To live by the four noble truths and lead the eightfold path taught by the Buddha, the Buddhist monks lead a very simple life. The monks are called ‘bhiku’, someone who lives on a bhiksha or the alms provided by the people.
A bhiku is allowed to own only eight things in his possessions. They are three sets of robes or garment, one belt, a razor to shave his head, a needle and a thread to sew minor damages to his clothing, a begging bowl to collect the alms, a strain to strain water before drinking. They start their day between 4 AM and 5 AM. Meditate for a couple of hours, clean their premise and themselves, pray, head for bhiksha – to seek alms – whatever they get only from the first five households, they live on that, meditate more, read Buddha’s teachings... They have only one meal a day, and that is before noon. They can have water and some tea through the day.
All this is done to make the life and its struggles simple so as to bring focus on life and its purpose. There's a certain slowness in simplicity. It gives the monk a pause, a glimpse into themselves and observe his life one step at a time, being fully present and with great mindfulness.
Now, we're not professing here that one has to live like a monk. But embracing simplicity brings a clarity in purpose and intention to one's living. The intent here is to experience this slowness in simplicity to lead a meaningful life. One can do so even while leading a normal life.
“I loved the quiet places in Kyoto, the places that held the world within a windless moment. Inside the temples, Nature held her breath. All longing was put to sleep in the stillness, and all was distilled into a clean simplicity.
The smell of wood-smoke, the drift of incense; a procession of monks in black-and-gold robes, one of them giggling in a voice yet unbroken; a touch of autumn in the air, a sense of gathering rain.”
― Pico Iyer,
Video Night in Kathmandu:
And Other Reports from the Not-So-Far East
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THE ART OF STILLNESS
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