The Art of Simple Living: 100 Daily Practices from a Zen Buddhist Monk for a Lifetime of Calm and Joy

Shunmyo Masuno

Apr 2019 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

"Does for mental clutter what Marie Kondo has done for household clutter." --Publishers Weekly

Relax and find happiness amid the swirl of the modern world with this internationally bestselling guide to simplifying your life by the renowned Zen Buddhist author of Don’t Worry and How to Let Things Go.

In clear, practical, easily adopted lessons--one a day for 100 days--renowned Buddhist monk Shunmyo Masuno draws on centuries of wisdom to teach you to Zen your life. Discover how . . .

• Lesson #4: lining up your shoes after you take them off can bring order to your mind;

• Lesson #11: putting down your fork after every bite can help you feel more grateful for what you have;

• Lesson #18: immersing yourself in zazen can sweep the clutter from your mind;

• Lesson #23: joining your hands together in gassho can soothe irritation and conflict;

• Lesson #27: going outside to watch the sunset can make every day feel celebratory;

• Lesson #42: planting a flower and watching it grow can teach you to embrace change;

• Lesson #67: understanding the concept of ichi-go ichi-e can make everyday interactions more meaningful;

• Lesson #85: practicing chisoku can help you feel more fulfilled.

A minimalist line drawing appears opposite each lesson on an otherwise blank page, giving you an opportunity to relax with a deep breath between lessons. With each daily practice, you will learn to find happiness not by seeking out extraordinary experiences but by making small changes to your life, opening yourself up to a renewed sense of peace and inner calm.

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Ratings and reviews

this is a simple and easy reminder to us to return to simplicity and the present moment. loved it!

Great book. Simple and objective!

About the author

Shunmyo Masuno, the head priest of a 450-year-old Zen Buddhist temple in Japan, is the author of the international bestseller Don’t Worry as well as an award-winning Zen garden designer for clients all over the world and a professor of environmental design at one of Japan’s leading art schools. He has lectured widely, including at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Cornell University, and Brown University.

Allison Markin Powell (translator) won the PEN Translation Prize for her translation of Hiromi Kawakami’s The Ten Loves of Nishino and is also the translator of Kawakami’s Strange Weather in Tokyo and The Nakano Thrift Shop as well as Shunmyo Masuno’s Don’t Worry and works by Osamu Dazai, Fuminori Nakamura, and Kanako Nishi, among others. She was the guest editor of the first Japan issue of Words Without Borders and maintains the online database Japanese Literature in English. She lives in New York.

Harriet Lee-Merrion (illustrator) is an award-winning illustrator whose work has been published worldwide in such publications as The New York Times, Marie Claire, and The Guardian and exhibited in New York, London, and Berlin.