importance of simple things

Excerpts

What our teachers say on it: excerpts from the talks and texts, lightly edited and shortened; an ellipsis (…) marks a sentence or more left out. The titles above the excerpts are mine, the teacher's words are in the excerpt; a question under a title really was asked at the talk. How they were made →

1. The small, simple things matter most

   The rather strange thing about Buddhist practice is that the important things are the very small, simple things and the large things are not so important. So if we don’t understand a word of what I said at the end of this talk, it’s alright, go and have a cup of tea. But after you’ve had a cup of tea, wash your mug up. Bringing that into what we’re doing here, the simple things we’re doing are the most important.

   Mike · Ikka-no-myoju 1: A Pearl in Ordinary Things Summer 2006 — Ikka-no-myoju

2. From the retreat back into ordinary life

   Ceremony in Buddhism is a kind of model for us to notice the ceremonies in our life. Being away from home at the session, we can do things a bit more slowly, a bit more carefully, and enjoy them. Simple things: cutting the leeks, or cutting the onion, or chopping the wood. Then when we return to our normal life, we can remember that the simple things in our normal life are valuable. And the values that we have to place on different things in our busy lives are sometimes false.

   Mike · Ceremony and Everyday Life February 2009 — Cholín

3. A slow revolution in our values

   It takes many years to change our lives. Little by little, we can rearrange our values. It's very difficult. It's a struggle to do it. Just practising zazen every morning is very difficult to fit into our schedule. So we make an effort today, stupidly, to value the simple things in our life. And then tomorrow we do the same thing. And then the next day, we forget and become very busy and unbalanced. And then the day after, we remember again. So going through life day after day, week after week, year after year, in this way, our life slowly changes. That's a Buddhist way. Slow revolution.

   Mike · Ceremony and Everyday Life February 2009 — Cholín

4. The simple centre of a complicated life

   In pointing to the very simple things, we can notice the basis of our real life. Sometimes we think the basis of our life is very complicated. Our life is composed of our plans for the future and many complicated things which we hold in our head, many duties that we have to do, and modern life is very complicated. In that very complicated situation, Buddhism says, right in the middle is a very simple activity, which I'm doing again and again. And this is the most important thing. In ancient China what Buddhist teachers were teaching was always like this: Look at the very simple things we are doing, and notice the basis of our life. And that's all. But because it's so simple, we find it very difficult.

   Mike · Koan Stories and Being Here and Now June 2007 — PadmafarmaAlso in: Yunmen’s Lantern Without Mystery

5. The smallest actions that set the course of our lives

   At the very basic, fundamental level, each action at each moment, we can go left or right, stand up sit down, open the door not open the door, speak or not speak. So at the instantaneous action level something else determines our actions. We can’t possibly think about the smallest actions that we make, and yet those smallest actions that we make actually determine the course of our lives far more than the large intellectually-based decisions we make in society.

   Mike · Shoaku Makusa 1: Not Doing Wrong Here and Now Winter 2006 — Shoaku MakusaAlso in: MMK 3: Cutting Through Categories

6. Reaching out for the teapot

   That very simple thing which we all do, all of the time, when we just reach out and pick up the teapot is very important, but because it’s so ordinary and almost hidden by our thoughts, we give it no value at all. Everything is action, but we have a brain which abstracts us from what we’re doing.

   Mike · Genjo-koan 4: Realisation as Wholeness Summer 2002 — Genjo-koan

7. All activities are equal

   To be what we are, and to value what we’re doing. And society has this hierarchy of values, so the guy in the big office typing numbers in is far more valuable than the person sweeping out the toilets. But Buddhism says no, it’s the same thing — press the key, press the key, push the broom. Buddhism supports total equality. All of our simple actions are the grounds of our lives and we should notice that fact and give value to all the things we do, within the constraints of society.

   Mike · Uji 5: Words and Reality Winter 2004 — UjiAlso in: Ikka-no-myoju 5: The Four Views, Effort for Its Own Sake

8. Thanking the person who cleans the toilet

   The person who's cleaning the floor and cleaning the toilet has value down here. Two very important people who are making money on their computers are talking to each other, and they go into the toilet in the airport. And they're talking on their mobile phones and discussing very, very important things. And there's some person who's cleaning the toilets. And they don't notice that person. Maybe they don't even think he's a person. Must be some very poor person. In Japan the situation is a bit different. If you go into the toilet and somebody's cleaning the toilet, people say to them, Oh, thank you very much. And that person who's cleaning the toilet feels valued.

   Mike · Old Writings and Our Own Life September 2013 — Banský Studenec

9. According to Dogen, the cook is the most important person

   We find it very difficult to be in everyday simple life, because we are very intelligent. We tend to give different value to different activities, so we could say, "Oh, we're talking here about very, very important philosophy about life and truth, but she's in the kitchen cooking, that's not so important." But Master Dogen said the cook is the most important person.

   Mike · Genjo-koan: Being Awake Is Being Here May 2014 — Banský Studenec

10. Dogen and the value of everyday things

    When Dogen was in China, he realised the very great value of simple, ordinary, everyday things. Like washing, cooking, zazen, cleaning your teeth, sewing, shitting. So he talked about them. He wrote about them in very great detail. But only in the Buddhist context. So, not how to sew on a button on your trousers, but how to sew a robe. Not how to cook food for children, but how to cook food for monks.

    Mike · Dogen and Modern Life August 2012 — Dibbavana

11. Everyday activities make us real persons

    Dogen, in quoting the ancient master’s words, “the everyday activities of our lives make us real persons,” is pointing us to the simple actions that make up our daily lives. Not to esoteric study and trying to put together a vast, great plan of how all things work, but in studying the very simple activities of our everyday life. And our standard for studying the simplest activities of our everyday life is Zazen. This is our standard.

    Mike · Shoaku Makusa 5: The Child and the Old Man Winter 2006 — Shoaku Makusa

12. Changing the world through simple things

    Making an effort for Buddhism is very great. Usually we think doing small things is not great, but it's not true. Doing simple things sometimes is very great. We never know the result of doing something very simple with great effort. So when we do simple things to have Buddhist activity, we can think we are changing the world.

    Mike · Effort Without Knowing the Result May 2014 — Banský Studenec

• Then when we return to our normal life, we can remember that the simple things in our normal life are valuable.

  Ceremony and Everyday Life February 2009 — Cholín

Texts

1. Ceremony and Everyday Life ●●● February 2009 — Cholín

   Then when we return to our normal life, we can remember that the simple things in our normal life are valuable.

   importance of simple things · cutting leeks and chopping wood · false values of modern life
2. Genjo-koan 4: Realisation as Wholeness ●●● Summer 2002 — Genjo-koan

   every action is valuable to itself, every action is sacred and ordinary at the same time

   value of action
3. Ikka-no-myoju 1: A Pearl in Ordinary Things ●●● Summer 2006 — Ikka-no-myoju

   the rather strange thing about Buddhist practice is that the important things are the very small, simple things

   importance of simple things
4. Shoaku Makusa 5: The Child and the Old Man ●●● Winter 2006 — Shoaku Makusa

   not special events but the real events in our everyday lives

   real events of everyday life
5. Koan Stories and Being Here and Now ●●● June 2007 — Padmafarma

   in pointing to the very simple things, we can notice the basis of our real life

   importance of simple things
6. Old Writings and Our Own Life ●●● September 2013 — Banský Studenec

   in England we were taught to value cleverness, intellectual excellence. And using your hands, physical work, is at the bottom

   thanking the toilet cleaner · valuing cleverness over physical work
7. Ikka-no-myoju 5: The Four Views ●●● Summer 2006 — Ikka-no-myoju

   our traditional values, in the West, tend to undervalue action. And Buddhism teaches the value of action

   value of action
8. Shoaku Makusa 1: Not Doing Wrong Here and Now ●●● Winter 2006 — Shoaku Makusa

   those smallest actions that we make actually determine the course of our lives

   smallest actions steering our lives
9. MMK 3: Cutting Through Categories ●●● Summer 2008 — Nagarjuna’s Mulamadhyamakakarika

   What we value in modern society are the other parts, thinking and planning. Buddhism suggests that we give value to the moments of acting

   value of action
10. Effort for Its Own Sake ●●● July 2009 — Dibbavana

    For this reason, we need a philosophy that says all action is the same.

    value of action
11. Yunmen’s Lantern Without Mystery ●●● September 2009 — Earth Spirit

    he feels the value of his action in the present moment because when we are doing something fully

    value of action
12. Effort Without Knowing the Result ●●● May 2014 — Banský Studenec

    Doing simple things sometimes is very great. We never know the result of doing something very simple with great effort

    importance of simple things
13. Uji 5: Words and Reality ●●● Winter 2004 — Uji

    press the key, press the key, push the broom. Buddhism supports total equality.

    press the key, push the broom
14. Dogen and Modern Life ●●● August 2012 — Dibbavana

    he realised the very great value of simple, ordinary, everyday things

    importance of simple things
15. Genjo-koan: Being Awake Is Being Here ●●● May 2014 — Banský Studenec

    But Master Dogen said the cook is the most important person.

    cook as the most important person

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