DIPA MA’S LESSONS FOR SEEKERS
‘Simplify’
"Live simply. A very simple life is good for everything. Too much luxury is a hindrance to practice.”
Even though Dipa Ma and her family lived in two tiny rooms, most visitors perceived those rooms as spacious and filled with light. One student observed that while we in the West think we need a lot of physical space, what Dipa Ma had was a vast psychic space.
In every way, Dipa Ma lived in the greatest simplicity. She refrained from socializing. She did not engage in unnecessary talk. She didn’t involve herself in other people's concerns, especially complaints. Her guideline for herself and her students was to live honestly and never blame others.
Often Dipa Ma simply rested in silence.
"Whenever I get time alone, I always turn my mind inward," she said. She did not spend time at any activity that was unnecessary to her life.
Just as in meditation we practice giving our full attention to one thing at a time, Dipa Ma did each thing completely without worrying about the next.
"Thoughts of the past and future," she said, "spoil your time."
In whatever she did, she was fully present, with ease, stillness, and simplicity. Dipa Ma encouraged her American students to simplify their material needs. In entering one household she exclaimed, "Why so many things? Why so many pairs of shoes? Why ten boxes of tea? Why?
The accumulation of things only increases the want. You will not find any pleasure in plenty."
- Dipa Ma: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master
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