We need a balance between our outer material and our inner spiritual worlds. We can look at material things and ask ourselves: “Do I need this or not?” We don’t have to go to extremes, making huge changes and thinking that we have to give up everything like Milarepa. We need a good situation, but a simple one, not a life complicated by always wanting more. Ultimately, the reality is that what makes the mind satisfied is simple. What is ordinary can be very special. For example, breathing is quite ordinary. If our minds rest with awareness on the breath, what happens? The air naturally goes in and out; we don’t have to do anything, since the continuous, simple movement that supports our life happens without effort. This in itself can make our mind joyful and content.

17th Karmapa

source: http://kagyuoffice.org/buddhism-and-the-environment-living-in-harmony-with-the-planet/


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