Simplicity
Whatever aspiration you have, there is still the question of how to go about addressing it. I would suggest that simplicity might be a guiding principle that supports many aspirations.
I have spent quite some years choosing to keep my life uncluttered in order to pursue the Dharma path as a layperson. Let’s explore some results that come out of having simplicity as a value in our life.
It is fairly common that when people begin to meditate, even if they have a full life with a job and family and other activities, they begin to realize that simplicity is a value for them. We see that pursuing wealth, comfort, or status for their own sake is less meaningful or satisfying than finding some kind of ease and straightforwardness in our approach to life. These reflections concern simplicity.
It is not a stretch to say that simplicity underlies Dharma practice. Mindfulness itself is inherently simple: We aim to sit quietly and not follow all the pushes and pulls of our restless mind. Of course, we repeatedly get lost in thought, but we feel the immediate ease and indeed simplicity when we return to the present moment and can just sit still again for a little while.
Simplicity cuts across the material, verbal, and mental realms. And without some degree of both outer and inner simplicity, we cannot see the more subtle patterns of grasping in our mind that connect to our deeper suffering.
We can find the value of simplicity expressed in the opening lines of the Mettā Sutta (Sn 1.8). [Amaravati translation]:
This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech.
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
These verses suggest a link between goodwill (mettā), ethical behavior, and simplicity. Engaging in an uproar of activities such that we are busy and stressed is likely to lead to unwholesome behavior. Letting go of these to actively prioritize simplicity in body, speech, and mind conduces to a life of care that supports walking the path.
Here are a few possibilities for practice that can be extracted from these lines:
Simplicity of body: Moving more slowly (peaceful and calm); maintaining a balanced posture (upright); using fewer material resources (frugal in their ways)
Simplicity of speech: Speaking straightforwardly with just as many words as needed (straightforward in speech); refraining from complaining or demanding (not proud and demanding); speaking words of harmony (gentle in speech; skillful)
Simplicity of mind: Humility; contentment; honesty (upright); seeing in wise ways (wise and skillful); choosing non-busyness (unburdened with duties)
Once we turn our mind toward the value of simplicity, we will notice ways in which complication has burdened or tangled our relationship with life. We may find ourselves physically tense or making frantic movements coupled with inattention to the task we are doing. Ease returns immediately when the body and mind are in the same place.
Speech can be rife with complication. The gymnastics of trying to influence or convince people of our views, or of trying to maintain a certain self-image, is exhausting. Simplicity of speech means moving toward straightforwardness and having a general baseline of calm, gentle speech, from which more emotional expressions can come forth cleanly, appropriately, and well. Again, we will feel the ease of verbal simplicity.
Simplifying mental activity is not about losing our ability to think things through or to engage actively. There’s a story about Munindra, an Indian teacher who taught many of the senior Western Insight teachers early in their practice. He was seen at an Indian market haggling aggressively with a seller over the price of a bag of peanuts, and was asked how that fit in with being simple. He said, “You should be simple, but not a simpleton.”
So, simplicity of mind or thought means clearing away the irrelevant mental activities that obscure clear discernment, flexibility, and finding helpful solutions. Probably we could spend less time speculating about the motives and personalities of others, ruminating about past hurts, planning how to maximize pleasant experiences for ourself, and reviewing the details of our calendar and upcoming events. Mental simplicity involves contentment, straightforwardness, and some degree of trust in the unfolding of life. This frees up energy to do the relevant thinking that supports our life of practice and creates space for the Dharma to unfold.
Centering our simplicity practice on these few lines from the Mettā Sutta could go very far. This is a good approach for aligning our life more fully with the Dharma. There are no encouragements in Buddhist training to make things more complicated. Simplicity can accompany us through the complex waters of training the mind, like a good friend.
There is an analogy given about “crossing the flood,” which represents overcoming our attachments and delusions to find freedom:
A deva: Tell me, dear sir, how you crossed over the flood.
The Buddha: I crossed over the flood without pushing forward, without staying in place.
The deva: But how did you cross over the flood without pushing forward, without staying in place?
The Buddha: When I pushed forward, I was whirled about. When I stayed in place, I sank. And so I crossed over the flood without pushing forward, without staying in place. (SN 1.1)
We see that “crossing over” is not about just doing nothing (“staying in place”) – we will sink. But we cannot just push ahead on our own agenda either. I think this middle way of sensing how much to go forward and how much to just let the water carry us has something to do with simplicity. There is an uncomplicated way to relate to the waters of life: We do have a task to do (getting across), but we have to do it at the right pace. Do you feel this in your practice?
How do we get there?
The way to find that deeper simplicity of the other shore is to stay with simplicity all along the path. We’re always looking for that dynamic balance of “not pushing forward, not standing still.” I think this balance changes over time. Sometimes we are more active, really cultivating something or focusing on a certain area of practice. Other times, it does not feel so focused, but we continue with mindfulness and see what can open.
Always it is just being present in a simple way with either activity or something slower and more restful. This is a healthy approach.
Here is a modern quote that I appreciate: "I wouldn't give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity." [It is attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes, but it is not clear if it was Sr. or Jr., and the words may not be quite exact].
Consider for a moment what this evokes for you in the context of Dharma practice.
Here is one suggestion. There is the initial or immediate simplicity of ignorance, of not really knowing what’s going on in our mind – the simplicity of living by making assumptions and mental short-cuts. Although many people live in this way, it is not beneficial.
If we wish to move into a better way of life by undertaking spiritual practice, then we enter into the complexity of the body and mind. But if we do so with mindfulness, we are beginning to untangle the knots. We will to engage with our “stuff” at some point – but crucially, using the tools of the Dharma.
Eventually, we start seeing greater simplicity again, when the mind settles down and becomes tranquil and concentrated. Then we move into even deeper simplicity: Wisdom and insight. We see, for instance, that handling experience skillfully is fundamentally about discerning suffering and the end of suffering. Clinging and letting go. All the particular manifestations of dukkha in our own particular life are of-a-piece with a universal phenomenon for humans.
It is yet a further step to move into living a life of wisdom, which is characterized by straightforwardness, non-manipulation, non-complication, and alignment of our outer and inner lives. This takes substantial practice and perhaps many decades.
And finally, freedom is the simplest of all: The simplicity on the other side of complexity.
TS Eliot, Little Gidding:
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always--
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
In the end, this path is one of letting go. Simplicity lies at the basis for being able to let go. We start to see that holding on creates complexity and strain, whereas release is open and easeful. We slowly become convinced of this at a deeper and deeper level.
It’s quite simple, actually. If we let it happen.
Whatever aspiration you have, there is still the question of how to go about addressing it. I would suggest that simplicity might be a guiding principle that supports many aspirations.
I have spent quite some years choosing to keep my life uncluttered in order to pursue the Dharma path as a layperson. Let’s explore some results that come out of having simplicity as a value in our life.
It is fairly common that when people begin to meditate, even if they have a full life with a job and family and other activities, they begin to realize that simplicity is a value for them. We see that pursuing wealth, comfort, or status for their own sake is less meaningful or satisfying than finding some kind of ease and straightforwardness in our approach to life. These reflections concern simplicity.
It is not a stretch to say that simplicity underlies Dharma practice. Mindfulness itself is inherently simple: We aim to sit quietly and not follow all the pushes and pulls of our restless mind. Of course, we repeatedly get lost in thought, but we feel the immediate ease and indeed simplicity when we return to the present moment and can just sit still again for a little while.
Simplicity cuts across the material, verbal, and mental realms. And without some degree of both outer and inner simplicity, we cannot see the more subtle patterns of grasping in our mind that connect to our deeper suffering.
We can find the value of simplicity expressed in the opening lines of the Mettā Sutta (Sn 1.8). [Amaravati translation]:
This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech.
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
These verses suggest a link between goodwill (mettā), ethical behavior, and simplicity. Engaging in an uproar of activities such that we are busy and stressed is likely to lead to unwholesome behavior. Letting go of these to actively prioritize simplicity in body, speech, and mind conduces to a life of care that supports walking the path.
Here are a few possibilities for practice that can be extracted from these lines:
Simplicity of body: Moving more slowly (peaceful and calm); maintaining a balanced posture (upright); using fewer material resources (frugal in their ways)
Simplicity of speech: Speaking straightforwardly with just as many words as needed (straightforward in speech); refraining from complaining or demanding (not proud and demanding); speaking words of harmony (gentle in speech; skillful)
Simplicity of mind: Humility; contentment; honesty (upright); seeing in wise ways (wise and skillful); choosing non-busyness (unburdened with duties)
Once we turn our mind toward the value of simplicity, we will notice ways in which complication has burdened or tangled our relationship with life. We may find ourselves physically tense or making frantic movements coupled with inattention to the task we are doing. Ease returns immediately when the body and mind are in the same place.
Speech can be rife with complication. The gymnastics of trying to influence or convince people of our views, or of trying to maintain a certain self-image, is exhausting. Simplicity of speech means moving toward straightforwardness and having a general baseline of calm, gentle speech, from which more emotional expressions can come forth cleanly, appropriately, and well. Again, we will feel the ease of verbal simplicity.
Simplifying mental activity is not about losing our ability to think things through or to engage actively. There’s a story about Munindra, an Indian teacher who taught many of the senior Western Insight teachers early in their practice. He was seen at an Indian market haggling aggressively with a seller over the price of a bag of peanuts, and was asked how that fit in with being simple. He said, “You should be simple, but not a simpleton.”
So, simplicity of mind or thought means clearing away the irrelevant mental activities that obscure clear discernment, flexibility, and finding helpful solutions. Probably we could spend less time speculating about the motives and personalities of others, ruminating about past hurts, planning how to maximize pleasant experiences for ourself, and reviewing the details of our calendar and upcoming events. Mental simplicity involves contentment, straightforwardness, and some degree of trust in the unfolding of life. This frees up energy to do the relevant thinking that supports our life of practice and creates space for the Dharma to unfold.
Centering our simplicity practice on these few lines from the Mettā Sutta could go very far. This is a good approach for aligning our life more fully with the Dharma. There are no encouragements in Buddhist training to make things more complicated. Simplicity can accompany us through the complex waters of training the mind, like a good friend.
There is an analogy given about “crossing the flood,” which represents overcoming our attachments and delusions to find freedom:
A deva: Tell me, dear sir, how you crossed over the flood.
The Buddha: I crossed over the flood without pushing forward, without staying in place.
The deva: But how did you cross over the flood without pushing forward, without staying in place?
The Buddha: When I pushed forward, I was whirled about. When I stayed in place, I sank. And so I crossed over the flood without pushing forward, without staying in place. (SN 1.1)
We see that “crossing over” is not about just doing nothing (“staying in place”) – we will sink. But we cannot just push ahead on our own agenda either. I think this middle way of sensing how much to go forward and how much to just let the water carry us has something to do with simplicity. There is an uncomplicated way to relate to the waters of life: We do have a task to do (getting across), but we have to do it at the right pace. Do you feel this in your practice?
How do we get there?
The way to find that deeper simplicity of the other shore is to stay with simplicity all along the path. We’re always looking for that dynamic balance of “not pushing forward, not standing still.” I think this balance changes over time. Sometimes we are more active, really cultivating something or focusing on a certain area of practice. Other times, it does not feel so focused, but we continue with mindfulness and see what can open.
Always it is just being present in a simple way with either activity or something slower and more restful. This is a healthy approach.
Here is a modern quote that I appreciate: "I wouldn't give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity." [It is attributed to Oliver Wendell Holmes, but it is not clear if it was Sr. or Jr., and the words may not be quite exact].
Consider for a moment what this evokes for you in the context of Dharma practice.
Here is one suggestion. There is the initial or immediate simplicity of ignorance, of not really knowing what’s going on in our mind – the simplicity of living by making assumptions and mental short-cuts. Although many people live in this way, it is not beneficial.
If we wish to move into a better way of life by undertaking spiritual practice, then we enter into the complexity of the body and mind. But if we do so with mindfulness, we are beginning to untangle the knots. We will to engage with our “stuff” at some point – but crucially, using the tools of the Dharma.
Eventually, we start seeing greater simplicity again, when the mind settles down and becomes tranquil and concentrated. Then we move into even deeper simplicity: Wisdom and insight. We see, for instance, that handling experience skillfully is fundamentally about discerning suffering and the end of suffering. Clinging and letting go. All the particular manifestations of dukkha in our own particular life are of-a-piece with a universal phenomenon for humans.
It is yet a further step to move into living a life of wisdom, which is characterized by straightforwardness, non-manipulation, non-complication, and alignment of our outer and inner lives. This takes substantial practice and perhaps many decades.
And finally, freedom is the simplest of all: The simplicity on the other side of complexity.
TS Eliot, Little Gidding:
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half-heard, in the stillness
Between two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always--
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of thing shall be well
In the end, this path is one of letting go. Simplicity lies at the basis for being able to let go. We start to see that holding on creates complexity and strain, whereas release is open and easeful. We slowly become convinced of this at a deeper and deeper level.
It’s quite simple, actually. If we let it happen.
