I’ve never really liked cleaning. Don’t get me wrong, my house is fairly tidy, I’m not a messy person. But really, I don’t like cleaning. There are always other things to do which are much more interesting.
But it’s a slow Sunday so I am cleaning the bathrooms and sweeping the kitchen.
And I remember I have this gem of a book by Zen Buddhist monk Shoukei Matsumoto who lives in Komyoji Temple,Tokyo - A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and Mind. The essence of this book is not it’s many gentle tips on cleaning but something more profound.
How can you change your daily housework into an opportunity to contemplate yourself?
Matsumoto’s day begins with cleaning, sweeping the temple grounds and gardens and cleaning the main temple hall, not because it’s dirty he says, but to ‘eliminate the gloom in our hearts’. This mindful, simple, slow way of living is something we all need. In this way life itself - the simple daily tasks of life - can become a training ground.
Cleaning is greatly valued in Japanese life and culture. In Japan cleaning is not just a chore, it’s a matter of cultivating social consciousness, developing an awareness and pride in surroundings, it’s normal for children for example to clean their classrooms. Some examples of extreme Japanese cleanliness have gone viral, like the seven-minute Shinkansen train-cleaning ritual.
In Zen Buddhism, which came to Japan from China in the 12th and 13th Centuries, daily tasks like cleaning and cooking are considered spiritual exercises, no different from meditating. This is because Buddhism built on the foundations of Shinto, which has cleanliness at its heart.
Every day Matsumoto and other monks dress in their Samue robes and go through their ritual of cleaning; and it is a ritual, an act of devotion. Cleaning requires attention and concentration. It is a daily activity, a daily practice.
He outlines the clothes and equipment he uses with care and simple detail: a dustpan and brush, a feather duster, a bucket and then explains room by room how to clean.
If you think you know how to clean, think again.
Matsumoto starts in the kitchen. The role of a cook in a zen temple is only for those deeply committed to their search for enlightenment and so the kitchen is where we start. If, like me, you often don’t shut drawers or cupboards when cooking, he admonishes this as a sign of an untidy heart. I’m already off to a bad start.
The monks of Soto Zen must obey the three mandalas of silence - there are three areas in the temple they are forbidden to talk: the zodo hall (where they eat, sleep and meditate), the bathroom and the toilet. There’s obviously a lot of silence in the temple. And a lot of cleanliness. In the bathroom there is not only a whole ritual for bathing but also for cleaning.
‘After cleaning the bathroom, you may find yourself so relaxed that you hum without thinking. However, as the bathroom is one of the Three Mandas, why not try from time to time cleaning it in complete silence instead?’
And as for the toilet, well this is where the true colours of the household are revealed he says. Japanese toilets are notorious in their level of cleanliness and comfort. There are separate indoor slippers for the toilet, and the toilets themselves are something else.
Not a day goes by when a monk does not clean the floor. When you are polishing the floor, you are polishing your heart and your mind, says Matsumoto. Kyoto’s Jissoin Temple is known for the way its floor reflects the beautiful autumn leaves from the trees that surround it. That’s something to consider. As you clean a floor avoid any unnecessary thoughts suggests Matsumoto, instead allow your body to focus only on the task in hand. Just as in meditation we might return to the breath again and again when our mind wonders.
There are special ways to clean shoji doors, Butsuma (Buddhist altars) and Tokonoma (decorative alcoves containing a hanging scroll) and while you may not have these in your home it brings a fascinating insight into Japanese life.
And what to do with rubbish?
Things become rubbish when they are treated as rubbish, says Matsumoto. The Japanese idea of not being wasteful is not just about avoiding waste but embodies a spirit of gratitude. The Japanese word for wasteful comes from the word mottainai, meaning there is no substance in anything in and of itself, that things exist only in relation to other things and so it is not for us to judge what is wasteful or valuable. Nothing starts out as rubbish. And there is great emphasis on repair.
People who endlessly chase after new things have lost their freedom to earthly desire.
Every element of cleaning: windows, laundry, ironing, repair is connected to how we live our lives and reflects our mental states. Live simply, with gratitude, cleanliness, attention and care this book suggests. Care for the interior of your home as it creates your conditions. Show respect and care to your exterior home and garden sending ‘ripples of gratitude to your neighbourhood’.
Matsumoto gives glimpses into the rituals of a monks life, which days of the month they shave their heads, how to wash your face and clean your teeth with a monk’s attitude.
And when the cleaning is done simplicity is all.
You might be surprised to see the tiny spaces where monks live during their training. Zen monks are each allotted a single square of tatami mat (180 cm by 85 cm), where they are to eat, meditate and sleep…Even in the Jodoshinshu branch of Buddhism, monks live together in close quarters. Writing utensils and undergarments beyond the bare minimum are forbidden. About ten people live, work, clean and study together day in and day out, all in complete silence. There is simply no room for idle, worldly thoughts.
Quite honestly a life free of possessions is very comfortable.
There is an old Zen saying that goes, ‘Where there is nothing, there is everything.’ By letting go of everything, you can open up a universe of unlimited possibilities.
Image: from Ignota.
Order a copy of this delightful book here
Also by the same author A Quiet Mind: Buddhist ways to calm the noise in your head
You can follow Shoukei Matsumoto on Instagram!