Modern Simplicity

  D.T. Suzuki begins his lecture “Zen & The Art of Tea”, with the words… “What is common to Zen & The Art of Tea is the constant attempt both make at simplification. The elimination of the unnecessary is achieved by Zen in it’s intuitive grasp of final reality, by the Art of Tea in the way of living typified by serving tea in the tea room”. 

  It was Hiroki who initially introduced me to D.T. Suzuki’s lecture. It is an essential lecture to understand the aestheticism of the Art of Tea and it’s fundamental relationship with Zen. Modern simplicity is an aesthetic tone which I initially discovered in Mumbai, India and it was there that I realized that comfort exists in simplicity. I now think of simplicity as fundamental to my way of life and it is clear that the simplest things in life possess the virtue of transforming our lives in the most amazing ways.

  I don’t acquaint simplification with austere asceticism. Rather, I view simplification as an intelligent refinement of what is basic to our existence. Such an attitude encourages a respect for things, which is a perspective of fundamental importance evident in Chanoyu, the Japanese tea ceremony. I think of intelligent refinement as an awakened approach towards the immediate arrangement of our material territories. In the Book of Tea, Okakura Kakuzo references that too often in the West the aesthetic qualities of our homes are typified as nothing more than a vulgar display of riches. I adamantly believe that sometimes less is more.

  The asceticism of minimalism is one of an applied meditated intelligence. Within this aesthetic frame a single object possesses the virtue of transforming an entire environment. The object is amplified from the ground in which it occupies and in this way simplification creates a mood that is free from clutter or excessiveness. Such an aesthetic mood can be carried into so many dimension of our lives. The simplest words, love u, may convey the deepest love of this entire universe. Minimalism when lived is a centered meditation allows us to return to the essence of existence, purpose, and soul. 

  The comfort of simplicity is a freedom from the chaotic multiplicity of our modern lives. We are able to find a peaceful center, and through this center better relate to our lifestyles and the people who are our lives. When we intelligently refine our material lives we are better able to live the Buddhist idea of non-attachment. Psychosocially, the aestheticism of modern simplicity is a modern expression that is ultimately less taxing on our individualistic egos and greater natural environment. We are simply decluttering our immediate environments, and it is through meditation that may declutter our own mind.