Zen and the Art of Minimalism

Minimalism is often confused, in the Western mind, with Zen Buddhism. I’ve done this myself, so I sought some kind of clarity.

After a few hours of research all over the web, I came up with this: Zen appears to have merged from the meeting of Taoism and Buddhism in China, and thence migrated to Japan.

The principle distinction of Zen from other forms of Buddhism is not about simplicity or minimalism – it’s the idea that there can be a "special transmission outside scriptures, not founded on words or letters" through which nirvana can be reached. So Zen is about means of spiritual enlightenment, not about a lack of material possessions.

Not to say it advocates materialism – few faiths do, because the whole purpose of faith is to lend weight to the non-material, gravitas and importance to the invisible and the intangible. Like all Buddhist paths, it advocates a focus on the spirit and the goal of spiritual transcendence from the physical, material cycle of reincarnations.

Minimalism is a term born out the arts world – it came from movements in the visual arts. So how the heck did the two get so tangled up together?

Japan has always intrgued the western world with its simplicity of execution and of conception – the traditional design of a Japanese house, the traditional menu and the disciplined (deceptive) simplicity of the haiku – these all appear to the west to advocate simplicity, and it’s easier for the west to ignore the fact that the peasants of any culutre tend to live and eat simply because they have no choice or resources to do otherwise.

Buddhists, too, tend to live simply – they are trying to free themselves of the distractions of the material world in order to achieve transcendence, nirvana.

But this is a spiritual choice, and a lifestyle, not an artistic expression. Minimalism has become a catch all term for the idea of simple, clean lines and a Spartan aesthetic. It doesn’t have anything to do with Zen Buddhism, except in cases of popular ignorance.

My subscription to Zen Habits (http://zenhabits.net/) aside, this is not about Zen – I am not seeking nirvana, nor am I a Buddhist. This is about creating a simpler, more disciplined, more Spartan aesthetic for my life in the midst of one of the world’s most complex environments – a sprawling, bustling capital city.