A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind cover art

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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About this listen

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 listeners will discover that cleanliness is an opportunity to contemplate oneself.

Audio updated as of February 2018.

©2018 Shoukei Matsumoto (P)2018 Penguin Audio Buddhism Cleaning & Organising House & Home Philosophy

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)
All stars
Most relevant  
So powerful to be reminded
of
Less is more
I really enjoyed this book
Highly recomend it

Beautiful

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I fell asleep listening tbh. but it's so short. do you can listen to it many times.

so short and sweet you can read again

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Best narration of a book so far. Incredibly detailed but with a lot that you can apply without having the life of a Buddhist monk.

Inspirational without the cringe

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I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book. I shared it with my husband and he listened to it too and we have incorporated some of these sentiments into how we perceive and carry out house work, especially around including our children in it.

Loved it

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I was hoping for more. It was a book about how to clean your home.

Good to fall asleep to

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As a german housewife, I find the daily cleaning tips like feather duster and backing soda not what I‘m looking for in this book, but about cleaning the mind there is not so much new ideas. „Dust of the mind should be also removed“ is all what is said. Deeply dessapointed.

90% content is about house cleaning, only 10% about mind

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