The Art of Simple Living: 100 Daily Practices from a Zen Buddhist Monk for a Lifetime of Calm and Joy - Hardcover

Masuno, Shunmyo

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0143134043 ISBN 13: 9780143134046

Publisher: Penguin Life, 2019

Synopsis

"Does for mental clutter what Marie Kondo has done for household clutter." —Publishers Weekly

Relax and find happiness amid the swirl of the modern world with this internationally bestselling guide to simplifying your life by the renowned Zen Buddhist author of Don’t Worry and How to Let Things Go.

In clear, practical, easily adopted lessons—one a day for 100 days—renowned Buddhist monk Shunmyo Masuno draws on centuries of wisdom to teach you to Zen your life. Discover how . . .

• Lesson #4: lining up your shoes after you take them off can bring order to your mind;

• Lesson #11: putting down your fork after every bite can help you feel more grateful for what you have;

• Lesson #18: immersing yourself in zazen can sweep the clutter from your mind;

• Lesson #23: joining your hands together in gassho can soothe irritation and conflict;

• Lesson #27: going outside to watch the sunset can make every day feel celebratory;

• Lesson #42: planting a flower and watching it grow can teach you to embrace change;

• Lesson #67: understanding the concept of ichi-go ichi-e can make everyday interactions more meaningful;

• Lesson #85: practicing chisoku can help you feel more fulfilled.

A minimalist line drawing appears opposite each lesson on an otherwise blank page, giving you an opportunity to relax with a deep breath between lessons. With each daily practice, you will learn to find happiness not by seeking out extraordinary experiences but by making small changes to your life, opening yourself up to a renewed sense of peace and inner calm.

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About this title

About the Author

Shunmyo Masuno, the head priest of a 450-year-old Zen Buddhist temple in Japan, is the author of the international bestseller Don’t Worry as well as an award-winning Zen garden designer for clients all over the world and a professor of environmental design at one of Japan’s leading art schools. He has lectured widely, including at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cornell University, and Brown University.

Allison Markin Powell (translator) won the PEN Translation Prize for her translation of Hiromi Kawakami’s The Ten Loves of Nishino and is also the translator of Kawakami’s Strange Weather in Tokyo and The Nakano Thrift Shop as well as Shunmyo Masuno’s Don’t Worry and works by Osamu Dazai, Fuminori Nakamura, and Kanako Nishi, among others. She was the guest editor of the first Japan issue of Words Without Borders and maintains the online database Japanese Literature in English. She lives in New York.

Harriet Lee-Merrion (illustrator) is an award-winning illustrator whose work has been published worldwide in such publications as The New York Times, Marie Claire, and The Guardian and exhibited in New York, London, and Berlin.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

1
MAKE TIME FOR EMPTINESS.
First, observe yourself.

Be with yourself as you are,
but without haste, without impatience.

In our everyday lives, do any of us have time to think about nothing?

I imagine most people would say, “I don’t have a moment to spare for that.”

We’re pressed for time, pressured by work and everything else in our lives. Modern life is busier than ever. All day, every day, we try our best just to do what has to get done.

If we immerse ourselves in this kind of routine, unconsciously but inevitably we lose sight of our true selves, and of true happiness.

Any given day, a mere ten minutes is all you need. Try making time for emptiness, for not thinking about anything.

Just try clearing your mind, and not being caught up in the things around you.Various thoughts will float up in your mind, but try to send them away, one by one. When you do so, you will begin to notice the present moment, the subtle shifts in nature that are keeping you alive. When you are not distracted by other things, your pure and honest self can be revealed.

Making time for not thinking about anything. That is the first step toward creating a simple life.

Edition details

• Publisher: Penguin Life
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0143134043
• ISBN 13: 9780143134046
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Lee-Merrion Harriet
• Number of pages: 224