I love Merton's translations of the DF's poetry and writings. Good stuff! There are still several coptic priests who live that way.
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i think it is One Man's Wilderness! *Love it!* I'm truly inspired by him!
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I think that there's a dance between the inner arisings and disciplines and also the outter suggestions coming together to form an individuated way of "radical simplicity."
My husband and I tend toward very specific design ideas: scandinavian, zen (particularly japanese), christian monastic (cistercian -- Into Great Silence is a great film, btw, showing a "year in the life"), and even muslim influences with their spare and unadorned (as opposed to the extensive geometric tileworks) homes, religious centers, etc as well. Most have white walls, natural materials, and minimal furnishings and adornments.
This is really where we are heading, but in a 'western' way. it is simplicity, and we do live with very little -- and it could be prehaps far more than other people would consider spiritually or personally important. . .
but for us it is about finding that balance.
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though our current radical simplicity is around food -- no left overs, no waste, etc. We find ourselves really being mindful of ever egg, every piece of meat, every vegetable and fruit. the other day, I had simple some "odds and ends" of veggies -- truly, a lot of random roots -- that were about to 'go bad.' as it was, they were limp.
i chopped them up and made soup from them. the soup was delicious, and it was one of those ways that i was working toward "no wasting food!" we used to waste a fair bit.
it's a zen practice, actually, to not waste *any* food at all, and it's been an *amazing* practice for us to do.