Minimalism as a Spiritual Practice

We live in a consumer society. We are told to buy, buy, buy. We are told, “The more you have, the happier you will be.” You don’t want to be a “have not.”

But it is a lie. More does not lead to happiness, but to unhappiness. As Fumio Sasaki discovered, “There’s happiness in having less.”

I define minimalism as a spiritual practice of reducing your possessions to a minimum. It is also called voluntary simplicity, and it goes back way before the Japanese minimalism wave started in 2009.

Minimalism is more than a practice, it is a mindset and way of life. Rabbi Hyman Schachtel once said, “Happiness is not having what you want, but wanting what you have.”