“‘God,’ said one of the Shaker Elders, “is the Great Artist and Master Builder; the Gospel is the means... We must labor in union with them to cast all rubbish out of and from around the building, and to labor to bring everything both outward and inward, more and more into order.’
“...The Shakers were meticulous workers, with a passion for order, cleanliness, simplicity, practicality, and economy of means.
“...an Elder said, ‘the divine man has no right to waste money upon what you would call beauty in his house or daily life, while there are people living in misery.’”
A thing that is mindful — simple, honest, purposeful, effective and efficient, well-designed, well-made and well-maintained — is beautiful enough.
There is no need for any more than this.
Thomas Merton on Shaker communities
From “Mystics and Zen Masters”