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The last of the preliminary practices that occurs in the gradual training is being content with little. We unfortunately live in a culture that says that any less-than-perfect situation can be remedied by obtaining more of something—usually more of whatever the person doing the saying is selling. But the spiritual path is not about acquiring anything—it’s all about letting go. There’s nothing to get; there’s everything to let go of. In general, throughout the two and a half thousand years of Buddhism, the jhānas were not considered a topic to be taught to lay people simply because it was believed their lives were far too busy to be able to undertake the meditation training necessary in order to learn the jhānas. But we now live in a culture with a huge opportunity for leisure, at least for some people. But we also have an unprecedented opportunity to fill up that leisure time with toys, entertainment, and other things that distract us from practice. A lay person does need more than three robes and a begging bowl, but a lay person in this culture absolutely does not need everything the culture has to offer. Leading a simple life makes it far easier to dedicate time for the practice that is necessary to progress on the spiritual path. Leading a simple life makes it easier to lead a life free from intentional harming. Leading a simple life makes it easier to abandon the five hindrances that prevent you from entering the jhānas. Leading a simple life is living more in harmony with the limited resources available to all who live on our very crowded planet.

Right concentration by Leigh Brasington