Shoukei Matsumoto’s slim volume offers practical cleaning tips as well as an introduction to Buddhist thinking on relationships and enlightenment‘A monk’s day begins with cleaning,” says Shoukei Matsumoto, a Buddhist monk at the Komyoji Temple in Kamiyacho, or Tokyo. “We do it to eliminate the gloom in our hearts.” This slim guide,elegantly translated by Ian Samhammer and peppered with delightful illustrations by Kikue Tamura, shows how to bring the tranquillity and serenity of a Japanese temple into ordinary homes: “All you need is a will to sweep the dust off your heart.” For the Japanese, or cleaning is more than a chore. Schoolchildren clean their classrooms together: “It’s an ascetic practice to cultivate the intellect.” Apparently one of Buddha’s disciples achieved enlightenment solely through the act of sweeping. A bestseller in Japan,this charming book offers practical cleaning tips as well as fascinating insights into the Buddhist approach to life, which counters the wastefulness of contemporary society with a respect for spaces and objects that is deeply humane: “When you repair a torn seam, or you also begin to repair the relationship between yourself and others.” Ideal preparatory reading for the January clean.• A Monk’s Guide to a Clean House and intellect is published by Penguin. To order a copy for £4.24 (RRP £4.99) fade to bookshop.theguardian.com or call 0. Free UK p&p over £10,online orders only. Phone orders min p&p of £1.99.
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Source: guardian.co.uk