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The focus could be on the quality of the products and the sustainability of the resources used in their manufacture. Instead of the media, through the barrage of advertising, constantly reinforcing the idea that we actually need the latest device for painlessly removing nasal hair or anticellulite electronic muscle toners, they might apply there formidable resources to something more meaningful. mine the activities of suppliers to the market. If enough consumers demand that a product, such as a table, be made so that its design and structure can withstand the test of time, then the market will provide such a table. If the design is simple but elegant and the quality of the manufacture is high, then the table should last generations and its appeal should increase with the passage of time as the colors deepen with the patina of use and age. As a consumer voter each individual has the opportunity to influence the market, and although in isolation the effect may be insignificant, the voices of many individuals will create a huge force that has the power to support the future well-being of the environment. The final way that wabi sabi promotes a better environment is in attitudes toward nature. As Ryokan shows in the next chapter, in the heart of the humble there is a great love for all aspects of nature, whether they be the magnificent beasts that walk on the Serengeti or the lice the monk played host to. This respect for nature fosters a caring attitude toward it, and rather than seeking to gain from its exploitation there is an active desire to conserve and replenish the environment. Through their considered purchases, a preference for quality over quantity, the use of organic materials over modern, less environmentally friendly materials, and a spirit of conservation, those drawn to the life of wabi will be able to make a positive contribution to the well-being of the planet. If key persuaders in a society take up the baton and manage to get the media ball rolling, then our attitude toward the world as a place to freely plunder may change and we may learn to treat it with the respect it deserves. The Life of Wabizumai “Attach your lives to a goal not people or things.” —Albert Einstein Buddhists say that the idea that desires can, if given sufficient means, be satiated and appeased is an obvious fallacy, and that beyond one desire lies an inexhaustible line of others. The only true way, then, to find a state of independence from the demands of the physical world is by ceasing to need more than is required. By only taking what is really needed to maintain physical health there is then freedom from the relentless desire to have anything more. The scope of this freedom is far-reaching, because it then opens the way for a simple life without the need to chase dreams of wealth or sensual gratification. Freed from these desires, a person should be able to find peace and not need to invest so many hours of the day in pursuit of goals that yield only transient satisfaction. In most Western countries, despite the huge technological developments that have negated the need for many aspects of manual labor, people are working harder and longer than ever before, and this has arguably detracted from the quality of their lives. There have been few checks on the encroachment of a purely material world and hedonism has been slowly replacing the function of religion. The acquisition of material wealth has become increasingly important, as it is often associated with happiness. The part played by the media in developing this tenuous link cannot be overestimated, but by throwing the focus of life into the arena of the material world, the importance of the spiritual world is then relegated to second place. The spiritual world is intangible, and so in its nature has little potential to offer the commercial world, but now, as a result of this, we are facing some unattractive social side effects. Depression is said to affect one in five in the U.K., with one in six Americans having been prescribed Prozac. Overindulgence in the physical world is evidenced in the ever-increasing obesity problem; this in a world where many are still starving. Alarm bells should be ringing loud and clear, but as the answer is not politically or commercially palatable little will be done by business or the state to improve the situation. There is an urgent need to reconsider our aspirations and goals in a more holistic light and to look toward a future that will provide for our psychological needs in the same measure as for our physical ones. It is obviously impractical to suggest that everyone should don a monk’s robe, shave their heads, and move to a hermitage in the hills, but there is much to be learned from the simple lifestyles of the monks who lived a life of wabi, referred to as wabizumai. (Wabi here means solitary and simple and zumai being a verb extension meaning to live.) These Zen monks, who had overcome their worldly desires, lived in the simplest of huts often in challenging conditions, but in place of physical comfort they enjoyed a peace of mind and a true appreciation of life that seems to be lacking in the helter-skelter of modern life. The famous monk Ryokan, who for many epitomizes the life of wabizumai, owned his robe and a begging bowl and little else. Ryokan felt that the life being pursued by men in the towns and cities, including many of the monks in the temples, held no real value for him, so he decided to leave their world and live a life consistent with his own beliefs. As with all great struggles, there were times of extreme hardship and solitude, the sentiments of which he captured in the following poem: Sometimes I sit quietly, Listening to the sound of leaves falling, How peaceful the life of a monk is, Detached from all worldly matters, So why do I shed these tears? Still, his love of nature and life was legendary and endeared him to all he came into contact with. He had been educated in the Chinese and Japanese classics, but he studiously avoided intellectualization and formalism and instead sought the simplicity and clarity of a child’s mind. The blue sky and the bright sun in the first days of spring, As all around becomes verdant and fresh. Carrying my bowl I amble onwards towards the village. The children, surprised to see me, Joyfully gather around so bringing My begging trip to its conclusion by the temple gate, I put my bowl on the top of a white rock, Hang my bag on the branch of a tree, And then play with a ball and the wild grasses For a while we play catch as the children sing, And then I take my turn. Playing with abandon I loose all track of time. People passing by point and laugh asking, “What is the reason for such foolishness?” I respond only with a deep bow, For even if I answered it would be beyond their under standing, Look around, there is nothing more than this. It was this living and thinking without clutter that Ryokan advocated, and when he saw the rather egotistic and academic tendencies in those Buddhist monks who indulged in learning or other affairs of the intellect, he would write poems that parodied their own self-importance. With his intense respect for life, Ryokan’s behavior was, by today’s standards, a little eccentric, and he even went so far as to warm his pubic lice by placing them out in the evening sun. He also managed to set fire to his hut while trying to burn a small hole in the roof for a bamboo shoot to pass through. But despite his quirky habits, the purity of his spirit gave his calligraphy such depth and energy that it was prized by all. Some of the local merchants who were aware of the profit to be gained from such works would try to trick the monk into writing on anything that came to hand. He once wrote a message on a kite that has since become a national treasure. Being immersed in the Zen view of impermanence as Ryokan was, when he was asked for some special calligraphy that would bring the family good fortune the monk wrote the character for shi (Death). The surprised recipient could not understand why such an unhappy character should be written, but Ryokan explained that “When people are mindful of death, they don’t waste time or squander their wealth.” However much the antics of this monk may appeal to our sense of romance, the relevance to life in a modern city is a little hard to perceive at first. Where Ryokan lived in the humblest of huts in the hills, most people today live in comfortable houses in congested cities, and where Ryokan spent his days on his begging rounds, helping in the villages, and playing with children, today lives are generally jampacked with work and social commitments. And yet despite the cavernous cultural and historical divide between the life of a natureloving monk and that of today’s city dwellers, there still remains in most of us a craving for the simplicity that such a life represents. There seems to be a dichotomy between the lives we are constantly told we should be living and the simple life that for many holds a greater appeal. Put another way, there is a choice for most in the West between hedonism and wabizumai. The wabizumai road, well-signposted by Zen (as well as most other religious movements), is a personal path and involves a personal choice. On the other hand, hedonism is the accepted norm and claims to offer the easiest and most comfortable passage through life. Wabizumai is an ascending path full of potholes and bends, but it is a path that has the potential to take the spirit to a higher level. While hedonism tends to be more appealing, it often leads to a lowering of spiritual resolve. Zen maintains that it is effort and discipline that will bear fruits, and if we in the West wish to benefit from this wisdom then there must be a move away from the pervasive goal of instant gratification of the senses.