The Art of Laziness: Don’t Just Do Something, Sit There! (Episode #41)

Welcome to episode 41 of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives. This time, the presenters, Zen Buddhist monk Brother Phap Huu and journalist Jo Confino, discuss the forgotten art of resting and how to free the word ‘laziness’ from its Western slander – as an equivalent of torpor or sloth – through the wisdom of Zen Buddhist teachings. Also, what is the story behind the weekly ‘lazy day’ in Plum Village? How does laziness support the doing? Could laziness be the route to healing? Brother Phap Huu shares the story of how ‘lazy day’ became part of the Plum Village tradition, along with advice that Thich Nhat Hanh gave about being in a state of laziness – one of the key attributes to a healthy and happy life. The Brother further touches upon setting the right intentions; clarity; true presence and the awkwardness of quiet; Thay’s openness; allowing ourselves to be cared for; constant busyness, what it’s like to face oneself, and learning to do nothing; and being mindfully… angry. And the surprise the presenters got when trying to record this episode about laziness on a lazy day.  Jo shares his experiences of a recent trip to New York and how to not get caught in the nonstop doing of large cities; laziness as an act of generosity; happiness as the avoidance of suffering; spaciousness; laziness as healing; and integrating lazy moments into a busy day for surprisingly creative results.   The episode ends with a reading from the ‘Lazy Day’ chapter of Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Happiness, and a short meditation guided by Brother Phap Huu.  Co-produced by the Plum Village App:https://plumvillage.app/ And Global Optimism:https://globaloptimism.com/  With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/  List of resources  ‘The Art of Mindful Living’https://plumvillage.org/mindfulness/mindfulness-practice/  Clips: ‘What’s the Point of Doing Nothing?’https://plumvillage.org/library/clips/the-art-of-being/  Dalai Lamahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalai_LamaThe Art of Happinesshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Happiness  Persimmonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persimmon  Sister Chan Khonghttps://plumvillage.org/about/sister-chan-khong/  Mudrahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudra  Estes Park, Coloradohttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estes_Park,_Colorado  Happiness: Essential Mindfulness Practiceshttps://www.parallax.org/product/happiness-essential-mindfulness-practices/ Quotes “In quietness we can recognize new things.” “If we’re constantly in planning mode – especially those who have busy working weeks – we don’t give the space for anything to emerge. We don’t give a chance for spontaneity, for our creativity, for grace – or whatever we call it – to flow through us, because we’re always trying to be in control. And so, when we have space, another part of us shows up.” “Western society has co-opted ‘laziness’ to be negative, but laziness gives us space. And in this space we are able to have meaningful insights and then be able to act differently. So it’s a powerful practice.”  “In today’s society, we can all identify that we have a restlessness habit. We don’t know how to be still. We don’t know how to do nothing.” “Even if we are given a day to rest or a vacation, sometimes we make our vacation busier than it should be and we get even more tired. And there is such a habit in us, transmitted to us by maybe our ancestors, our culture, our society, that we shouldn’t be still; that there is not enough time to live. So we should be doing, doing, doing, and doing. Therefore, from th