英文原文
Simplify These Things and You'll Enjoy Life a Lot More
“I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures.” ~Lao-Tze
So said Lao-Tze, perhaps one of the greatest teachers humankind has ever had.
When I committed myself to the most important journey of my life (of course I’m talking about the spiritual one), I was focused on gaining patience. I worked hard to free my mind and soul from all clutter and emotional charge.
There was one aspect I kept ignoring: getting rid of the clutter. When one of my closest friends was in my room, she didn’t wait too long before noticing, “You have too much stuff all around.”
What stuff? I had no idea I was living in a mess. I even had a name for it: creative chaos.
You know how everything seems to fall into place at certain periods of time? It was that very same day when I encountered Lao-Tze’s quote. It just popped up on my Facebook feed.
At that moment, I realized I was focusing on gaining patience and compassion, but I was forgetting about a really important part of the journey: simplicity. And I knew my friend was right: you can’t declutter your mind if you don’t simplify your life.
I didn’t limit that change to material possessions; I expanded it beyond that aspect of living. This was part of my journey, and I can’t find the right words to express the relief I felt as soon as I started making my life simpler. Hopefully, my experience will help you make that change, so I decided to share a few steps that will lead you to the bliss of living simply.
Understand what possessions are. Get rid of them!
Do you own too many things? That’s not a real problem if you need them. If, however, you’re collecting a pile of stuff you never use, then you have a real problem.
This was the mindset I adopted: “I own these things. But they also own me!” You’ve probably heard the same advice many times before: don’t allow stuff to possess you.
You need a car? I understand that. But would you go completely crazy over a scratch?
Our material possessions drain our energy because we have to take care of them. As soon as you get rid of the attachment, you’ll discover some true values.
Simplify your work.
If you have too many tasks on your daily schedule and you try hard to achieve them all, you’ll end up in complete chaos by the end of the day. I know. I’ve been there.
Start your day by making a list of five important tasks you have to do. Which one of them has priority? Do it first!
Then, continue working through your list of priorities. If you have space for any minor tasks, you’ll cover them. With time, you’ll realize you’re becoming much more effective in your work, but you’ve also simplified the way you cover daily obligations.
Oh, here’s another thing that complicates your life: multitasking. You can’t check what’s trending on Twitter when you’re in the middle of writing a report. Go through your list of tasks in a really simple way: step by step.
Make your relations more positive and sincere.
If you really want to change your life, you need to think about the people you’re surrounded by. Do they drain your energy?
There’s a friend I really love, but I started getting headaches every time we met. She was going on and on talking about a boyfriend she broke up with years ago. She wasn’t sharing her burden because she needed advice; she was just living in her own past, and she felt the need to go through the same memories every time we talked.
Let’s make it clear: We should never have a problem with people who want to express their emotional pain. When our closest friends need advice, we should listen and try to help them in any possible way.
If, however, it turns into constant complaints about superficial things and unwillingness to accept any help, it won’t work. I realized that instead of transferring my positive energy to her, she was sucking my enthusiasm away, and we both ended up being miserable afterward.
So, I decided to change the course of our relations. Instead of talking to her over the phone, I started inviting her to walks and lunches. I introduced her to a large circle of friends, and I did my best to make our friendship more positive. It worked.
You should definitely offer your shoulder to people who need it. If you have a friend in trouble and you feel really bad about the stuff they are going through, listen to them. Then, try to make things a bit more optimistic. You know, get them out of bed, eat tons of ice cream, watch movies and meet new people.
Declutter your mind.
In other words, learn to meditate. That was the most important lesson I learned in my life. When I started, I had some doubts about the effects meditation can have. But I can’t even describe the difference my teacher made in my life. Within a couple of weeks, after I learned the basics and started to practice daily, I felt a profound sense of calmness and relief.
Meditation can also help you release resentment, hate, jealousy, and other emotions that drain you and complicate your life and your relationships. Negativity is completely natural, but the key is to not let it control you. Meditation helps with this, since it enables you to create space between your thoughts and emotions and your reaction to them.
When you notice negative thoughts emerging while meditating, observe them without attaching to them. Don’t try to suppress them, and don’t allow yourself to get carried away. It’s like watching your thoughts on a TV screen. You don’t influence them in any way, and they eventually pass.
When you declutter the negative thoughts in your mind, you’ll leave space for greatness.
You don’t need to complicate communication.
I’m a writer, so I’m used to communicating in the simplest way possible: through words. However, people somehow find a way to make communication more complex than necessary. We write emails, we follow each other on social media, and we send snaps of our daily existence. Instead of having real conversations, we express ourselves through GIFs and memes.
Here’s what I decided to do: I started calling my friends and meeting them in person more often. I almost forgot how that felt.
The old-school methods are usually simpler but more effective, too. Try not to rely on your Messenger when you have a really important conversation to make, and you’ll see what I mean. Social networking is great, but your social life shouldn’t be limited to it.
Simplify your RSS feeds.
Have you seen the list of pages you currently follow on Facebook? You realize you’re not even interested in what most of them have to offer, right? Why don’t you try getting rid of most of them?
You’ll come back to a cleaner, more interesting feed that doesn’t encourage you to scroll down without paying attention to the posts.
Make sure to get rid of all “news” pages that don’t deliver reliable information. Stick to relevant, reputable sources of information you can trust.
Don’t be a spendthrift.
Before buying something new, ask yourself, “Do I need this? I want it, but do I need it?”
Shopaholism leads to attachment to material possessions. The sole act of buying things we don’t need defies one of the main purposes of the journey to self-awareness: detachment.
Eat simply.
“What should I make for dinner? What dessert should I treat myself with? I like cheesecake, but I ate that yesterday.”
Why do we allow food to bring so much thinking, problem-solving, and questions into our lives? Why can’t we just eat something for the sake of filling our tummies? Actually, we can.
For me, simplifying my eating habits meant eating as much raw food as I could. I started spending less time in the kitchen, and I finally found the time to take swimming lessons. See? I decluttered, and then I filled that space with something meaningful.
Declutter your surroundings.
I always liked Japanese minimalism, but my room was the complete opposite: paper and manuscripts, pens and notebooks all over the place.
After that important visit and advice from my friend, I did a spring cleaning. I bought a nice cabinet, and I organized the papers I needed there. I organized them by color so I can easily find whatever I need.
I can’t even tell you how much stuff I threw away that week (yes, I needed a week to clean that space up). The feeling of accomplishment was priceless.
Simplify your goals.
Is everything on your to-do list achievable? If that’s not the case, you’ll have to get rid of some goals, no matter how hard that is for you.
When you simplify your goals, you’ll find more joy in work because you’ll have greater confidence in yourself. You’ll know that you can complete every task you start.
Limit the consumption of resources.
Our materialistic nature makes us buy more things that consume valuable resources, such as gas, water, and electricity. All those laptops, tablets, smartphones, TVs, dryers, deodorants, diamonds, and cosmetics cost us our planet.
Getting things you don’t need, which you certainly think you need, has a name: consumerism. Such an attitude gets you attached to the things you buy, and you’re constantly finding new gaps to fill and more things to gain. Free your mind from come-and-go desires, always take time before you make your final decision, and be mindful of the planet you are living on!
A Simple Future for Everyone!
We don’t need all the stuff we have. We don’t need to buy more. We don’t need the mess in our heads.
Try making simplicity part of every aspect of your life, and you’ll reach new heights of self-accomplishment.
中文翻译
简化这些事情，你会更享受生活
“我只教三件事：简单、耐心、慈悲。这三者是你最伟大的财富。”——老子
老子，这位或许是人类历史上最伟大的导师之一，如是说。
当我投身于生命中最重要的旅程（当然是灵性之旅）时，我专注于培养耐心。我努力让自己的心灵和灵魂摆脱所有杂乱和情感负担。
有一个方面我一直忽视：清理杂物。当一位最亲密的朋友来到我的房间时，她很快就注意到：“你周围东西太多了。”
什么东西？我完全没意识到自己生活在混乱中。我甚至给它起了个名字：创意混沌。
你知道在某些时刻，一切似乎都会各归其位吗？就在同一天，我遇到了老子的这句话。它突然出现在我的Facebook动态中。
那一刻，我意识到自己专注于培养耐心和慈悲，却忘记了旅程中一个非常重要的部分：简单。我知道朋友是对的：如果你不简化生活，就无法清理心灵的杂乱。
我没有将这种改变局限于物质财产；我将其扩展到生活的其他方面。这是我旅程的一部分，我找不到合适的词语来表达开始简化生活后感受到的解脱。希望我的经验能帮助你做出改变，所以我决定分享几个步骤，引导你走向简单生活的幸福。
理解什么是财产。摆脱它们！
你拥有太多东西吗？如果你需要它们，那并不是真正的问题。然而，如果你收集了一堆从不使用的东西，那你就有真正的问题了。
这是我采取的心态：“我拥有这些东西。但它们也拥有我！”你可能以前多次听过同样的建议：不要让东西占有你。
你需要一辆车？我理解。但你会因为一道划痕而完全抓狂吗？
我们的物质财产消耗我们的能量，因为我们必须照顾它们。一旦你摆脱了执着，就会发现一些真正的价值。
简化你的工作。
如果你的日常日程上有太多任务，并且你努力完成所有任务，一天结束时你会陷入完全的混乱。我知道。我经历过。
从列出你必须做的五件重要任务开始新的一天。哪一项有优先权？先做它！
然后，继续按优先级列表工作。如果你有时间处理任何次要任务，你会完成它们。随着时间的推移，你会意识到自己在工作中变得更有效率，但也简化了履行日常义务的方式。
哦，还有一件事让你的生活复杂化：多任务处理。你不能在写报告时查看Twitter上的热门趋势。以非常简单的方式处理任务列表：一步一步来。
让你的关系更积极和真诚。
如果你真的想改变生活，需要考虑你周围的人。他们消耗你的能量吗？
有一个我真的很爱的朋友，但每次见面我都开始头痛。她不停地谈论多年前分手的男朋友。她分享负担不是因为需要建议；她只是活在自己的过去中，觉得每次谈话都需要重温同样的记忆。
让我们明确一点：我们绝不应该对想要表达情感痛苦的人有问题。当我们最亲密的朋友需要建议时，我们应该倾听并尽力帮助他们。
然而，如果这变成对肤浅事物的不断抱怨和不愿接受任何帮助，那就行不通了。我意识到，她没有传递我的正能量，反而吸走了我的热情，我们最终都变得痛苦。
所以，我决定改变我们关系的走向。我不再通过电话与她交谈，而是开始邀请她散步和午餐。我把她介绍给一大群朋友，并尽力让我们的友谊更积极。这奏效了。
你绝对应该向需要的人提供支持。如果你有朋友遇到麻烦，你对他们正在经历的事情感到非常难过，倾听他们。然后，试着让事情更乐观一些。你知道的，让他们起床，吃很多冰淇淋，看电影，认识新朋友。
清理你的心灵。
换句话说，学会冥想。这是我一生中学到的最重要的一课。开始时，我对冥想的效果有些怀疑。但我甚至无法描述老师对我生活带来的改变。几周内，在我学习了基础知识并开始每天练习后，我感受到一种深刻的平静和解脱。
冥想还可以帮助你释放怨恨、仇恨、嫉妒和其他消耗你并使你的生活和关系复杂化的情绪。消极情绪是完全自然的，但关键是不让它控制你。冥想对此有帮助，因为它让你在思想、情绪和反应之间创造空间。
当你在冥想中注意到负面思想出现时，观察它们而不执着于它们。不要试图压制它们，也不要让自己被带走。就像在电视屏幕上观看你的思想。你以任何方式都不影响它们，它们最终会过去。
当你清理心中的负面思想时，你会为伟大留下空间。
你不需要使沟通复杂化。
我是一名作家，所以我习惯于以最简单的方式沟通：通过文字。然而，人们不知何故找到了使沟通比必要更复杂的方法。我们写电子邮件，在社交媒体上互相关注，发送日常生活的快照。我们没有真正的对话，而是通过GIF和表情包表达自己。
这是我决定做的：我开始更频繁地打电话给朋友并亲自见面。我几乎忘记了那是什么感觉。
老式方法通常更简单但也更有效。当你有非常重要的对话时，尽量不要依赖Messenger，你会明白我的意思。社交网络很棒，但你的社交生活不应仅限于此。
简化你的RSS订阅。
你见过目前在Facebook上关注的页面列表吗？你意识到对大多数页面提供的内容甚至不感兴趣，对吧？为什么不试着摆脱大多数页面呢？
你会回到一个更干净、更有趣的动态，它不会鼓励你滚动而不注意帖子。
确保摆脱所有不提供可靠信息的“新闻”页面。坚持你可以信任的相关、信誉良好的信息来源。
不要挥霍无度。
在购买新东西之前，问自己：“我需要这个吗？我想要它，但我需要它吗？”
购物狂导致对物质财产的执着。购买我们不需要的东西这一行为违背了自我意识之旅的主要目的之一：超脱。
简单饮食。
“我应该做什么晚餐？我应该用什么甜点犒劳自己？我喜欢芝士蛋糕，但我昨天吃了。”
为什么我们允许食物给生活带来这么多思考、解决问题和疑问？为什么我们不能只是为了填饱肚子而吃点东西？实际上，我们可以。
对我来说，简化饮食习惯意味着尽可能多吃生食。我开始花更少时间在厨房，终于有时间上游泳课。看到了吗？我清理了，然后用有意义的东西填补了那个空间。
清理你的环境。
我一直喜欢日本极简主义，但我的房间完全相反：到处都是纸张和手稿、笔和笔记本。
在那次重要的拜访和朋友的建议之后，我做了一次大扫除。我买了一个漂亮的柜子，把需要的文件整理在那里。我按颜色整理它们，以便轻松找到所需的东西。
我甚至无法告诉你那周我扔掉了多少东西（是的，我需要一周时间来清理那个空间）。成就感是无价的。
简化你的目标。
你待办事项清单上的所有事情都可实现吗？如果不是这样，你必须摆脱一些目标，无论这对你有多难。
当你简化目标时，你会从工作中找到更多乐趣，因为你会对自己有更大的信心。你会知道你可以完成开始的每一项任务。
限制资源消耗。
我们的物质主义本性让我们购买更多消耗宝贵资源的东西，如汽油、水和电力。所有这些笔记本电脑、平板电脑、智能手机、电视、烘干机、除臭剂、钻石和化妆品让我们付出了地球的代价。
得到你不需要的东西，而你肯定认为你需要，有一个名字：消费主义。这种态度让你执着于购买的东西，你不断寻找新的空白来填补和更多东西来获得。让你的心灵摆脱来来去去的欲望，在做出最终决定前总是花时间，并注意你生活的星球！
每个人的简单未来！
我们不需要拥有的所有东西。我们不需要买更多。我们不需要头脑中的混乱。
尝试让简单成为你生活每个方面的一部分，你会达到自我成就的新高度。
文章概要
本文以老子“简单、耐心、慈悲”的教导为引，分享作者通过简化生活多个方面（如物质财产、工作、人际关系、心灵、沟通、信息消费、购物、饮食、环境和目标）来应对中年生活杂乱的经验。文章强调简化能带来解脱和幸福，并提倡通过冥想等方式清理心灵，最终实现自我成就。
高德明老师的评价
用12岁初中生可以听懂的语音来重复翻译的内容
这篇文章就像一个大哥哥或大姐姐在跟我们聊天，告诉我们怎么让生活变得更轻松快乐。它说，我们有时候会买太多东西，比如玩具或衣服，结果这些东西反而让我们操心，就像养了一堆小宠物一样累。所以，要学着扔掉那些不用的，这样心里就空出来，可以装更重要的东西，比如和朋友玩得开心。还有，做作业或任务时，别一下子想太多，先做最重要的，一步一步来，就像搭积木一样稳当。跟朋友相处，如果总是听他们抱怨不开心的事，自己也会难受，可以带他们去散步或吃冰淇淋，让大家都高兴起来。最重要的是，要学会静坐冥想，就像给大脑做个大扫除，把生气的、难过的想法都清出去，这样心里就亮堂堂的，能装下更多好主意。总之，简单一点，生活就会像放风筝一样，飞得更高更自由！
佛学的各个宗派视角评价，突出《显密圆通成佛心要集》的视角
从佛学显宗和大乘视角看，本文倡导的简化生活与佛教“少欲知足”的核心教义高度契合。在显宗中，如禅宗强调“平常心是道”，通过减少外缘和内执来明心见性，这与文章中的清理物质和心灵杂乱一脉相承。大乘佛教注重慈悲利他，文中改善人际关系以传递正能量，体现了菩萨行的精神。
特别从《显密圆通成佛心要集》的视角，本文内容可视为准提法修行的世俗应用基础。该经典融合显密，主张通过简化和专注来净化身心，为更深层的修行铺路。准提法作为密宗法门，强调“即事而真”，在日常生活如工作、饮食中实践简化，能积累资粮，减少业障，增强修法效力。文章中的冥想建议，类似于准提法的观想入门，帮助行者培养定力，为后续密法修持打下坚实基础。因此，这种简化不仅是生活技巧，更是通向佛果的方便法门，彰显了显密圆通的智慧。
在修行实践上可以应用的和可以解决人们的十个问题。
在修行实践上，本文的简化原则可直接应用于准提法及其他佛学修行，帮助解决人们的常见问题。一，通过减少物质执着，解决“购物成瘾导致财务压力”的问题，培养布施心。二，简化工作流程，应对“ multitasking 引发的焦虑和低效”，提升专注力，利于禅修。三，优化人际关系，缓解“负面社交消耗能量”的困扰，促进和谐，积累善缘。四，定期冥想清理心灵，解决“情绪波动影响决策”的问题，增强内心平静。五，简化沟通方式，改善“过度依赖社交媒体导致的孤独感”，增进真实连接，实践爱语。六，过滤信息源，应对“信息过载带来的认知疲劳”，保护正念。七，节制消费，解决“环境资源浪费的愧疚感”，践行环保，体现慈悲。八，健康饮食，缓解“选择困难引发的饮食紊乱”，培养知足。九，整理环境，克服“杂乱空间导致的拖延症”，创造清净道场。十，设定可实现目标，解决“目标过多带来的挫败感”，增强信心，支持精进修行。这些应用不仅提升生活质量，更与准提法修持相呼应，加速修行进程。