Apr 2014 Living simply is one of the things I learned from my time in monasteries and retreat centers. Buddhist monastics are the masters of this, having only the possessions of one robe and one bowl. As lay people we accumulate more things, and may need more things, but the principle of living simply is one that we can also apply to our lives.

What stuff do we have that we do not need or use? Through generosity we can donate that to someone who might need it, and create more space in our life. The spaciousness that comes from having less and clinging less is a great benefit to one’s life.

One idea I heard to see what things you really need:  pack up all the things you have in one room, and then take them out as you use them. The things that remain in the boxes after a few months might be the things that you can part with now!