Simplicity comes very close to the essence of mindfulness. This simplicity presupposes that we can always let go. Letting go of the concept of what the moment has to be.
If we can do that, resistance against the moment and thus against life will be established. If this resistance is not there, room space for another way of looking at life arises again. This re-viewing brings with it qualities such as insight and understanding of the overall situation or clarity of what to do. But not only that, when we are in the moment and agree with what is, we give room to the mental and emotional potentials, such as serenity, wisdom, compassion towards me or the situation or the persons involved.
This simplicity of mindfulness has come to my mind for the first time in Tibet. People who are simple yet wise, who do not make a concept of mindfulness happen in the West, but are in the flow of life with all its difficulties and beauties. That may not be true for all the people who live there, but for most of them I encountered, that was the case.
I noticed that these people had a certain serenity, such as down-to-earthness, curiosity and a natural way of respecting the diversity of life and people.
With a restless mind it is very difficult to experience this simplicity of mindfulness, because it judges, compensates, seeks constantly, thinks and thinks that it has to be this way and that. It is also understandable that this troubled mind would not stop, because what happens when he lets go of all his many concepts, his struggle for justice, his judgments and his full drawers? Yes, what happens then? The restless spirit can hardly imagine this. So he prefers to keep it up until nothing works. The result we know only too well: burnout, exhaustion, futility, dissatisfaction with life, etc. ...
When we have the courage to say yes, to pause, to become aware of the troubled state of mind we are experiencing, it can become softer and letting go of a restless state of mind. Then this simplicity of mindfulness can be given room in the here and now and done naturally, with all its qualities. This natural, alert and yet calm mind will then say yes to life, yes, at this moment. You no longer have to cling to the dusty concepts of a restless and anxious mind, or an idea of how life has to be.
You will then be able to stand in the fullness and diversity of life and be able to say from your own experience of the simplicity, gentleness and beauty of mindfulness:
"The miracle is not that we can walk on the moon, but that we can walk on this earth."
Thich Nhat Hanh