Consumption is a hallmark of the Western world. The age of information is upon us, a time when everything is available in abundance. Companies hire large teams to create ads that force us to accumulate. Our attention is their oxygen. Practising Zen is going against the grain. It's saying no to advertisers and yes to ourselves. Zen advises living a simple existence in every domain, stripping each aspect of life to the essentials. Simple, intentional, purposeful, choose the definition that works best for you. The idea is to have what you consider enough and no more.

Simple Living

One has to find time to be alone with your thoughts and to sit quietly in nature.Zazen is a meditation practice that originates from Zen and is a chance to sweep the detritus from your mind.Zazen is the art of becoming aware of your thought patterns and bringing yourself into a state of inner peace.The Method: First we assume the correct posture, next we focus on our breathing, and finally we steady our mind. Once we arrange all three of these things, then we begin to practise zazen.Try sitting zazen: empty your mind and allow your thoughts to float up and then drift away.

Zazen Meditation

Munen muso is the act of retaining a clear mind throughout each activity. A clear mind is the best way to approach all tasks in life. By cultivating munen muso, we become less distracted by outside elements and more attentive to our inner dialogue.Another way to say it is just mushin, or ‘clear mind’. You empty your mind and do not let it settle anywhere or wander. This allows you to focus on what needs to be done now, without worrying about all the other things in your life. It is a teaching that demonstrates the amazing power available to us if we can achieve a clear mind.

Munen Muso: Clear Mind

The three poisons in Buddhism are greed, anger, and ignorance. Buddhism views them as the root of suffering that prevents us from reaching enlightenment. Irrespective of whether you are a Buddhist or not, we all would benefit from minimizing these negative emotions.When we are afflicted with greed, once we acquire whatever it is we desire, we are still left wanting more. Anger makes us enraged by the slightest things, and once it is provoked, we take it out on others. Ignorance is a state of foolishness: we are heedless of common sense or knowledge and lacking in education.

The Three Poisons

Life is about compromise. If you fuss over black and white, you miss out on the beauty of grey. Buddhists don’t think in terms of black and white. Some things are white, some are black, and in between are various shades of grey. This broad-minded spirit is at the heart of Buddhism, and it has a lot to do with how it took root in Japan.Things don’t need to be defined as right or wrong, black or white. Instead of coming down on one side or the other, a compromise may be the best way.

Avoid Black and White Thinking

Zen emphasizes becoming mindful of the present moment. Using your breath as an anchor can help clarify this concept, which can seem ambiguous at first. As humans, we can only physically live in the present moment; allowing our minds to dwell elsewhere is useless.

Be Here And Now

You will live a happy life if you can find gratitude in your ordinary days. If you must chase desires to feel joy, you will live a life of turmoil.Whether our lives are magnificent or wretched depends upon our ordering of daily details. We must organize the details into a composition that pleases us. Only then will we have meaning in our lives.

Be Grateful For Ordinary Days 

Wanting more leads to suffering. Consider whether you really need an item before purchasing it. Treating ourselves is an essential part of living a healthy life. But there must be a balance between the endless tunnel of human desire.Knowing how much is enough is about finding satisfaction in what you already have. Human desire is endless. Once we acquire one thing, we desire ten of them. And when we acquire ten things, we want a hundred. Even though we know we don’t need it, we cannot rein in our desire. Once engulfed by these feelings, there is no way to satisfy ourselves.

Knowing When To Stop Your Desire

The Japanese term wabi-sabi means finding beauty in imperfection. Being satisfied with the way things are. Perfection is unattainable; if you desire this to be happy, happiness will elude you.

Finding Beauty And Satisfaction in Imperfection

You must think for yourself. Do not construct life from shallow perspectives or opinions but rather from deep consideration. We are often picking these up unconsciously from those around us. Instead, we should always question the thoughts of others before adding them to our mental arsenal. Be aware of the differences between your experiences and learnings. Direct experience should not be confused with theoretical knowledge.Within here lies the distinction between knowledge and wisdom. You can transfer learnings to experiences through action.

Knowledge and Wisdom

Make Time For EmptinessMaking time for not thinking about anything – that is the first step towards creating a simple life.Pare Down Your BelongingsIn your head, picture a scene with a water element, and allow your mind to linger there. These gardens are truly representations of our mindset free.In the course of your everyday shopping, before you acquire something new, give some thought to whether you really need it, and take another look at what you already have. Acquiring lots of things isn’t freedom.

Living simply means, for instance, that the mug you use every day for coffee is a mug that you really like – one that you take good care of and that you will use for a long time. Acquire only good things that will truly be needed. A lifestyle of simplicity is the fundamental practice that will hone the mind.

Minimalism

The act of thinking derives from the concept of sitting quietly. Humans are not capable of thinking while we are moving. We have only one mind, and when our mind is focused on movement, it is difficult for us to engage in profound thought. Even if you try thinking while you’re walking, it will always end up being about something practical, such as work arrangements or what to cook for dinner. Deep contemplation about absolute truth in the world or the meaning of life is not something that can be accomplished while in motion.

Just Sit Quietly

The quiet practice of zazen releases in the brain the neurotransmitter serotonin, which functions as a mood stabilizer and has been shown to be effective in countering depression. Zazen can provide the therapeutic effect of boosting serotonin to the brain without the need to take medicine.Once the brain is in a relaxed state, your blood vessels also gradually relax, improving your blood flow. This spreads warmth throughout your body.

Don’t Think Of Unpleasant Things Right Before Bed

The ability to live with a free mind, accepting things for what they are. This is the way of life that has come to be idealized.The monk and famous tea master Sen no Rikyū coined the phrase ‘seclusion in the city’. It is this model that explains why teahouses in Japan are always set a slight distance away from the main building.A place where you can disconnect from other people and spend time by yourself. A place in nature where you can regain mental freedom. A few moments of seclusion can illuminate the path forward.

Make Time To Be Alone

Anxiety is intangible.Anxiety: where does it actually exist? Inside your mind.There is no need to be troubled by things that have not yet happened. Think only about what is happening right now.Almost all anxieties are intangible. They are the invention of your own mind.

Don’t Be Troubled By Things That Have Not Yet Happened

People who do their best to enjoy what is before them have the greatest chance to discover inner peace. Often, whatever it is they are enjoying – the thing before them – has the potential to turn into an opportunity.In anything, the hard part is just to keep going.‘The work I’m doing now is my true calling.’ Whoever can say this is very fortunate.You can start something as long as you have the energy. Finishing, too, is easy. The hard part is just to keep going. If you tell yourself, day in and day out, that something is wrong for you, then how will it ever be right for you?

Take Pleasure In Your Work

The empty state of not thinking about anything is not easy to achieve. Even practising monks find it difficult.But when you look back over your days, you find moments when you’ve achieved it unconsciously.Ideas or sparks actually emerge from the empty spaces within your mind – from the gaps between your thoughts.To increase the chances of teasing out those ideas from between the gaps, cherish the time when you’re not thinking about anything.

Every So Often, Try To Stop Thinking

When we wake up in the morning, right away we turn on the computer and check our email or we read the news on our phone and look up the weather.We live in a time of constant information, available any time and anywhere. But in such a world, we have all the more reason to maintain proper on and off switches.This is why distinctions are so important. Try erecting gates in your mind.

Create Boundaries

Good fortune brings with it more good fortune. Misfortune attracts further misfortune. All the more reason to make a proper start.The opposite is true with misfortune. Once you take a step into misfortune, you can get caught in a downward spiral. When you feel as though things aren’t going well, try scolding yourself in a loud voice.Cut off misfortune when it begins. And make sure to take advantage of good fortune. That is the secret to a good life.

Make A Proper Start

When you’re uncertain, simplicity is the best way to go.There is a Zen saying about samadhi, the state of intense concentration achieved through meditation: Ichigyo zanmai. It means ‘Strive for just one thing.’Rather than branching out into this, that and what-have-you, focus your attention on just one thing. This is the way to gain satisfaction and fulfilment. And, of course, if what you really crave is omuhayashi, then that is the thing to get.

Think Simple

The essence of Zen is in the beauty of simple things. There is beauty to be found in things that are stripped of everything that is unnecessary and that is without ornamentation.Recognize the luxury of not having things.An appreciation of things is an appreciation of yourself.Even though you already have a computer, when the latest model is released, suddenly you want it. Although you’ve had your car for only three years, you’re eager to replace it with a newer one. Desire feeds upon itself, and the mind becomes dominated by boundless greed. This is not happiness.

Don’t Let Things Go To Waste

Consider the things that surround you now. Develop an appreciation for them. There is something specific that connects you with them, a reason why you acquired them. Take good care of them; treat them like they are the best things.Think of the things that are connected to you as parts of yourself. It’s rare to find someone who does not care about themselves; once you acquire something and begin to take care of it, a love for it will spring up. What is most important is your attitude towards the things that belong to you.

The Beautiful Things Your Already Have

By emptying our mind, we enable a state of nothingness. In the world of Zen, we call this mushiryo, or ‘beyond thinking’. It refers to a state in which we retain nothing within ourselves.Clear your head and look up at the sky – you will see the shifting clouds. Empty your mind and listen actively – all around you are the various interwoven sounds of nature: the singing of small birds, the wind rustling fallen leaves.Take in as much of this natural world as you can. By doing so, you will notice that you, too, are a part of nature.

Try Clearing Your Head

A state of utter clarity, uncomplicated by desire or any attachments – that is the state of ‘nothingness’.The Buddha teaches that human suffering occurs when we lack awareness of this impermanence and insubstantiality.Our confusion and worry stem from an inability to accept that the world is constantly changing, from a belief – or an unconscious hope – that our selves and our possessions, as well as the people who surround us, will never change.

Accepting Change

In both gardens and interpersonal relationships, what is paramount is harmony.Japanese gardens are not designed by cutting and pasting various components on to the landscape. The whole garden is composed in a way that makes the most of each element’s particular features, such as the shape of a rock or how a certain tree bends.What does it mean to make the most of an element in a garden?Let’s say that a garden will have several trees in it. We cannot simply plant the trees and be done with them. It’s important to identify the ideal shape of each tree.

Focus On Others’ Merits

There is a saying that originates in Zen: ichi-go ichi-e, or ‘once in a lifetime’. It means that we should treasure each and every encounter, because we may meet a person only once in our lifetime.This is not to suggest that we should increase the number of encounters we have or that we should have more friends. Concentrate on a single encounter, and build a meaningful relationship. What’s important is not the number of your connections, but their depth.

Deepen Your Connection With Someone

Don’t be too rushed or too relaxed.There is a saying in Japanese, sottaku doji, which means, literally, ‘pecking simultaneously from the inside and out’.It is used to describe what happens when a chick is hatching from its egg: the first part refers to the chick and its pecking from inside the shell; the second part, to the response of the parent bird when it hears the chick and it pecks to help the chick emerge.

Fine-tune Your Timing

Interpersonal relationships can be complicated. No matter how hard you try, it’s difficult to be open-minded towards everybody. Even monks at a Zen temple do not always get along. There’s no need to tell yourself, ‘I’m going to try to get on well with this person,’ or ‘I’m going to get to know this person better.’Being attached to the notion of getting along or being friends with someone will hinder you. You will get caught up with not wanting to be disliked. This only creates tension.

Give Up The Need To Be Liked By Everyone

Words are important.But it is more important not to be swayed by words.At work or in social situations, there may be times when we find ourselves hurt by words that are directed at us. Even though someone may intend to be encouraging, the person on the receiving end can hear their words as cruel or harsh. A single word from a colleague can pierce like a dagger.Try freeing yourself from attachment to things. Do not be attached to words, either. Even when your interactions with someone are strained, do not be attached to the relationship. Try putting it at a distance.

Detach From Words

One hundred people will have one hundred different ways of reasoning or making judgements. Instead of having a gain-or-loss mentality and thinking in terms of whether someone is useful, consider someone’s suitability or compatibility. Doing so will relieve a lot of the pressure on your relationships.The more you try to accumulate money, the more it gets awayThe strange thing about money is this: the more attached we become to it, the more it eludes our grasp. Instead of thinking about money, we should concern ourselves with our higher purpose.

Beyond Gain And Loss

Life is full of fortune and misfortune, but cherish being alive, every single day. Life will pass you by.

We are born into this world, and then we die. These are simply two sides of the same experience. In other words, just as we contemplate how to live, we should contemplate how to die.If you were told that your life was going to end in six months, you would probably give a considerable amount of thought to how you wanted to spend that time. But what if it was only a month? A week? What if your life were to end tomorrow?We must do our best not to squander this ‘blink of an eye’ that has been given to us.

Contemplate How To Die

A comprehensive look at the essence of eastern philosophy.

Relax and find happiness amid the swirl of the modern world with this internationally bestselling guide to simplifying your life by a Japanese monk who embodies the wisdom of Zen. Drawing on centuries of wisdom, renowned Zen Buddhist priest Shunmyo Masuno applies the essence of Zen to modern life in clear, practical, easily adopted lessons--one a day for 100 days. Discover how: * lining up your shoes after you take them off can bring order to your life * putting down your fork after every bite can help you feel more grateful for what you have * spending time barefoot can strengthen your body * planting a flower and watching it grow can teach you to embrace change * going outside to watch the sunset can make every day feel celebratory. In Zen: The Art of Simple Living, you will learn to find happiness not by seeking out extraordinary experiences but by making small changes--to what you do, how you think, how you interact with others, and how you appreciate the present moment. With each task, you will open yourself up to a renewed sense of peace and inner calm.

Stashed ideas

Zen: the Art of Simple Living

<ul><li>No, we do not need to identify with it 24/7.</li><li>When we identify with the self, we live in fear, anxiety, stress, and suffering. When we are able to identify ourselves with that which has no boundaries, there is no fear.</li></ul>

Do We Need the Self?

<ul><li>Having no particular, fixed view means seeing that all views are limited, that no particular view is the only view.</li><li>“Actually, the right view is no view.”</li><li>Imagine six blind guys who have never seen an elephant before and are each touching a different part of the big old animal, describing what an elephant is. The first blind man grabs the tail and says the elephant is like a rope. The second one grabs the leg and is certain it's like a pillar. The third touches the trunk and thinks it's a tree branch. The others all have different perspectives.</li></ul>

Right View

<ul><li>Ken Wilber likes to talk about “partial truths”.</li><li>No one is smart enough to be either 100% right or 100% wrong.</li><li>There's always a partial truth to a perspective-no matter how limited.</li><li>We get in trouble when we think our perspective is always right.</li><li>It is important to shift perspectives consistently.</li></ul>

The Limitation of Thinking Your Perspective is the Absolute Truth

<ul><li>It doesn't matter what gear you're stuck in, if you can't shift as life demands, your car is dysfunctional. Same with our lives.</li><li>When the mind is stuck, you're in dukkha (usually translated from the Sanskrit as suffering), which literally means a wheel whose hub doesn't move.</li><li>Experience sukkha, a liberated wheel, a freed-up wheel, which means liberation, nirvana.</li></ul>

A Maserati Stuck in First Gear

<ul><li>A company where no one knows their job title, job description, or what they're supposed to be doing is going to be a company in suffering, in shambles.</li><li>It's hard to run a company when you don't know what your employees' jobs are.</li></ul>

A Dysfunctional Company

<ul><li>Genpo leads us through a systematic dialogue with a number of our “key employees” to get a sense of who they are, what they do, and what's important to them while we clarify their roles.</li><li>Every aspect of the self has its own innate wisdom.</li><li>If we would simply allow every voice to be heard, to be appreciated, and to be honored, we as human beings would live a much healthier, happier, and joyful life.</li><li>By denying or suppressing any aspect, we are creating a problem both for the self and for others.</li></ul>

Integrated Feminine/Masculine Compassion

One is nurturing and supportive. The other is ruthless and decisive. BOTH are essential for an integrated compassion.

Feminine and Masculine Compassion

“I include all the aspects of the self, all the dualistic voices and Big Mind, the non-dual, no-self, and I transcend them. I am also known as the Master, or the Unique Self. I am absolutely unique, there is no one else in the entire world exactly like me. I have no need to prove anything or to be special, since I am special and unique to begin with.”

“That’s the beautiful thing, that’s the secret: to want what you get rather than trying to get what you want, because that seems like a never-ending battle, and a losing battle at that. We seem to always get what we need, though. So when we want what we get, it’s really like wanting what we need.”

“I am the True Self. In other words, I am the one that truly transcends. The Non-Dual is still not truly transcendent because somehow it sees itself as better or greater than the dual, which is still very dualistic. I embrace desires and seeking and fear and distinctions. I embrace them all, but I am not bound by them, I’m not attached to them. I can have a desire, and drop the desire if it’s not fulfilled… I don’t get stuck anywhere.”

<ul><li>“Can you imagine a world where everybody was free, happy, and joyful, where everybody came from a place of generosity and giving freely without any strings attached? Can you just imagine this world? It’s almost impossible to imagine, it would be such a different place.</li><li>Well, that’s our work. That’s what we’re here to do. That’s what this book is all about. If enough of us can get to that level of consciousness, I believe the whole planet, would be transformed.”</li><li>That’s the Voice of Generosity.</li></ul>

Can You Imagine?

Here we will explore some of Genpo Merzel's ideas, including how the root of suffering (dukkha) is getting stuck in one perspective and how that is as effective as having a Maserati stuck in first gear.

This book presents a highly original and accessible pathway to self-discovery and personal liberation. Since 1999 the Big Mind process has been experienced by many thousands of people in seminars across America. Big Mind employs a Jungian voice dialogue technique that enables people to step out of limited self-concepts into awareness of their many different sub-selves (emotions/mental states). In addition to exploration of the more familiar sub-voices like anger and fear, author Zen Master Dennis Genpo Merzel uses this technique to help people access the ever-present Big Mind/Big Heart awareness - the clear, 'just being' awareness and the unconditional compassion that we all can experience. The Big Mind process is now available in book form to bring readers of all backgrounds many benefits including: access to our innate wisdom, compassion and equanimity; openness of mind and ability to shift perspectives; greater presence and empowerment; and appreciation for the wisdom within all of our many sub-selves even ones we tend to dislike or disown, like fear and anger.

Big Mind, Big Heart

Beautiful is better than ugly.

Explicit is better than implicit.

Simple is better than complex.

Complex is better than complicated.

Complex is better than complicated.

Flat is better than nested.

Sparse is better than dense.

Readability counts.

Special cases aren't special enough to break the rules.

Special cases aren't special enough to break the rules.

Although practicality beats purity.

Although practicality beats purity.

Errors should never pass silently.

Errors should never pass silently.

Unless explicitly silenced.

In the face of ambiguity, refuse the temptation to guess.

In the face of ambiguity, refuse the temptation to guess.

There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way to do it.

There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way to do it.

Although that way may not be obvious at first unless you're Dutch.

Although that way may not be obvious at first unless you're Dutch.

Now is better than never.

Although never is often better than *right* now.

Although never is often better than *right* now.

If the implementation is hard to explain, it's a bad idea.

If the implementation is hard to explain, it's a bad idea.

If the implementation is easy to explain, it may be a good idea.

If the implementation is easy to explain, it may be a good idea.

Namespaces are one honking great idea -- let's do more of those!

Namespaces are one honking great idea -- let's do more of those!

'for Guido to fill in'ORit's an opportunity for people to provide their own addition.https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4504487/the-zen-of-python-distils-the-guiding-principles-for-python-into-20-aphorisms-bu#24814971

20th principle

Long time Pythoneer Tim Peters succinctly channels the BDFL’s guiding principles for Python’s design into 20 aphorisms, only 19 of which have been written down.https://peps.python.org/pep-0020/

import this

The Zen of Python, by Tim Peters

The most distinguishing feature of this Japanese school of the Buddha-Way is its contention that wisdom, accompanied by compassion, is expressed in the everyday lifeworld when associating with one’s self, other people, and nature.The Zen practitioner is required to embody freedom expressive of the original human nature, called “buddha-nature.”

Buddha-nature

...practicing without prioritising the visible over the invisible, the explicit over the implicit, or vice versa.This preparation involves the training of the whole person and is called “self-cultivation” (shugyō) in Japanese.

Nondiscriminatory wisdom

Zen maintains a stance of “not one” and “not two,” that is “a position-less position.”<ul><li>“not two” means negating the dualistic stance that divides the whole into two parts.</li><li>“not one” means negating the non-dualistic stance occurring when the Zen practitioner dwells in the whole as one, while suspending judgment in meditation. </li><li>the free, bilateral movement between “not one” and “not two” characterises Zen’s achievement of a personhood with a third perspective that cannot, however, be confined to either dualism or non-dualism, neither “not one” nor “not two”.</li></ul>

Dualism or non-dualism

Zen recommends that its practitioner follow a three-step procedure: adjusting one’s body, breathing and mind.To adjust the mind  means that the practitioner consciously moves to enter a state of meditation. He learns to disengage him- or herself from the concerns of daily life by the immobile bodily posture and the breathing exercise.Meditation trains one to sit face-to-face with one’s self, while creating a psychological isolation from the external world.This mechanism is the same as when one has a dream at night when the level of consciousness is lowered.

The Adjustment of the Mind

No-mind does not mean:<ul><li> a mindless state,</li><li>that there is no mind</li></ul>No mind means that there is no conscious activity of the mind that is associated with ego-consciousness.No-mind is a free mind that is not delimited by ideas, desires, and images.

No-mind

If the term “philosophy” is taken to mean the establishment of “the kingdom of reason",  Zen is an anti-philosophy.Reason is incapable of knowing and understanding in toto what reality is.Physical nature and human nature must be sought in an experiential dimension.

Zen as Anti-Philosophy

Japanese Zen Buddhist Philosophy explained 

Japanese Zen Buddhist Philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

If God could explain how he made the world he would not be God. The mystery is what what separates the art from the science. Zen is more of an art than a science. Imagine a school that poses the method to make all its students geniuses. All of them with be boring people. You can teach the technique, but the real art is passed through osmosis. That's why Zen teachings have been passed through stories and dialogues. One can not really teach Zen. Only show the way.

Life is a mystery to itself

“You may wish to ask where the flowers come from, but even the God of Spring doesn’t know.”

The goal of Zen stories is to make you smile more than to appeal to your logical side. But if a normal joke is aiming to get you to laugh, Zen stories wants you to get enlightened. To act like shock therapy for the spirit. They always pose very confusing dilemmas. And the story emphasize giving up trying to solve the riddle logically, and relying on spontaneity to solve it. The ultimate goal is to be nonplussed, so that one does get into attachments with society's rules. Zen is about flowing with the Dao.

Zen Stories

Translates to “mind-without-mind.”We all begin life as babies with an intuitive understanding of the world. As we mature, we discover the validity of our emotions. As adults, we graduate to primarily using logic to navigate our lives. Most people stop here, thinking that they mastered the art of thinking.Mushin states that intuition, not logic, is the highest form of understanding. Emotions & logicact as biases if overly relied upon. Paradoxically, it is only when we make the leap from using analytical logic to intuitive understanding that we become thinkers of the highest order.

“Mushin” (無心)

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Zen: the Art of Simple Living

Big Mind, Big Heart

The Zen of Python, by Tim Peters

Japanese Zen Buddhist Philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Alan Watts on Liberating Yourself through Zen

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