This book is simple, calm, and short read with 100 daily practical teachings. It is about simple living in Zen style. The author, Shunmyo Masuno is a renowned Buddhist monk and the chief priest of a 450-year-old Zen Buddhist Temple, “Sōtō Zen temple Kenkō-ji”, in Japan. He is also known worldwide for his award-winning Zen garden designs. The author himself has practiced everything he has written in this book. On each page, you will find one simple idea that you can apply in your daily life. This book should be read more often like a morning prayer. I loved the illustrations and printing quality of the pages too.
The book is divided into 4 parts,
Part One:
30 ways to energize your ‘present Self’
Part two:
30 ways to Inspire Confidence and Courage in Living
Part three:
20 ways to alleviate confusion and worry
Part four:
20 ways to make any day the best day
Key takeaways from the book
All the teachings from the book are worth reading and applying. I’ll share some of them.
“Discard what you don’t need”: The author writes that living a simple life is discarding your attachments, mental burdens, possessions, and attachments. He has given the example of crying. After crying we feel light and energized. He says it’s difficult to practice detachment especially when you lose a dear one but detachment is crucial for feeling light and bringing in new abundance in life.
“Create a small garden in your balcony”: The author works as an environmental design professor at Tama Art University and he strongly believes that nature has healing properties. So he suggests having a miniature garden in every home where you can sit and look upon your essential self. Even if you grow a single plant in your little space, it gives unreserved happiness. The act of nurturing develops a caring mind that feels affection towards others.
“Do not be swayed by the opinions of others”: The author reveals the secret to breaking free from confusion. He gives his example. As a garden designer, he needs the support of his team to transport large rocks, trees, and tools. But the ultimate decision of designing any garden comes from his thoughts. If he decides to focus on the various inputs given by his team members then he would not get the desired result. So to make the final adjustments he prefers to be alone. The author says, “Decisiveness is about having the ability to trust in yourself”.
“Don’t be troubled by things that have not yet happened”: Here the author has told the story of Bodhidharma who founded Zen Buddhism and his follower Huike. When Huike came to Bodhidharma and requested a solution for his anxieties, Bodhidharma said he would calm all the anxieties and troubles of Huike, but only after seeing them. He asked Huike to bring the anxieties and present them before him. At that time Huike realized that “Anxiety” was in his mind. It was intangible. The author tells us to think about those things that are happening now instead of thinking about those that have not yet happened.
“Deepen your connection with someone”:
The author tells us to focus on fewer but stronger relationships. It doesn’t matter even if you have fewer friends, but you should treasure those friends for a lifetime. The depth of connection is more important than the number.