A Monarch in Ochre

An abundance of monarch butterflies flutter around the flower garden this late summer.

The Buddha was a monarch (the prince of a small kingdom) before he left home at age 29 and became an ascetic wearing ochre robes.

Though very few of us would choose such a lifestyle, we can simplify our lives, especially when we recognize the stresses--large and small--of our busy lives.

We too have the possibility of transforming our minds from caterpillars to butterflies, which do not even have the same DNA as their previous incarnation.

It's a mystery.

Letting Go

The library is having a plant and book sale on Saturday. I'm dividing perennials and potting them for the sale. Unfortunately, i can't go on Saturday morning because i'm having a day-long retreat here at home with two Dharma friends. Life is so full of wonderful choices, but i simply cannot do everything. Every day i have to simplify my full calendar and let some event or other go.

Letting go of plants. Letting go of plans. Letting go of any sort leads to letting go of self.

Blooming from the Heart

I was in Florida last week, visiting my Aunt Polly. She showed me the crepe myrtle in her front yard. Right now, it is bare sticks (and rather ugly), but in July, it will be a glorious purple.

When we prune our own life--downsize our possessions, simplify, or scale back our responsibilities--we can focus on what is most truly meaningful to us: living from the heart. Our heart can bloom.

What one thing can you let go of today?

Houseplant Haircut

While i was on my month-long retreat here at home, i took cuttings from most of my houseplants. Boy, they really look better, all trimmed down and very neat. Less is more. Less plant is more beautiful, in this case.

Another chore i did while on retreat was to go through my attic, one box at a time. The attic is looking "thinned out" too.

Reliquishing stuff is one of the qualities of a bodhisattva.

Simplifying my possessions or my houseplants feels so good. Counter-intuitively, having less feels good. Amazingly, having less feels better than wanting more. Take a look, feel for yourself.

Pruning Apple Trees

The apple tree pruner came yesterday and cut back the flowering crabapples. Interesting how a tree flowers and fruits more when it has less (branches).

How about us and our spiritual inclinations? We too can flower and fruit by trimming away excess in our life. Renunciation is the 3rd paramount quality (of 10) that the Buddha recommends.

Oh! It's hard. Renunciation is counter-intuitive. We want more. More food, more money, more stuff, more attention, more i-Toys, more friends on Facebook. More, more, more to wall our hearts off from the slings and arrows of the world.

Be honest with yourself. What's one thing you want more of?




And now ask yourself: How can i simplify my life? How can i allow more space for my true heart to simply open to life?