LESS IS MORE: SIMPLICITY

 Here is a value that I wish to live by each day. A minimalist at heart, I see how I can uncompliate my life by choosing LESS rather than MORE. Here is an excerpt from my BUDDHA BOOK. 

We are all drowning in a sea of information. There is too much to learn, too much to know. This is complicating our way. The Buddha asks us to notice the great way of simplicity; when we do, greater happiness will be ours. It has been said that the Buddha left all of his wealth to be simply in nature.

The world of athletics is becoming extremely complex and we could learn from the Buddha, a more simple, happier way. From the time children are five years old, family life becomes a complex schedule of sporting events, practices, expenses, travel...total disruption and all-encompassing lifestyle as we all hope our kids catch the next train to Stanford. It continues into high school and beyond. Whatever happened to the simpler days of just playing in the sandbox? Sports are out of control and one must wonder, are we any better off because of it? Think about all the attendant technological advances: watches, heart-rate monitors, energy bars, replacement drinks, exercise machines. Clearly much is gained, yet so much is lost. Whatever happened to listening to your body for appropriate feedback? Ethiopian Abebe Bikila won an Olympic gold medal in the marathon running barefoot. No high-tech shoes or digital timepiece for him; he simply ran. Complex gadgetry can create distraction, anxiety, and tension, hindering performance.

Take a close look at your exercise and sports agenda. Think about ways in which you can seriously create change toward a more simplified program. What’s essential and what’s not? Do you really need all that equipment? Will having those expensive running shoes really help you to run up that hill more quickly? If so, is it necessary to run so quickly? Do you really need to jump into your car and drive thirty minutes each day to an exercise gym when you might be able to gain the same benefits by lifting weights at home, using the travel time saved for reading or meditation? For some athletes and exercise buffs, portable heart monitors are useful and worth having, an integral aspect of their training; for others, they are superfluous gear of little value. How do you feel about this?

As you begin to feel the numerous benefits from a shift in consciousness to a more simplistic physical world, you may become motivated to do the same in other aspects of your life. Take a look at your environment, your diet, your relationships, your career, your possessions. What can you shed to create a less complicated lifestyle? By noticing this, you will begin to create much happiness in your life by following the less is more approach: a simple meal, a simple day, a simple home. There’s less to worry about; it hardly matters when your no-frills ten-year-old car gets scratched in a parking lot. A computer, for some, is essential; for others, it’s an expensive toy they can do without.

Creating simplicity in your complex world is not easy. It requires re-thinking priorities and the willingness to empty your pockets to fill our soul. Taking a cut in salary could mean more hours with the family, quality time with your hobbies and

less upheaval even if there’s less money left over at the end of the month. it requires coming to terms with a deeper, more spiritual question: “How much is enough?” As opposed to “How much can I get?” Perhaps it means learning how to live simply in order to simply live.

Simplicity is liberating. It helps you to focus only on that which really matters. Mastery is experienced during times of pure, unadulterated simplicity. Perhaps the greatest sophistication in life is when we can embrace the competitive Buddha sports way: less is more.