SIMPLICITY -- THE ESSENCE OF SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

     Lao Tzu offers us the following recipe for living a satisfying and successful life: “Manifest plainness, embrace simplicity, reduce selfishness, and have few desires.” Regrettably, our lives, our societies, and our world are much more complex than this, and generally operate in a completely opposite manner. . . . [However] we can choose to embrace the beauty and richness of simplicity, and live more serene and satisfying lives.  

     Simplicity is the essence of any spiritual practice. To over complicate, over accumulate and over analyze, leaves us with an underlying feeling of being overwhelmed. This anxious and frantic state of mind is made up of ruinous delusions that will subtly lead you away from all that is spiritual. To simply be, living devoid of all the chaos caused by external demands, is the path to ultimate liberation and pure joy. 

     Thich Nhat Hanh offers a suggestion that will help you to apply simplicity in your own life, “Do not accumulate wealth while millions are hungry . . . Live simply and share time, energy, and material resources with those in need.” 

Reference: Richard A. Springer, Jr., Eastern Wisdom for Your Soul, 86-87.

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