The art of simple living



The book by Shunmyo Masuno is all about zen style simple living. A different perspective of day to day activities to bring peace, joy and happiness into our lives. My key takeaways from the book:
ü  Make time for emptiness 
ü  Wake up 15 minutes earlier
ü  Savor the morning air
ü  Line up your shoes when you take them off
ü  Discard what you don’t need
ü  Organize your desktop
ü  Make a delicious cup of coffee
ü  Put pen to paper with care
ü  Try using a loud voice
ü  Do not neglect your meals
ü  When eating, pause after every bite
ü  Discover the benefits of a vegetable centric diet
ü  Seek out your favourite words
ü  Pare down your belongings
ü  Arrange your room simply
ü  Try going barefoot
ü  Exhale deeply
ü  Sit zazen
ü  Try a standing practice
ü  Don’t waste time worrying about things you cannot control
ü  Become adept at switching modes
ü  Breathe slowly
ü  Join your hands together
ü  Make time to be alone
ü  Get in touch with nature
ü  Create a small garden on your balcony
ü  Seek out the sunset
ü  Don’t put off what you can do today
ü  Don’t think of unpleasant things right before bed
ü  Try your best to do what you can now
ü  Discover another you
ü  Don’t be troubled by things that have not yet happened
ü  Take pleasure in your work
ü  Simply immerse yourself
ü  Do not feel put out by the tasks before you
ü  Don’t blame others
ü  Don’t compare yourself to others
ü  Seek not what you lack
ü  Every so often, try to stop thinking
ü  Make distinctions
ü  Try attending a zazen sitting
ü  Plant a single flower
ü  Make a proper start
ü  Cherish your own self
ü  Think simple
ü  Do not fear change
ü  Notice changes
ü  Feel instead of think
ü  Don’t let things go to waste
ü  Don’t be bound by a single perspective
ü  Think with your own head
ü  Believe in yourself
ü  Instead of worrying, get moving
ü  Maintain a supple mind
ü  Get active
ü  Wait for the right opportunity
ü  Appreciate your connection with things
ü  Try just sitting quietly in nature
ü  Try clearing your head
ü  Enjoy a zen garden
ü  Serve people
ü  Cast away the ‘three poisons’
ü  Cultivate your sense of gratitude
ü  Demonstrate, rather than assert, how you feel
ü  Express your mind, but not in words
ü  Focus on others’ merits
ü  Deepen your connection with someone
ü  Fine-tune your timing
ü  Give up the need to be liked by everyone
ü  Don’t fixate on right and wrong
ü  See things for what they are
ü  Skillfully detach
ü  Do not think in terms of loss and gain
ü  Do not get caught up with mere words
ü  Do not be swayed by the opinion of others
ü  Have faith
ü  Have a conversation with a garden
ü  Make someone happy
ü  Find occasions to get together with family
ü  Appreciate all the people who came before you
ü  Be here now
ü  Be grateful for every day, even the most ordinary
ü  Recognize that you are protected
ü  Be positive
ü  Do not covet
ü  Do not divide things into good or bad
ü  Accept reality for what it is
ü  There is not just one answer
ü  There is not just one way, either
ü  Don’t be a show-off
ü  Free yourself from money
ü  Believe in yourself, especially when you feel anxious
ü  Notice the changes of the season
ü  Try taking care of something
ü  Listen for the voice of your true self
ü  Cherish being alive, every single day
ü  Put your everything into the here and now.
ü  Make every preparation
ü  Contemplate how to die
ü  Make the most of life





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