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Life is full of stressful situations. We as competitive creatures always are under the false belief that we have to take risks, that we need to be successful and productive all the time. If we fail to fulfill this requirement, we are immediately overcome by stress, anxiety, and the fear of failure. Isn’t there a way that will provide solutions for the negativity in our lives? A way that helps us keep calm and feel joyful? You will discover 20 daily Zen Buddhism exercises that will motivate you to lead a happy and exciting life with this summary. Practicing these habits will motivate you to leave the habits and decisions that result in your maelstrom. You will feel a sense of relief and contentment and you will learn what it means to change your outlook on life to lead a better life full of peace. Chapter 1 - Maintain good relationships by changing your perception. People are the most complex beings in the universe. Dealing with rude coworkers or overly judgmental parents exhaust people with their complicated nature. We need to find a way to bring a feeling of calmness to even our most stressful interactions. How can we accomplish this? Well, the first thing you need to do is change your focus. Humans tend to focus on others’ bad characteristics. But we as a species should try our best to think about the good qualities of the people around us. Act as if you are a Zen gardener when you try to analyze the characteristics of other people. A Zen gardener regards a tree as its own entity when the time comes to plant it in his garden. He evaluates the general features of the tree and contemplates what feelings the tree would evoke in people. He considers the other elements of the garden as well. Eventually, he makes a choice and plants the tree in a place that will be in harmony with others while also showing its unique beauty. The author is familiar with Zen gardens where all elements should be decorated in a way that will evoke a sense of harmony. The same situation applies to relationships as well: you need to appreciate the unique features of people and find ways to communicate with them accordingly. We need to spend enough time with people to understand their character completely. And unfortunately, modern settings often pressure people into caring more about our number of friends rather than having a few close friends. We are conditioned to feel proud of how wide our social circle is, instead of focusing on the depth of our relationships. However, Zen Buddhism provides a more entertaining approach to relationships. The Zen philosophy focuses on the phrase Ichi-go Ichi-e. The phrase means once in a lifetime, referring to the fact that each interaction we have is unique. You might never see a person you’ve interacted with again. Thus, it is important to focus on deepening the connection with the people you interact with. After all, you might never see them again. Still, you will always encounter people you dislike. Even if you were a monk in a Zen temple, you would still have someone you didn’t like. Don’t dwell on interactions that are fading or interactions that negatively affect you. Think about blossoming trees instead. Birds love to perch on trees that blossom beautifully. As long as you are happy and blossoming, you will attract the right people. Chapter 2 - Keep in mind that what you have is precious. Everywhere we go, we come across shopping malls. We use our convenient credit cards for each purchase. The abundance of shopping malls and credit cards motivate us to spend excessively. Excessive consumption has been celebrated by many for years. However, an alternative way to incessant consumption helps you save money and feel more peaceful. Buddhism argues that people get addicted to greed. Even if we obtain what we have desired, we won’t stay satisfied for long. We are bound to want more than what we have. If your actions are motivated by feelings of greed, you will always experience stress. Leaving greed behind and opting for a simpler lifestyle will help you feel liberated and content. Chisoku, meaning “be satisfied”, teaches how to cast greed aside from your life. The Buddhist teaching suggests that you should be grateful for what you own after you have enough to fulfill your needs. Tell yourself that “This is enough”. Don’t let your desires dictate your actions. Chisoku is the antidote when greed is the poison. The practice helps us understand that what we have is enough. Once you accept this discipline, you will feel more peaceful. Feeling dissatisfied? Think about all your desires and ask this question in front of a mirror: Is what I want an absolute necessity? Of course, simple living does not equate to living frugally. Buying cheap objects that you do not actually care about is what frugality is about. In contrast, a simple life means you have what you need and that you are thankful for the things you have in your life. You might have a cup that is solely for coffee. And while it is the only cup you have it could be a really expensive one that cost you a hundred dollars. What matters is that the cup will be needed, used, and you will feel satisfied. Lastly, a simple life does not equate to going to the mall each time you realize you need something. Rather, a simple life means you are imaginative with what you have and use what you already own for new purposes. If you need to make use of everything you have, think about Kyoto’s Zen gardens. Famous for their dry scenery, it is impossible to see any water element in the Zen gardens. Still, each element is decorated in an immaculate way where the arrangement helps visitors imagine the sound of a water stream. The existence of such creative gardens proves that we can achieve many things just by being liberated and using our imagination. We don’t need credit cards to achieve what we desire. Chapter 3 - Alterations in your diet will help you become more energized. Do you ever wish that you were more energetic? Exhausting work hours, housework that needs to be done, and our hectic family lives may tire us immensely. How can we overcome the exhaustion from these commitments? You might not be lucky enough to reduce your workload or go on a two-month vacation. Still, there are simple methods to feel more energetic towards life. A method to feel more energetic is to go barefoot. Take off shoes and socks. It may sound weird at first but imitating the way of monks will help you get over your exhaustion immensely. With time, walking barefoot will show its benefits by strengthening the body. Monks are known to be resilient to colds. Of course, walking barefoot outside of your home might not be convenient for most of us, but you can still wear a pair of thong sandals when you need to leave your house. Thong sandals have many health benefits. Between the big toe and the second toe is a sensitive skin that also works as a pressure point for our internal organs. Going outside with the sandals helps the body by massaging the point. Another way to gain your energy back is by reducing your meat intake. Altering your diet to include more vegetables and throwing away meat and dairy products will help your mind feel soberer. Since the body and the mind share a strong connection, your skin will benefit from this as well. Eating too much meat, on the other hand, has negative effects on your mind. People who eat too much meat tend to be easily frustrated and more troubled. It is usually hard to cut down on your meat intake, but you can start by dedicating one day of the week to vegetable-based meals. Then, you can increase the number with time. Do you still feel as if you lack energy? Then start exercising more. You may think that resting helps you store energy, but not being active enough can make you feel exhausted. Think about the cup of coffee you drink every morning. If you’re at home, then you use a coffee maker. When you’re commuting to your workplace, you visit a café and order a cup of coffee. But what would happen if you had to work for your coffee? Let’s say you need to visit the woods at dawn and gathered wood for the fire. You need to create the fire by yourself to boil the water. Imagine that you ground the coffee beans while the morning sun lights up your surroundings? Then the cup of coffee you drink would make you feel more refreshed. Why? Because you worked for each step until it was done. Living a vital life is similar, it demands you dedicate time and effort. Chapter 4 - Little alterations to your morning routine will help to become relaxed and concentrated. Whenever someone wants to know how we are doing, we tend to emphasize how busy we are. Can we ever get out of this constant state of being busy? The answer is: Yes, we can. The first step for that is adjusting your alarm clock. You might think that you don’t have enough time to do all the things in your schedule. And that is why you are busy. But the reality is a little bit different. Let’s think about the interesting story behind the Japanese character for busy: the radicals used mean loss and heart. Thus, when you feel that your schedule is too busy for something, it means you don’t have any more room in your heart. Fortunately, a small alteration can help you become more relaxed and freer. Changing your body clock to start a little bit earlier each morning will help you feel less busy. Wake up fifteen minutes earlier each day to have a nice cup of tea or coffee. If possible, enjoy your coffee next to a window. Hearing the chirping birds in the morning will help you start the day happily. Within just fifteen minutes, you will feel liberated from your hectic life.