"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
Of unknown origin, although it's often attributed to Einstein.
"Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily."
14th century logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham.
The Middle Way is not always a straight path. What is meant by "The Middle Way is a straight path" is that it is the least extreme - neither siding with hatred or lust.
We can over simplify, or over complicate walking the path in whichever form we choose (whether as a lay-person, or a mendicant), but at the end of the day, the path we should tread in situations is only as complex or simple as it is, no more.
There is a need to see the trees that make up the forest, yet no need to focus so much on each individual tree that we can not see our way out of the forest. There is a need to know where we are lacking knowledge, yet no need to think we are experts when sufficient knowledge has been gained in studying to understand what needed understood.
At the end of the day I may be right, wrong, both or neither.
We can over simplify, or over complicate walking the path in whichever form we choose (whether as a lay-person, or a mendicant), but at the end of the day, the path we should tread in situations is only as complex or simple as it is, no more.
There is a need to see the trees that make up the forest, yet no need to focus so much on each individual tree that we can not see our way out of the forest. There is a need to know where we are lacking knowledge, yet no need to think we are experts when sufficient knowledge has been gained in studying to understand what needed understood.
At the end of the day I may be right, wrong, both or neither.
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