Maria Knodt

Shunmyo Masuno

Zen – The Art of Simple Living

In this book, the Japanese Buddhist monk Shunmyo Masuno gives 100 short lessons of how to integrate Zen activities and concepts into our everyday lives. For example, he teaches about the power of physical work to clear the mind and how to be more grateful and worry less. Most of the activities he proposes are easy to follow, such as pausing after every bite or organizing your desk. Other concepts are more abstract but equally understandable in his clear and minimalistic writing style – in line with Zen philosophy.

“The emptiness of thought is the basis for the teachings of the Buddha, and for his fundamental notions of impermanence and insubstantiality. The Buddha teaches that human suffering occurs when we lack awareness of this impermanence and insubstantiality.

In other words, our confusion and worry stem from an inability to accept that the world is constantly changing, from a belief – or an unconscious hope – that our selves and our possessions, as well as the people who surround us, will never change.

It is precisely when we are betrayed by such a hope that we experience distress.”