Simplicity

One basic method of my daily practice is simplification in all things. A lawyer whom I was consulting on a real estate matter once chuckled and said to me, "Paul, I'm going to give you a kiss." Shocked by what seemed an inappropriate suggestion, I instinctively backed a bit from him. "He laughed and said, I meant a K.I.S.S., which I learned years ago in the Navy: Keep It Simple, Stupid!" In that moment, I knew why he seemed so familiar to me. He was very much like some of my mentors when I was involved with Japanese Buddhism.

Simplicity works from inside out and also from outside in. As some Japanese Buddhists say, "Man and environment are one." By simplifying my environment, which includes my home, my workplace and my daily habits, I managed to simplify and clarify my thought, my internal process. As my internal process became simpler, less cluttered with obsessions, compulsions and anxieties, my outer life became cleared of many obstacles to my peace and joy. Decisions became easier. Ethical decisions became less complicated. I could more readily see those who live in truth and those who do not.

We live in a society of adding things. New gadgets. New technologies. All geared to sell us things to do the same things over and over again with different software and hardware. The income from these so-called advances build massive fortunes for wily capitalists, who have managed to convince millions, perhaps billions, that they have made the whole world's life easier and happier. Is your life easier and happier?

Yesterday I tried to buy small blank notepads for my task lists and shopping lists. Having struck out at a major stationery chain, I then had to go the three stores before I found them. In this case, all this technology had not made my life easier, since some corporate buyer decided I needed to buy a smart phone with an expensive monthly contract to do my shopping or plan my day.

Simplicity entails doing things as needs arise or on a set schedule that makes sense. In the home, it means being thoughtful about space and cleanliness. Putting things away after using them, for example. In diet, it means choosing wholesome food which will promote health and energy. In exercise, it means doing a sustainable daily routine throughout each and every day. Resistance to doing these things is what complicates them. Committing to them and practicing them simplifies the process. Closing your ears to those who would complicate your life by selling you more things also helps a great deal. For example, I do not watch any television or listen to any radio with inserted commercial advertisements for products. As a former cigarette smoker, I know how powerful the subliminal messages of these ads can be to subvert your own healthy self-interest.

Having what you truly need is happiness. Wanting what you don't need is misery. Finding your personal truth is essential to make the choices simple. Your personal truth often lies behind illusions and misconceptions about who you are or who you think you should be. By being one person, your true person, in the moment, honest and vulnerable, life becomes quite simple with accompanying peace and joy over time.