For many people, their living environment is simply a place to lay their head at night and go to between the hustle and bustle of daily life or for others merely a storage compartment for all their many possessions. But what many people don’t realize is that our personal homes and spaces are often a reflection of ourselves and our internal states. The way you maintain and care for your home can speak wonders for how you are feeling inside. If your personal space is cluttered, crammed, or overwhelming, it might suggest some internal struggle, or even perhaps infiltrate stress into your life.
Taking some time to organize, purge the unnecessary, and add some personal touches to your home can alleviate stresses and become a calming presence in your life. Buddhist principles stress simplicity. Although minimalism is encouraged, I believe that our homes should be regarded as a sanctuary of sorts; a safe place where we can unwind and be surrounded with things that make us joyful. Take away all the unnecessary things and replace them with a few objects that make you happy. If art is medium of relief for you, create a space just for painting. The same goes for music, crafts, writing, or whatever it is you like to do to bring yourself ease and contentment.
If spirituality is important to you, create a space for meditation or private reflection. Someplace quiet, simple, and away from the chaos that may be your household on a daily basis. Even consider bringing a meditative tool into your life, a teaching Buddha Statue, to help with your focus and as a constant reminder of the necessity for practice.
As William Morris once said,
“If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”
When many people hear this they immediately think that this implies that our actions are not freely governed or that everything that happens to us is out of our control and already fated based on our past. But this is not the case. Karma should not be thought of as predestined fate, as we all act with free will creating our own destines. If we sow goodness in our lives we will reap goodness. We have the power to influence our Karmic piggy banks in a positive way with every kind gesture and thought. Although not all Karma is realized immediately or in this lifetime, it will come back to us in other lifetimes.
