2023.09.30
Live a Frugal Lifestyle-The Spiritual Ecology Series
- Part of "The Spiritual Ecology" Series, authored by Master Hsin Tao
Let us not ask for too much for daily consumption in life, but just enough to sustain living. Lead a simple life with feet firmly planted on the ground and be content to have food on the table and a roof over the head. Don't go over the board with money-making schemes. Be frugal and stay your course in poverty. Don't ever be wasteful.
In the past, when I lived near Guanyin Pavilion at Fulong, there was a period of four months without rain. During that time, I had to be very careful with how I used water. I would use one basin of water to wash rice, then reuse it to wash vegetables, and finally, I would use it to flush the toilet. Even for bathing, I only needed one basin of water, essentially practicing a form of dry cleaning. I was so frugal with tissue paper that I would only use a small amount at a time. As a result, my disciples would often find used tissues in my pockets, which I had saved to reuse.
Thus it's obvious that we'd be best advised to acquire the proper mindset for a simple and frugal lifestyle. Excessive consumption or downright senseless waste are counterproductive sins we denounce.