Mantras for simplicity
- I am content with my portion
- I am content with what I have
- I am content with who I am
3 thoughts on “Chevruta discussions – Simplicity”
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Here’s my 200-word reflection on simplicity:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_sUFhgYzQ2ZxGSuRTfK2Fz7MVOT2Ks4LuJR4t0Oi8II/edit?usp=sharing
• The first half talks about considers monkey-brain worry as complicating.
• The second part distinguishes between chronos and kairos, the latter a step toward simplicity.
Bit of a test here, copying Bill’s reflection here:
Reflection on Simplicity
I. Monkey-brain minds
Fundamentally, non-simplicity goes hand-in-hand with monkey-brain mind chatter.
In my almost sleep and drowsing, I often contemplate/ruminate about food I’ll prepare that day. At minimum, this displaces worries and I wake up feeling pretty good.
Often simplicity is associated with reducing material stuff. But in the world of human relations, ego-defending and status-seeking and flaw-finding are all complicating, non-simplifying—in a word, attachments. Buddhist non-attachment simplifies one’s mental life, just as uncluttering a desk also does.
II. Chronos and kairos
In the last day or so, I was reminded of the distinction between two ancient Greek conceptions of time: chronos and kairos. Chronos refers to the passage of minutes and seconds, schedules, grains of sand, horses walking. Chronos time is worrying time, monkey-brain time, very left-brained.
Kairos refers to appointed times, opportune moments, and ripe seasons; kairos is much more right-brained. Kairos time is likethe the effective steward tuned to the slight hint of an opportunity. Because kairos is a step away from monkey-mind chatter, living in kairos time is a step toward simplicity.
Chronos time is sometimes compared to a horse walking, kairos time to a hawk waiting.
And while reading up on chronos and kairos, I burned the bread baking in the oven.
Re: Chronos vs Kairos, is my understanding correct: Chronos would say “It’s 11:00 so I’m going to bed”, while Kairos would say, “I’m sleepy, so I’m going to bed”?