SIMPLIFY

Great sages tell us that when we are truly on the path of the Tao, we will have a tendency to let go more and more and therefore possess less and less. This is an important teaching that speaks to a decrease of clutter and complexity. It is a teaching about simplifying life.

Relatively few people have the ability to simplify naturally. Most of us must learn to acquire the skill, because our environment tends to condition us toward the opposite. Somehow we get the idea that having more is better, so we are encouraged to increase our acquisitions. This is especially true as our civilization becomes ever more sophisticated and further removed from nature.

In this respect, the Tao is contrary to the conventional wisdom. Having less is the far better way to live. Less clutter and less complexity mean less confusion, less chaos. We can never find ourselves through impulse buying and unnecessary hoarding. The Tao waits for us at the other end of the spectrum, in a minimal state of plainness, simplicity and elegance.

The Tao Today

Take a look at your garage if you have one. Are you using it for your car, or are you using it as a storage space? Are the chairs around the house being used for their intended purpose, or are they being used to hang clothes? It can be informative and even enlightening to look at your world through the eyes of the Tao.

The Tao of Joy Every Day

~ Derek Lin