

If you have read
'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' you will know that ordinary activities can have extraordinary potential for enriching our lives. Over at
Zen Habits, Leo Babauta has written in the past about the link between peace of mind, finances and a Zen approach to life. So I thought it might be useful to investigate the potential benefits that a 'Zen' approach might bring to our personal finance activities. Not that I know a great deal about Zen Buddhism, though - so Zen Masters please bear with me.
Many of you will probably be aware of the basic concepts of Zen (at least as they are understood in the West): simplicity, spirituality, living 'in the moment', meditation and detachment from personal possessions, to name a few. Above all, devotees appear to be unusually calm - serene almost. Wouldn't it be an achievement to be so serene about our finances? So it might be useful to look at how a Zen approach might give us some practical guidance on improving our approach to personal finance.