Shunmyo Masuno

not to be swayed by the values of others, not to be troubled by unnecessary concerns, but to live an infinitely simple life, stripped of wasteful things. That is ‘Zen style’.

In Japanese, the character for ‘busy’ is written with the symbols for ‘lose’ and ‘heart’.

Just Subtle Shifts in Your Habits and Perspective
That’s all you need to live simply

Life requires time and effort. That is to say, when we eliminate time and effort, we eliminate life’s pleasures.

All our food passes through the hands of a hundred people before it reaches us. By adopting this mindset as you take your meals, perhaps you will become aware of how fortunate you are.

Whenever you feel a rush of negative emotions, such as anger or anxiety, that is the perfect moment to focus on breathing from your abdomen.

When you get into bed, let go of whatever happened to you since waking up that morning, and be thankful for having made it through another day.

There’s no point in envying someone else who has been blessed with a little luck. Nor does it do any good to lament your lack of opportunities. Simply work hard to do today what needs to be done. And fortune will surely come your way.

We have a tendency to compare ourselves to others. We envy the light workload of our neighbour. We see someone who is talented and get depressed. But, ultimately, there is pleasure to be found in the repetition of work that suits you.

being alive means we must make the most of the life we are entrusted with. Life is not ours to possess – it is a precious gift that we must treat as if it were placed in our care. And whatever lifespan we are given, we must take the utmost care to give it back.