go until later or eliminating them completely, I can maintain some level of awareness, watch my mind, remember Bodhichitta, and therefore have a calmer, more peaceful way of being. It’s good for everybody!
Things seem to need tending. If you have less things, there’s less tending. To own something is to have it own a piece of you. I can grok the theory of co-abiding with things in an open and free way, honoring the impermanence and emptiness of it, but in my own life, I see a house full of “stuff!” that constantly beckons me to wash it, fold it, put it on it’s shelf, get it out of the rain, repaint it, on and on. There is some useful amount of things in one’s life, the losing of which for the sake of some notion of simplicity can itself be an attachment, but after that, there’s undeniably much beauty and purpose in trimming down the business of life.
I am constantly dancing between letting housework spiral downhill in favor of more practice time, and then ignoring formal practice all day to get the house in order. I suppose I’d be in the same situation even if the day was 48 hours long. Much of it is simply the impermanent situation of having little ones who can’t pick up after themselves yet, along with this burning-hair feeling that I can never do enough practice.
I suppose it’s like the lute strings.
you have to be happy with what you have to be happy with what you have to be happy with what you have
Simplicity is surely at the root of all good things. How often have we heard sportsmen, for example, talking about “getting back to basics” after a long lean spell? Unfortunately, simplicity isn’t that simple: or, if it is, it involves a specific mode of thinking that isn’t so easy to enter into in our crowded and complex world. Sometimes you just can’t see the wood for the trees (I know, I know…I should go easy on the cliches!). I feel it’s important to fulfill all our real responsibilities–both to other people and to ourselves. After that, we should relax and ask ourselves what really matters in our lives: what we most wish to do with the time at our disposal before death comes calling. When considering some new action or procedure (which may well result in even further complication of our life) perhaps we ought to take the “triple filter test” and ask ourselves:
i) Is it good?
ii) Is it true?
iii) is it useful?
We take on far too much dross in our lives which is not finally helpful to either ourselves or others.
Wonderful reminder! I once had a mentor that told me if my drawers were clutter free, my mind would be also. At the time I did not understand her but today I do. Several years ago I went through my house and gave away all the things I had not used for some time (clothes, kitchen utensels, books, shoes) and I felt more settled. But I have one room in my house that is disorganized and cluttered, my office. It is on my mind all the time and crowds in when I am trying to be quiet. Simplicity for me comes from being organized and prioritizing. As I get older I have found I have to make a list and each morning I determine what gets done that day. Today I don’t have to do it all! Since meditation and practice have become a priority in my life, my life is more settled and I am more content with what I have and what I get done.
What I am thinking is that it is different to say that a lack of clutter or possessions as being a supportive condition to simplicity…what Rinpoche said (and I tried to convey) is that this does not “create” or is not the “cause of” simplicity.
Simplicity is as simple as living in the NOW. How many things can you focus on (not just think) at the same time? Probably one, life is no more complicated that that ‘one’ thing.
I tend to think of simplicity as naturalness. Nature is eminently diverse, and yet each thing arises and functions seamlessly in its time, never crowded or hurried, always in step with every other thing simultaneously. Nature is not an over-achiever, and yet each year it manages to get everything done. Meanwhile, as of yesterday I have two (more) tubs of things to donate to the needy.
I may not know much about simplicity.
But I do know a thing or two about what it takes to make life incredibly complicated.
Oh, my yes.
And I got trapped in that complexity by completely succumbing to my neuroses, mindlessly. Miserable to the core. Constant state of overwhelm, trying to control life.
Ah, with at least a little mindfulness, I can make wiser decisions.
There is a Zen saying that I use all the time…
“The most important thing is to figure out what is the most important thing.”
By applying this simple rule: What (who) is the most important thing? I can expend my energies in that direction and forgive myself for the things that have to slide, since I made a mindful decision about the priority.
I’m pretty sure there is no simplicity without mindfulness, at least in Western life. Mindfulness about what I take on, about what to say no to.
Bodhicitta is often the tool I use to help determine the most important thing; a tool formerly completely unavailable to me. Even a little bit of aspiration goes a long way.
Not so long ago, I wandered in myriad levels of misery and delusion.
Now that I am attempting to walk/crawl/skip/jump this path that leads only to the groundlessness beneath my feet, and there is sometimes even contentment. Sometimes there is fear, but fear is an old friend, showing me where I am stuck.
Nothing has changed–same job, same house, same car, same spouse.
But yet everything has changed.
Emaho!
I like this woman! ↑
I was just about to say, I’ve given up on simplicity for now. As something to be striven for it may be a waste of time. But to face each piece of moment as it comes, even if that piece presents itself as a flurry, and hold your seat…. Maybe that is all the simplicity I need for now. I’m reminded of a painting [...]
Just spent more than five minutes googling for it. Thought it was Hokusai.
I have a great print of it in my head, just can’t share it with you! It’s of a man standing on the tip of his boat which is leaning forward under his weight at an impossible angle, as he reaches just almost too far to grab another bit of seaweed for his daily catch, the while fully aware of the looming shadow of a monster wave on the verge of crashing over him, his boat, his seaweed – the works. He’ll deal with that when it gets here.
Someone find it for me please. It’s my new totem.
Everyone likes that woman…
Deal with it when it gets here…I think that is a terrific description of simplicity, actually.
My struggle lately has been with figuring out how much I need to strive on the Dharma path and how much I should relax. Of course if I identify a struggle that’s a warning sign to begin with. One extreme would be toward having guilt, hope, and fear about how much Dharma “work” I am doing, and the other extreme would be staying in bed or watching TV all day.
I appreciate the teaching about prioritizing, and remembering bodhicitta. So I can find the simplicity in between the extremes.
Sometimes I think I’ve gotten all the teachings I need to attain enlightenment, if I could only remember them all.
The struggle I described is a good example of the opposite of simplicity, I think. This is where my lama has been so helpful to me, just dissipating that kind of conceptual elaboration so skillfully.
I have to comment that I currently have a low paying job, but I feel I have a lot of responsibility, so low paying job certainly does not always mean lack of responsibility or freedom from stress. And many people in America don’t have low paying jobs by choice. In fact, often it seems the opposite is true, the higher your income level, the less stress you would have.
Rinpoche says, “Nice comment, Cloe.” That was exactly what he was trying to imply through his advice.
It seems its an interesting line to walk, “cultivating contentment with the things we have” and working towards improving our situation so that we can be of more benefit to others. Because, I think a certain level of dissatisfaction can be good in that it can motivate change.
Also, in terms of simplicity, I have to put in a plug for haiku! I love that they can be simple but powerful at the same time. So, I often feel more focused after I read them.