Extreme
Minimalism as an idea, a concept and even a force, has been shifting around in
my life, touching upon different areas, making me look more deeply into my
daily practice.
When
I say ‘daily practice’, I am talking about life lived on purpose. The endeavor
is to make of my whole life a reverential space; a temple, really. I can
visualize it. When I think of that holy space, what I see is not a man-made
structure with arches, pillars, windows, seats – but a naturally formed golden
sandstone cave, luminous with flooding light from a source I cannot see, simple
and bare, with a smooth but naturally shaped flattish rock as an altar in the
middle. The temple at the heart of me.
Human
beings, as I understand it, are multi-layered – the physical body, the subtle
bodies (emotional, psychological, mind, soul, intuitional, instinctual) for
thinking and loving and strategizing and worshipping. But not held one within
another like the layers of an onion or a Russian nesting doll. Rather,
co-existent – a dynamic, primarily non-physical, entity; with boundaries
varying according to well-being and circumstance. I know I can draw in my
boundaries like a sea anemone closing, and so pass retiredly through a
situation – unobtrusive and even, if I do it well, functionally invisible, as
though I were not there.
Because
a human being (as I understand it; you may see things differently) is thus made
up of these different bodies co-existing in the same space, their boundaries
enlarging and shrinking, interrelating in a constant active and responsive
dynamic life, the temple at the heart of me is at the heart of each of these
bodies at the same time – it doesn’t radiate its light out from one to another,
its light is central to each one. The temple at the heart of me is my physical
body’s light – my earthlight, as well as my soul-light and the light of my
heart and mind. It illumines my instincts and intuition, my practical
strategizing, my contemplation – the whole lot.
The
temple at the heart of me does not belong to me though, because when I was
fifteen I gave it away. At that time I gave my life to Jesus, so the temple
that illuminates me is his, and the light that illumines it is his;
Christlight.
Sorry
for long-winded explanation. I realize I do not always think like everyone
else, nor operate on the same assumptions, so I thought it best to make clear
the basis of my understanding.
The
idea of extreme minimalism has been moving through areas of my life, touching
upon them, influencing them, and moving on to the next. In relating to it I
have tried this and that – got rid of things in response to its force, but then
adjusting back and accumulating things (though observing strict limits),
according to what seemed practical and workable for my circumstances and
personality. Extreme minimalism, moving like an intelligent investigative fog
or fragrance, infiltrated my wardrobe and my bookshelf, my electronic gadgetry,
my possessions in general, my toiletries and
. . . er . . . I don’t think I’ve got anything else. Then extreme minimalism
fogged into my schedule and relationships, bringing me to consider how to prune
and clear out, how to diminish and distil; reminiscent of Jesus waking up in
the boat and saying ‘Peace – be still,’ to the storm. Calming, quieting,
lessening, diminishing; creating space to see, breathe, think, imagine,
experience, get well and pray. When I say ‘fogged’, I mean that the force of minimalism has moved through my life like a subtle intelligent entity, infiltrating; but I don’t mean ‘obscuring’ – on the contrary, it has clarified and illuminated. Extreme minimalism infiltrated into my
eating habits, removing (for a while, anyway) processed and concentrated foods (‘refined’ is a very
inaccurate description of white sugar and white flour).
Everything
it has touched it has thinned out – including my physical body. Then, as it
moved on to the next area, I stopped paying attention and the muddle and
clutter of non-minimalism crept in again, bringing its accumulations (and –
Toinette Lippe, priceless quote, ‘Problems arise where things accumulate). My
beautiful mama observes that the key to success is managing to both maintain
and progress, and she really put her finger on it there. Well, I’m not good at
that. I progress, then let slip. Sigh. But my next Life Endeavour is to learn
how to maintain and progress in the field of Extreme Minimalism. Because my
experience suggests that extreme minimalism is conducive to the non-obscuring
of the light in the temple at the heart of me, and the non-messing-up of that
temple as a simple peaceful beautiful holy space.
Note:
this is not me telling you what to do. Life has commonalities but also
individuality. For some of you, what I am
saying will resonate and speak; for others it may be no use at all. That
doesn’t diminish the validity of my way or yours; it’s just the suchness of it
– the way we separately and individually are. For many, extreme minimalism
appears as a weird, unsustainable fad; for me, it is a key to transformation.
I’m
sorry it has taken me so long to get to what I wanted to say. It’s not that the
force of extreme minimalism hasn’t penetrated to the fount of words in me; on
the contrary, it has. I find that in the regular course of my days I need more
and more time in silence and solitude, and I have less and less to say about
more and more. Why I don’t blog so much. Why the book I’m writing just now is
so slow and dry and tricksy to bring into view. The thread of words in me in
breaking. But I appreciate it may not look like it reading this long post.
But
what I’m getting to is this: the latest thing the force of extreme minimalism
has fogged into in my life has been religion.
Since
childhood, religion has held for me great fascination. Particularly I have been
drawn to the monastic world and the Plain people; the Observant Life. Temples,
cathedrals, candles, saints, robes, incense, holy Rules, special speech forms,
ways of walking, observant dress – these have been my love affair and delight
over every decade past the first. And now they’re not. Extreme minimalism has misted
through my religiousness and dissolved it. Doctrines and dogma, the definition
and separation created by creeds and affiliations, liturgies and rituals of
every kind (whether Plain or fancy), no longer do it for me.
Extreme
minimalism has dissolved and melted away all the beautiful accretions of the
religious life.
What
it’s left behind is these things:
- The all-pervasive presence of God.
- The illumining and sustaining of the Holy Spirit.
- The beautiful beloved – warm rugged brave – companionship of Jesus.
- Certain injunctions from the Bible.
- A remark made by the Dalai Lama.
The
words of the Dalai Lama I am left with are these:
‘This is my simple
religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our
own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.’
The words from the Bible I
am left with – to practice with for the time being – are these words from
Ephesians:
I
… beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with
all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love,
endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ch.4:1-3)
There
is . . . one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in
you all.
But
unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of
Christ. (Ch 4:6-7)
That
we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby
they lie in wait to deceive; but
speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the
head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted
by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the
measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself
in love. (Ch4:14-16)
And
be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which
after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Wherefore
putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are
members one of another.
Be
ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither
give place to the devil. (Ch 4:23-27)
Let
no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to
the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
And
grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption.
Let
all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put
away from you, with all malice: and
be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God
for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
(Ch 4:29-32)
Be
ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and
walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
(Ch 5:1-2)
For
ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children
of light: (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and
truth)
(Ch 5:8-9)
Wherefore
he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall
give thee light.
See
then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming
the time, because the days are evil.
Wherefore
be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
(Ch 5:14-17)
Speaking
to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting yourselves one to another
in the fear of God.
(Ch 5:19-21)
The Bible has, for me,
many other teachings to practice with, but the quotation above is what has
presently come to the fore.
Now, that’s a long
quotation. It’s the expanded version
of what I’m practicing with. It’s what the sea anemone looks like when it’s
open.
The minimalist version of
it looks like this:
This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no
need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple;
the philosophy is kindness.’ (Dalai Lama)
And
be ye kind one to another (Ephesians 4:32)
The extreme minimalist version looks
like this:
And
be ye kind one to another
As a footnote – in the expanded version
(if you could be bothered to read all that great long quotation from
Ephesians!) there’s an injunction about Speaking
to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody in your heart to the Lord.
‘Speaking to yourselves’ – what an
interesting phrase! ‘You’ of course is the plural – it means the whole
community (singular, an individual would be ‘speaking to thyself’). But it
imports the idea of the community as an entity, a body – like ‘talking to yourself’
– a sort of internal community feedback loop, an infra-structure, a continual
edification, a loop of strengthening and nourishment, achieved by singing. How
beautiful! A mycelium of melodic reinforcement.
And there’s a song I am practicing with,
an old chorus that helps us memorize the long list of the fruit of the Spirit,
that St Paul writes in Galatians 5:22-23 –
The
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
gentleness, faithfulness, self-control – for such there is no law.
This is exciting, because ‘for such
there is no law’ means it’s the minimalist form of Christianity – what’s left
when the religion has been soaked away and allowed to dissolve. The extreme minimalist version is and be ye kind to one another – but the slightly expanded version is The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control – for such
there is no law.
And the reinforcement of it comes in –
well, doing it obviously, but staying
with it by the application of song.
In parenthesis - kindness, I find, is a
plant that has to have space around it. Kindness withers and dies PDQ in a life
that is pressured and harassed on every side. Even if one doesn’t lose
patience, it does take time, being
kind. So even though kindness is essentially interactive, it has to be manured
with loads of silence, space, solitude, reflection etc.
Thank you for your patience (if you read
all this)!!!
And I have no idea why some bits of writing have come out black and others grey
:0\
:0\
