Simple and Easy, Relaxed and Peaceful

In a community then, there is a lot of intimidation.

There are always those who sit straighter and are always on time. Those who never nod and always eat little – what we call the diligent ones. And then there is always somebody in the community who can’t do any of it very well. Ranging from those who desperately try to conform and live up to an image, and those who just try to do the best they can.

There’s a tendency to look at somebody else and to copy, to idealize and to emulate. Then there are the feelings of guilt, remorse or inferiority in regard to the fact that we might not be able to live up to what we think the best ones can do.

All this is to be witnessed and observed. Community life can be just a mass conformity, or it can be a very skilful way of understanding the nature of things. Nobody wants to live in a community for very long under a lot of pressure, feeling intimidated and put on by others. Life can become very dull or despairing.

What appealed to me about Vinaya discipline was that it wasn’t asceticism but a reasonable way to live a life. I used to like to do ascetic practices and be very strict. I realized that one can do those things for periods of time but not in the long run. As a way of life one didn’t really want to have to do all that or feel obliged to always operate on that level.

One felt that the Buddha had meant monastic life to be something simple and easy, relaxed and peaceful, rather than harsh and ascetic.

This reflection by Ajahn Sumedho is from the book, Nothing Is More Joyless Than Selfishness, (pdf) p. 45.