★★★★★ It teaches you how to live without suffering unnecessarily, by a Zen monk who’s eccentric strict yet humane. “If you think that you can decide anything by yourself, you are wrong. If conditions change, your decision becomes invalid”
🔽 log 🔽
It's Okay Not to Look for the Meaning of Life: A Zen Monk's Guide to Living Stress-Free One Day at a Time
Jikisai Minami, 2017
284 pages
Read in 2025.10
🔽 Book review and notes 🔽
A book that teaches you how to live without suffering unnecessarily.
Don't struggle unnecessarily, don't believe unnecessarily, just accept as things are.
Don't have too much pride or be too conscious, we were born by chance, and we'll die eventually.
Don't try to overcome sadness or struggles.
Yes it all sounds too easy, easier said than done, but I guess if you keep telling yourself it becomes a part of you and it becomes natural - I hope.
I heard him on a podcast and I was completely shocked how eccentric he was, so honest (he says he accepted to write this book because by chance his wife needed a car!) so strict (Darth Vader of the zen monastery) yet so humane, and very funny.
Some of the lines I liked (it's probably different from the original English translation!)
"If you think that you can decide anything by yourself, you are wrong and childish. You as a being only exist under certain conditions. If the conditions change, your decision becomes invalid"
"I think you can live with regrets. Then one day you will find a meaning in your regrets"
"If you can't overcome sadness, then don't try, it's okay"
🔽 Where to buy / Summary and more info 🔽
●●● Amazon.com (US) ●●●
It's Okay Not to Look for the Meaning of Life: A Zen Monk's Guide to Living Stress-Free One Day at a Time
●●● Amazon.co.uk (UK) ●●●
It's Okay Not to Look for the Meaning of Life: A Zen Monk's Guide to Living Stress-Free One Day at a Time
●●● Amazon.it (Italy) ●●●
It's Okay Not to Look for the Meaning of Life: A Zen Monk's Guide to Living Stress-free One Day at a Time (English)
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