英文原文
Simplify These Things and You'll Enjoy Life a Lot More
By Rachel Bartee
“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
作者：Rachel Bartee
“我只教三件事：简单、耐心、慈悲。这三样是你最伟大的财富。” ~老子
老子这么说，他可能是人类有史以来最伟大的老师之一。
当我投身于生命中最重要的旅程（当然是精神之旅）时，我专注于获得耐心。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。当我的一位密友来到我的房间时，她很快就注意到，“你周围有太多东西了。”
什么东西？我根本没意识到自己生活在混乱中。我甚至给它起了个名字：创意混乱。
你知道在某些时期，一切似乎都会变得井井有条吗？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，我意识到我专注于获得耐心和慈悲，却忘记了旅程中一个非常重要的部分：简单。我知道我的朋友是对的：如果你不简化生活，就无法清理心灵。
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我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，所以我决定分享一些步骤，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，这不是真正的问题。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！”你可能以前听过同样的建议很多次：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，你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，到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。哪一件有优先权？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，你会意识到你在工作中变得更有效率，但你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你的任务列表：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，你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，但每次我们见面时我开始头痛。她不停地谈论多年前分手的男朋友。她不是在分享负担因为她需要建议；她只是活在自己的过去中，每次我们谈话时她都感觉需要重温同样的记忆。
让我们说清楚：我们永远不应该对想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，我们应该倾听并尽可能帮助他们。
然而，如果它变成对肤浅事物的不断抱怨和不愿接受任何帮助，那就不行了。我意识到，与其将我的正能量传递给她，她正在吸走我的热情，我们最终都变得痛苦。
所以，我决定改变我们关系的进程。我不再通过电话和她交谈，而是开始邀请她散步和午餐。我介绍她给一大群朋友，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。如果你有一个朋友遇到麻烦，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，让他们起床，吃很多冰淇淋，看电影和认识新朋友。
清理你的心灵。
换句话说，学会冥想。这是我生命中学到的最重要的一课。当我开始时，我对冥想的效果有些怀疑。但我甚至无法描述我的老师在我生活中带来的改变。在几周内，在我学习了基础并开始每天练习后，我感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，因为它让你在思想和情绪与你的反应之间创造空间。
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。
当你清理心灵中的负面思想时，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，人们不知何故找到方法使沟通比必要更复杂。我们写电子邮件，我们在社交媒体上互相关注，我们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：我开始更经常地打电话给朋友并亲自见面。我几乎忘记了那种感觉。
老式方法通常更简单但也更有效。当你有非常重要的对话要进行时，尽量不要依赖你的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。
你看到你目前在Facebook上关注的页面列表了吗？你意识到你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？
你会回到一个更干净、更有趣的动态，它不会鼓励你无意识地滚动帖子。
确保摆脱所有不提供可靠信息的“新闻”页面。坚持相关、可靠的信息来源，你可以信任。
不要挥霍。
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的行为违背了自我意识旅程的主要目的之一：超脱。
简单饮食。
“我应该做什么晚餐？我应该用什么甜点款待自己？我喜欢芝士蛋糕，但我昨天吃了。”
为什么我们允许食物给我们的生活带来这么多思考、解决问题和问题？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里，我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：到处都是纸和手稿、笔和笔记本。
在那次重要的访问和朋友的建议之后，我做了一次春季大扫除。我买了一个漂亮的柜子，并在那里整理了我需要的文件。我按颜色整理它们，这样我可以轻松找到任何我需要的东西。
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。
你的待办事项列表上的所有事情都可实现吗？如果不是这样，你将不得不摆脱一些目标，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你开始的每一项任务。
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。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、钻石和化妆品都让我们付出了地球的代价。
得到你不需要的东西，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你购买的东西，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！
我们不需要我们拥有的所有东西。我们不需要买更多。我们不需要头脑中的混乱。
试着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
本文以老子名言“简单、耐心、慈悲”为引，探讨了简化生活的重要性。作者Rachel Bartee分享个人经历，从忽视杂物到意识到简单是精神旅程的关键，提出多个简化步骤，包括清理物质财产、简化工作、改善人际关系、冥想清理心灵、简化沟通、减少社交媒体关注、避免挥霍、简单饮食、整理环境和目标，以及限制资源消耗。文章强调简化能带来平静、解脱和自我成就，呼应佛学中的超脱和正念理念，特别适合中年人在生活空间和心灵上实现佛学修行。
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：这篇文章就像在说，我们的生活有时候像房间一样堆满了太多东西，比如玩具、衣服，甚至脑子里也有很多杂念。作者告诉我们，如果把这些东西清理掉，生活会变得更轻松快乐。比如，只保留真正需要的东西，每天只做几件重要的事，和朋友好好聊天而不是总玩手机，还有学会静坐让脑子安静下来。这样，我们就能像整理房间一样整理生活，感觉更平静和开心。
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：从佛学角度看，本文倡导的简化生活与大乘佛教的“般若波罗蜜多”智慧相契合，强调通过减少执着来达到心灵解脱。在显宗中，这体现了“戒定慧”三学中的“戒”，即通过简化物质和关系来持戒清净；密宗则注重“即身成佛”，简化可视为净化身口意三业，为修行铺路。《显密圆通成佛心要集》强调显密圆融，本文的简化实践可视为显宗基础修行，如禅定和布施的延伸，同时为密宗准提法等高级修行打下基础，通过清理外在和内在障碍，促进“心性光明”的显现。准提法的优点在于其简便易行，本文的简化步骤与之呼应，帮助人们在日常生活中积累福德，快速净化业障。
在修行实践上可以应用的和可以解决人们的十个问题：本文的简化理念可在修行中直接应用，例如通过清理生活空间来实践“舍”的波罗蜜，减少贪嗔痴。它能解决人们的十个问题：1. 物质过多导致的压力；2. 工作混乱带来的焦虑；3. 人际关系消耗能量；4. 心灵杂念干扰平静；5. 沟通复杂化引发误解；6. 社交媒体信息过载；7. 购物成瘾增加执着；8. 饮食选择困难；9. 环境杂乱影响专注；10. 目标不切实际导致挫败。从大乘佛教视角，这些应用鼓励人们以慈悲心简化生活，提升自我修行，为准提法等法门创造清净条件，促进众生共成佛道。