To Live Happily, Live Hidden

The phrase "pour vivre heureux vivons cachés" is a French proverb which translates to "to live happily, live hidden." 

This proverb suggests that happiness can be achieved by keeping a low profile and avoiding unnecessary attention or intrusion. It emphasizes the importance of privacy in leading a content and fulfilling life.

This reflects the idea that living a simple, private life away from the spotlight can contribute to personal happiness and well-being. 

By avoiding unnecessary attention and focusing on what truly matters, one can cultivate a deeper appreciation for life's experiences and relationships, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling existence.

Oversharing on social media is definitely out.

This French proverb shares similarities with other philosophical and spiritual traditions, such as Stoicism and Buddhism, which emphasize the importance of detachment from material possessions and external validation in the pursuit of inner peace and contentment.

By embracing these lessons, just like the fox and the grey man, one can create a life that prioritizes privacy, self-sufficiency, and solitude, ultimately maximizing happiness and personal growth.

What do you think? Do you like a life that is out there, or do you prefer the privacy and simplicity of life away from it all?

After Enlightenment, Then Laundry

In the world of buddhism, there's a saying that states, "after enlightenment, the laundry." 

It’s a reminder that the journey toward clarity and inner peace doesn’t end with a single moment. 

Instead of being an endpoint, it is just the beginning, continuing into everyday life and encompassing the quiet, repetitive tasks that anchor us all.

When we aim for a minimalist, nature-connected existence, it’s easy to think we’re aiming for perfection: a life free from mess, complication, and distraction.

But true simplicity isn’t about escaping life’s tasks; it’s about seeing them differently. 

After all, the laundry, the dishes, the sweeping - whatever chores fill our days -won't disappear simply because we’ve cultivated a peaceful mindset. What changes is the way we approach them.

When I wash clothes I don't see it as a mundane job to “get done” but as an opportunity, a ritual, a moment to practice mindfulness. 

I feel the texture of the fabric, the coolness of water, and the joy of going outside to hang clean clothes on the line while visiting with the blue jays and juncos in the trees around me. 

When it is done, I appreciate the simplicity of clean, folded piles of cloth. Every step in this process is an invitation for me to stay present, and finding meaning in the mundane.

First enlightenment, then laundry reminds us that peace doesn’t reside only in moments of meditation and stillness. 

True peace lives in carrying out each small daily task gently, grace. 

So, as we seek simplicity, let’s find enlightenment in each chore, embracing the little moments that connect us to ourselves and our world.

Then we see that perhaps the enlightenment has been there all along, waiting for us to let go and take notice.

The Liberated Lobster: A Tale of Compassion and Simple Living

As I reside in a quaint fishing village in Nova Scotia, Canada, I am often reminded of the beauty of simple living. 
On Dumping Day, the start of the lobster season, about 40 boats set sail from the town dock in search of these delectable creatures. While many revel in the taste of fresh lobster, a smaller group of individuals focuses on their release rather than capture.
Lobsters, fascinatingly, are biologically immortal – they can live indefinitely unless harvested for human consumption. 
As someone who once savored seafood, I must admit that crab was my preference. However, a remarkable local lobster story has stuck with me.
A compassionate couple purchased an 80- to 100-year-old lobster from a restaurant tank, where it was destined for display. Instead of consuming it, they chose to release the aged crustacean back into the ocean, potentially granting it another century of life.
While some might deem this act foolhardy, I see it as a poignant display of compassion for all living beings. In an era where empathy seems scarce, even towards fellow humans, this selfless act resonates deeply.
As I reflect on this tale, I'm reminded of the importance of cultivating compassion in our daily lives. 
Simple living isn't just about paring down possessions or simplifying routines; it's also about recognizing the intricate web of life and our place within it.
May we all strive to embrace compassion, just as the liberated lobster was given the gift of freedom. 
For in the end, isn't that what all living creatures desire – just to be free?

 

Beautiful World

''When I first open my eyes upon the morning meadows and look out upon the beautiful world, I thank God I am alive.''

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The view from my bedroom window is the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning, and it never fails to bring me joy.
In these uncertain times, I feel fortunate to be exactly where I am.
I am vital, I am alive, and despite the chaos in the world, my current surroundings fill me with gratitude for life.
Wishing you all health and happiness, dear, gentle, simple living readers.
Life is short, so let's make the most of it with what we have, where we are, in this moment.

"Be where you are, otherwise you will miss your life." - Buddha

Freedom From Owning Things

Most humans see owning stuff as a good thing. The more stuff, the better. 

But is that actually true?

"Other animals don’t anguish with such existential troubles," wrote Walt Whitman. 

"They are so placid and self-contain’d," he said. "They do not sweat and whine about their condition. They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins… Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things.” 

Viewed this way, material things are only a burden. The possessionless free animals have it better than we do.

I would like to be a raven for a day, to be completely liberated from the mania of owning things. And I don't own much.

But that 24 hours would be enlightening.

It takes time and practice, but eventually we can attain a more natural and beneficial state where we too are free from being demented with stuff.

As usual, living simply helps, and is a great start.

You still won't be able to fly.

But you will feel a lot lighter, and your spirit will soar.

 

Flowers Smile

Blue pines and green bamboos

Shade my window.

Flowers smile;

Warblers sing by my hermitage.

As I climb the stone steps,

I feel the strength of cedars;

At the pure cool mountaintop,

Buddha is bright and vivid.

- Deiryu 

 

"Deiryu (Kanshu Sojun) was a remarkable figure of the Japanese Taishō period (1912-1926) and Shōwa period (1926-1989).

In his painting and calligraphy, Deiryu displayed the humor, strength, and inner vision that made him one of the outstanding monk-artists of the twentieth century." 

Buddha's Last Words

The last words of Buddha were his final advise from which we could all benefit.

“Behold, O monks", he said, "this is my last advice to you." 

"All component things in the world are changeable. They are not lasting." 

"Work hard to gain your own salvation. Do your best.”

Consummation, skills, and heedfulness is required we are told.

Roughly, it is done through meditation,  and protecting oneself from "outside effluent", desires, and resulting suffering.

And how optimistic is it to be reminded  that all things that arise, will eventually fade away? 

The way we are today is not the way it will always be.

The Buddha tells us that our actions do make a difference, and that they can make a very positive difference.

We can improve, if we work diligently to be our best and become more skilled at this thing called life.

Working on that, we will assuredly bring peace, freedom, and happiness to all beings.

Transcending Consumerism (And Everything Else)

A fundamental Zen message says that an awakened state can be achieved. We can go beyond our perceived limitations. 

This awakening can be achieved by transcending all aspects of the material, transitory world. 

We will have to transcend consumerism first, if we are to transcend anything else.

Not just consumerism, although that would be a positive step toward that ultimate goal. 

Muso Soseki (1275 - 1351), a Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, calligraphist, poet and garden designer said,

I don’t go out to wander around

I stay at home here in Miura
While time flows on through
The unbounded world
In the awakened eye
Mountains and rivers completely
Disappear.
The eye of delusion looks out upon

Deep fog and clouds. 

What is consumerism if not a deep fog hanging over captured shoppers stuck in a dead end cycle? 

When individuals aspire to attain spiritual enlightenment, regardless of what method they follow to get there, they don't go to the mall.

The act of simplifying one's life helps to transcend consumerism, and stimulates the awakened eye.

When we see that we can overcome our programming as consumers, we are emboldened to overcome anything and everything.

First we gain ourselves, then we gain the world.

Hermits

When I was in school a teacher asked, 

"What would you like to be when you grow up?"

I said,

"A hermit."

The teacher responded,

"I don't think you understand the question".

To which I answered,

"I don't think you understand hermits".

I'm not a hermit. I think I could be. A sociable hermit, if such a thing exists.

I have lots of questions.

Can one be a hermit with someone else? Because I really like Linda. She's kind of a hermit, too. 

If two hermits come together, do they cease to be hermits? If so, what are they then?

Is "hermit community" an oxymoron? 

How would hermits unite and change the world?

Can one sort of be a hermit, or is that like sort of being pregnant?

Is there a hermit registry or association, or do you just wing it on your own?

Were Herman's Hermits really hermits, or was that just a marketing thing?

Are more people than ever becoming hermits due to the unliveability of modern society, and if so, how would we tell?

Perhaps some time spent in solitude in a cabin in the woods would help provide some answers to those and many other questions. 

I would be willing to give it a try.

“Progress isn't achieved by preachers or guardians of morality, but by madmen, hermits, heretics, dreamers, rebels and sceptics”  

― Stephen Fry

Reclusion

All my life I have yearned for true reclusion,

Days on end sought wonders beyond this world:

Here old peasants enter their fields at dawn,

And mountain monks return to their temples at night.

Clear sounds come from pine-shaded springs,

Mossy walls filled with ancient truths.

I will lodge on this mountain forever,

I and the world are done with each other.

Meng Hao-jan

In a world that equates a quality life with extreme busyness, the relentless pursuit of more money and stuff, and a full social calendar, it is odd to suggest anything else, like a quiet, simple and minimal life.

A life lived outside of the noisy and frenetic city. 

Where one works only enough to satisfy basic needs and intellectual curiosity, without the craving for more.

A life where one might not read the latest news, rarely travel far from home, never go out for entertainment, and instead spend a lot of time in nature.

It seems odd to suggest only staying in touch with a few friends and family members, instead of planning one's whole life around such things.

Not going to the gym, but taking one's exercise by going for long walks.

Eschewing restaurants and take out and eating simple foods grown and made by your own hands.

Seldom buying anything, and working at minimizing possessions instead of the more mainstream pursuit of maximizing them.

Disregarding most of popular culture, and not knowing the latest shows and movies.

Striving to be in bed by 8:30 every night, and up by 5:00 every morning.

To argue this in today's modern, technological maelstrom of mayhem may seem like insanity to a regular member of such a society.

But I have always yearned for more reclusion, and the more I get, the happier I am.

I am done with this modern age. I find it distasteful and unhealthy.

And I don't think that's crazy. 

Rather, a yearning for more solitude seems to me to be a rational reaction to a sick and ailing world.

Reclusion is the antidote. 

It's self-preservation.

There are wonders aplenty to be had here.

"I really am a recluse. I just enjoy watching the wind blow through the trees. In America someone who sits around and does that is at the bottom of the ladder, but in Japan, say, someone who goes up into the mountains is accorded great respect. I guess I am somewhere in between. I enjoy reclusion: it clears my mind."

— Robert M. Pirsig

Awakening

The iris pond has flowered

Before the old temple; 

I sell tea this evening

By the water’s edge. 

It is steeped in the cups

With the moon and stars; 

Drink and wake forever

From your worldly sleep.

- Baisao (1675-1763

The most important thing I have been striving toward in life is waking from the worldly sleep of mainstream life.  

Such a goal comes highly recommended by generations of teachers, sages and hermits. 

When we experience awakening, we are free of the illusions of the material world.

I wish to be free of things that would prevent this from happening, and simplicity is my vehicle for doing so. 

If humanity does not make this a collective goal, I fear we will find ourselves in a permanent slumber... as in extinct.

We are getting closer to this outcome with each and every day of our continued sleep walk through life. Time is short.

Awakening. 

Is there any other goal worth pursuing?

The Net Of Indra Joins All

Remember "We are all in this together?" What happened to that? 

Now it is "you are either with us, or you are a terrorist".

Thing is, we ARE all in this together, whether we like it or not, or whether we acknowledge it or not. 

This is The Net of Indra, which connects all of us and everything in a holographic Universe.

"There is a net of three dimensions, vast and wide stretching in all four directions throughout the universe. 

At each point that a string meets another point of the net there is a jewel, and this jewel reflects in it all the other jewels of the entire net, and further that reflection too is reflected in all the facets of all the other jewels.

No single part of the net can be independent of the rest; a single movement of the net in one place will affect, in some way, the most distant part of the net or universe.

 

The all is reflected in the one, the one in the all.

- The Avatamsaka Sutra

The destruction of social cohesion, and the fragmentation of life into smaller and smaller separate, more controllable units is unnatural and will not end well.

Humans have possessed this knowledge for thousands of years, and yet today few  live by it.

What we do to the Earth, we do to ourselves. 

What we do to the other, we do to ourselves. 

We will succeed together, or we will fail together. The choice is ours to make.

A Different (More Compassionate) Space

I made the mistake today, after a several day break, of going to our national broadcaster's web site. 

It made me sad.

I should know better. The reason I quit visiting there is because the news is never good, and the comments on the bad news are even worse.

I needed an antidote, and fast. 

Suburbs of Goa is an internet radio station I listen to when I need a calming influence.

Once there, I listened to "A Different Space" by Bob Holroyd. 

I invite you to take a listen above, and enjoy a space which is very different from anything any mainstream news has to offer.

"A Different Space" by Bob Holroyd

 

Buddha of compassion All Buddhas of the past, present and future Bodhisattvas, an ocean of measureless qualities Please hear my anguished words of truth Karma, in an ocean of joy Let the might of your compassion arise to bring a quick end, to the flowing stream of the blood and tears. They are drunk with demonic delusions What is right and what is wrong Our most cherished and long felt desire.

This beautiful song made me feel better about everything.

Rather than denounce worldly things entirely, or try to bang my head against the wall and think that I can change them, I will sit back, view the world dispassionately, and laugh joyfully along with it all.

We hope you are well.

Please know that we love you, regardless of who you are, how you think, or what your status is.

May we laugh and enjoy life together.

Thich Nhat Hanh Moves On

Today we read that our favourite living Zen Buddhist monk had moved on from this physical existence.

 

HANOI, Vietnam -- Thich Nhat Hanh, the revered Zen Buddhist monk who helped spread the practice of mindfulness in the West and socially engaged Buddhism in the East, has died. He was 95. 

  

What a human, and what a life. He taught us a great deal, and since his teachings survive, he will continue to teach us much, much more in the years to come.

This Zen Master is not dead if he continues to exist in me, in you, and in the Universe. 

And thankfully, he does. No birth, no death.

Rather than being sad, Linda and I celebrated this incredible man's passing with a meditation, and by shaving our heads in a sign of humility and respect.

Thank you Thich Nhat Hanh. We are better, happier, more compassionate people because of you. 

We learned from you that there is no way to happiness, because happiness is the way.

Because of you, we have made it our way.