A Simple Framework

Amar, a business executive, accepted an assignment from his company to start a new branch overseas. The move was short-term, so he and his family secured their home, planning to come back later. Amar gave his sister, Naya, a key. He asked her to visit their home now and then. Naya did just that, making sure everything was okay.

When they got back in the spring, the house seemed okay. But Amar soon felt irritation in his throat and eyes and he kept coughing. Thinking he might be sick, he saw his doctor. The doctor thought it might be mold and suggested he consult a Certified Mold Inspector. Amar had heard of mold, but didn’t know much about it.

Worried about his family, Amar wanted to know everything about mold. It didn’t take him long to get in touch with a skilled mold expert. When the expert arrived to inspect the home, Amar asked him if he could join him during the inspection. Sensing Amar’s anxiety, the expert agreed to help educate him.

Amar Learns About Mold

First, the expert told Amar that mold is a type of fungus found everywhere. Then he showed him some pictures of mold on his phone. Then he talked about recognizing mold by its unique smell and where to look for it. After that discussion, they both wore protective masks and began checking the house.

By the end of the inspection, it was clear there was mold in the house. A leak in the roof soaked the insulation in the attic creating the conditions for mold to take hold. The found the mold, but that wasn’t enough for Amar. He wanted to know how to ensure it doesn’t happen again in the future. He understands that to prevent something from happening in the future, he needs to know how it happened in the past. So he asked the expert to help him understand the causes and conditions that could result in a mold infection. The expert explained how several factors such as moisture, inadequate ventilation, leaky pipes or roofs, flooding, damp clothing, ill-fitted doors or windows can cause mold.

Coming back to the problem at hand, Amar asked if they could get rid of the mold. The expert said it was simple in theory, but the real work took time. They needed to fix the roof, change the insulation, and do a final check. After that, Amar and his family could get back to normal. Amar set in motion the process of getting rid of mold. He was also determined to prevent mold from infecting his home again in the future.

Amar’s Methodical Approach

Here’s a summary of the process used by Amar to learn about mold:

1. What is a mold infection? How to recognize it when you see it?
2. What causes mold infections?
3. Can an existing mold infection be completely eliminated? Can future infections be prevented?
4. What practical steps are required to eliminate the infection? What steps can be taken to prevent its recurrence?

Amar used these steps to fight mold. It seems like a helpful way to think. Can it help with other problems too?

The Buddha’s Framework

A friend once told me about a book called ‘What the Buddha Taught.’ It was a good introduction to Buddha’s ideas. The Buddha used a four-step framework to organize his teachings:

1. What is dukkha? Here he went deep into understanding dukkha.
2. What are the causes of dukkha? He looked at the causes and conditions that gave rise to dukkha.
3. What is the antidote to dukkha, enabling its containment or mitigation? He talked about nirvana as the antidote to dukkha.
4. What path leads to the containment of dukkha or the attainment of nirvana? Buddha taught several methods anyone could try to mitigate dukkha.

Do you see a pattern here? The steps Amar took to tackle mold are similar to the Buddha’s four-step framework! You can use this four-step framework to tackle any big problem. Just replace dukkha with your problem and nirvana with the solution.

Motivation is Key

Amar could have just paid a company to fix the mold. They would do the work and give him a report. He could read it and do a few things they suggested. But if Amar didn’t fully grasp mold’s nature, its causes, and methods to prevent it, he’d struggle to consistently apply the recommended best practices.

The Buddha encouraged everyone to learn about the first three Noble Truths. They help people see why the fourth Noble Truth is important. The path prescribed in step 4 requires patience, dedication, and continuous practice. The conceptual foundations laid in steps 1, 2, and 3 play an important role in motivating someone to follow the practices prescribed in step 4. Motivation is key to successful practice!

A Simple Framework

Let’s use the four-step framework in A Simple Project. Here’s how they look for one of the 3 Cs, complexity:

1. What is complexity? We’ll talk about what it is and what it looks like.
2. What are the causes of complexity? We’ll look at its causes.
3. What is the cure to complexity? We recognize simplicity is the answer to complexity.
4. How to practice simplicity? We’ll describe ways to practice it.

Use the same steps for the other two topics, confusion and complicated. The antidote, the third step, is always Simplicity. The fourth step, practicing simplicity, works for all the 3 Cs.

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