Could Odell Be Using Buddisht Examples in How to Do Nothing?
In the first chapter of “How to Do Nothing”, Jenny Odell argues that the world is too wrapped up in smaller things such as social media, their daily activities, and their work. She argues that people in today’s society miss the little things in life that could help reimagine how we live. Odell urges people to take time to themselves to reflect and do “nothing” so they can have a better understanding of helping others. Odell defines nothing as
“ ‘Nothing” is neither a luxury nor a waste of time.” (Odell 4)
She claims that by doing this practice we can detach ourselves from common issues in our daily lives and focus on bigger ones to help our society become more efficient. When I started reading more of Odell’s work it reminded me of the Four Noble Truths used in Buddhist teachings. The four noble truths are believed to be the base ideas to reach enlightenment or total peace in a person’s lifetime. By reaching total peace you will be removed from the rebirth cycle and stay in Nirvana which is the Buddhist version of Heaven. These teachings explain that by detaching certain things from our lives that cause us to suffer we can end suffering and find peace within ourselves.
Each noble truth takes the idea of suffering and acknowledges that it is unavoidable in our lives. The first truth is the truth of suffering, this means that if you are alive you will suffer in some way and there is no way to avoid it. You must learn to live and cope with it to find peace. I was able to find a very insightful piece about Buddhism and the teachings of the religion when looking in the Apple Bookstore. I found the book “The Essence of Buddhism’’ by David Tuffley. In this book, Tuffley describes the meaning of suffering in life as
“When happiness comes along, enjoy it while it lasts because it will not be permanent. You should not try to hold onto it as if it were permanent because when it leaves, it will upset you.” (Tuffley 5)
This is the main message of why the Four Noble Truths are practiced in Buddhism, it is the understanding that no matter what happens in life there will always be suffering and we as humans need to accept it. The second truth is the truth of the cause of suffering. Tuffley explains this in his writing
“being attached to any worldly thing always leads to suffering…”(Tuffley 6)
He explains that since nothing is permanent we should not spend our time being attached to something that will cause us to suffer in the end. The third truth is that you as an individual have the power to end suffering by eliminating your distractions and attachments in life.
“With no ego left, there are no boundaries to the mind.” (Tuffley 7)
The final truth is that you can end suffering by following the eightfold path which is the path made up of eight lessons to live by that you follow to reach total enlightenment. Many of these teachings are related to Odell’s work in her first few chapters.
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Out of all of the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism, the two that match Odell’s argument the most would be truth two and three. Truth two states that we suffer from things that we are attached to. Tuffley describes truth two as
“People in unenlightened state naturally form attachments to these impermanent things, thus creating the foundation for suffering.” (Tuffley 6)
This is extremely similar to Odell’s arguments in the first chapter of her book. Odell talks about how her visit to the rose garden changed her life.
“But I also realized that the garden encompassed everything I wanted to cover: the practice of doing nothing, the architecture of nothing, the importance of public space, and an ethics of care and maintenance.” (Odell 3)
It was the first time in her life when she sat and did nothing and was able to listen to the world around her. She believes that if everyone did this and took time to reflect then we would be able to pay attention to more important things in society such as economic and political issues. An example of attachment in Odell’s work would be how people are attached to their phones and using them for social media, work, the internet, and any other thing that is disconnecting or distracting them from society. She has the same argument as Tuffley that if people would let go of things they are attached too they could find peace and reflect on more important things. This would lead to taking a step closer to reaching enlightenment in Tuffley’s words, or reimagining society in Odell’s words.
Truth three matches Odell’s work the best because its teachings state that we can end our suffering by breaking our habits that have caused the suffering found in our lives. Tuffley explains this by saying
“Their selflessness generates infinite compassion for all living creatures. Transcending the egoic self in this way is a prerequisite for escaping the cycle of rebirth.” (Tuffley 7)
This is what Odell has been trying to urge the most in her writing. She asks people to step away and focus on the bigger problems in the world. By breaking habits we can be beneficial and help one another create a better working society. In chapter two, Odell tells a story about how she was in a cabin for business and found that the cabin had no internet access. She was forced to disconnect and be alone with herself. She then goes on to talk about how some people attend retreats that focus on disconnection. When I read that I was reminded of Buddhist monks and how they live together in a temple to practice their religion. They live disconnected from society and have very little interaction with the outside world. They do this to give up things that create suffering in their lives. This practice of the monks is very similar to the non-internet retreats Odell talks about in chapter two. She says that it is a trend for adults to visit these places to disconnect and spend time away from the stress of their distractions.
Another example of a Buddhist monk’s practice is meditation. In Tuffley’s writing, he describes how meditation is a commonly used practice in Buddhism used to clear the mind and reflect. He explains that with even a busy life and having a lot on your mind you are still able to use many methods to help relax and reflect and think of nothing for a moment. The Buddhist monks use this practice a lot to help clear their minds to reach enlightenment. Some sit for days to practice keeping their breathing steady and mind clear. This is similar to Odell’s rose garden example in chapter one when she was practicing deep listening with the birds around her.
“However you refer to it, what this practice has in common with deep listening is that observing birds requires you to quite literally to do nothing.” (Odell 8)
When I read about deep listening it sounded like a different word for meditation since it is so similar to the practice of meditation. Odell was reflecting on things and truly enjoying the nature around her instead of letting her thoughts race.
By comparing Odell and Tuffleys work, I think that Odell had a lot of influence from Buddhism and could have used more examples of Buddhist teachings in her writing. When I first began to read Odell’s work I liked her ideas of reflection and taking time for yourself. Practicing mindfulness has become an encouraging activity by many psychologists. Therapists have been encouraging patients with anxiety and depression to start practicing to help them relax and reflect. I try to include it daily whenever I exercise and before I go to sleep and night. I began the practice after learning about how people involved in Buddhism practiced daily and many positive things come from it. This is what Odell was trying to encourage people to do in the first few chapters of her book. Odell could have even used stronger examples such as monks meditating or people in the religion practicing mindfulness. This would be relating it to a popular religion that 535 million people practice, she could have created an even stronger argument that encouraged people to step away from their daily life and take time to meditate and reflect on themselves. That way more readers would be encouraged to do so. In conclusion, Odell could have used multiple examples from the Buddhist religion to strengthen her argument towards others and create a relatable piece of work.
Work Cited:
Odell, Jenny. How to Do Nothing. Brooklyn, Melville. 2019
Tuffley, David. The Essence of Buddhism. Altiora Publications, Smashwords. 2013
