A Monk's Guide to A Clean House & Mind - Shoukei Matsumoto
Summary
- A monks point of view of cleaning. A lovely book that also happens to be full of practical ideas on how to keep your life simple
How I discovered it
- Sandi recommended
How the book changed me
- I love the idea of minimalism, and it is one of my goals for this year. Shoukei has a beautiful and simple way of presenting his ideas. I have some specific ideas on how to cultivate minimalism from him, as well as some motivation since he presents it so simply
Details
- Rubbish is only what you treat as rubbish
- Interact with nature at every opportunity
- Water is the ultimate cleaning tool
- Close whatever you open
- As dust accumulates in a home never cleaned, so our minds need to be focused on the now
- Maintain your tools
- Creating a relaxing space requires plant life
- The Japanese practise of Uchimizu - Prepare the path for a loved one or a guest
- We never use more than one bucketful of water. The water in the bucket is for washing our head and face, and brushing our teeth. Water is a blessing from nature, without which humans could not exist. We should use that blessing well, never wasting a drop. We should wash our faces with a sense of gratitude to nature.
- Japanese wisdom - Hara Hachi Bu - Eating until you are 80 percent full
- When you have few things, you tend to be sure that they are better quality