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A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind

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A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind

By: Shoukei Matsumoto
Narrated by: Adam Sims
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Penguin presents the audiobook edition of A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind by Shoukei Matsumoto, read by Adam Sims.

We remove dust to sweep away our worldly desires. We scrub dirt to free ourselves of attachments. We live simply and take time to contemplate the self, mindfully living each moment. It's not just monks that need to live this way. Everyone in today's busy world today needs it.

The Zen sect of Buddhism is renowned for the cleanliness of its monks, but cleaning is greatly valued in Japanese Buddhism in general as a way to cultivate the mind. In this book, I introduce everyday cleaning methods typically employed in temples, while sharing what it's like to be a monk in training.

This book will improve the condition not just of your own mind, but also the people around you. I hope readers will discover that cleanliness is an opportunity to contemplate oneself.

Audio updated as of February 2018.

 Buddhism Cleaning & Organizing House & Home Philosophy
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Critic reviews

The most unusual self-help book of 2018 ... There is something surprisingly calming about just reading the book, hearing Matsumoto's simple instructions and admiring the clean pen drawings of Japanese sandals and brooms (Jane Fryer)
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 modern society with a respect for spaces and objects that is deeply humane ... Ideal preparatory reading for the January clean (PD Smith)
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I didn't realise how meditative I'd find learning about how to clean a temple from a monk with a lovely relaxing voice... I live in a flat!!

now temple cleaning in my 2 bed flat!

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If one only practiced 1 task described in this book, your life would become better.

Change

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The book is ok. Depends on what one expects. It is practical in terms describing steps how to do certain tasks so if this is what one looks for it can be helpful.

It was alright

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This is peaceful and relaxing book with good advice. However as I have already mentioned in the headline, the reading voice is robotic and so not very pleasant. The last chapter just stops unexpectedly.

Robotic voice; finished abruptly without any conclusion, please fix

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Beautifully read but not exactly what I hoped for. I was expecting more about cleaning as a form of meditation and taking pleasure in simple things. There was more culturally specific facts about the superiority of traditional Japanese tools and investing money in good quality Japanese handmade objects. There were a few tips - such as cleaning windows with newspaper and remembering to close kitchen cabinets. Things I knew already.

Not what I'd hoped for

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