A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind
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Shokuzen – before meals: ‘Many lives, and much hard work, have gone into the blessing that is this meal. I will show my appreciation by enjoying this food with a deep sense of gratitude.’
Shokugo – after meals: ‘I thank you for the wonderful meal, with deep gratitude, respect and reverence.’
Haircuts
Many people probably associate monks with shaved heads. Indeed, monks of most sects sport this look. In some of the sects that do not require this practice, the head is still shaved when one first becomes a monk. This shows that you are committed to entering the priesthood and letting worldly things go.
I’m guessing most readers probably get their hair cut when it starts to get a little bit long or shaggy. Monks at the Eihei Temple shave their heads on days that end in ‘4’ or ‘9’. Why not give this approach a try? Even if you are not shaving your head, cutting your hair at regular intervals is a way to hone your self-discipline.
How to Shave
Monks at Eihei Temple do not use soap or shaving cream when they shave their heads and faces.
Many an inexperienced monk has drawn blood when first learning to shave in a temple. An absolute minimum of water is needed with little or no additions. Because only plain water is used, it can be returned safely to nature once you have finished your shave.
Bodily Functions
This might sound strange, but every time I visit the toilet I am struck with how amazing the human body is. We eat food, and our bodies digest that food and absorb the nutrients. Our bodies then get rid of whatever is left over. Sweat and earwax are the same idea. The human body automatically cleanses itself regularly. It works tireless 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We should all feel grateful for this.
We initially learn from our parents how to use the toilet as children, but after that we are on our own. We never see what other people do in the toilet, and so I am guessing that we all have our own way of going about the task, never giving it much thought.
But using the toilet in a Zen temple is done carefully and deliberately. As we have seen, in Zen Buddhism the toilet is considered a sacred place. This is why we carry out our bodily functions in such a prescribed way.
Before using the toilet, we set our bucket of water in a specific spot. We face the toilet with our left hand on our hip, position our right hand in a position called tanji. Picture your index finger plucking your thumb like a guitar string. That is tanji. We do this three times before and after we finish using the toilet.
The proper way to clean our private areas once we finish is not with toilet paper but with the water from our bucket. We use our left hand to clean ourselves, just like the traditional method in India.
A bathroom stall is a place where a monk gets a short rest, away from the rest of his peers. But it is possible to get lazy if one indulges in this privacy too much. It is especially important to stay alert and present, remembering one’s devotion to staying pure.
You can create a clean and comfortable place for you and your loved ones to take care of business. Every time you step into your toilet you should appreciate how your body is expelling toxins and waste. You should feel refreshed and grateful.
Toilet Etiquette
Using the toilet is one of the most basic, primal behaviours that we engage in. Let’s do it mindfully every time. Always keep the toilet slippers straight, and the paper looking nice and fresh. Just like the rest of the home, the toilet is a place to be considerate of others as well as yourself.
Sleep
In a temple we always go to bed early, and rise early. As long as you don’t stay up too late, you will be able to remain active throughout the day regardless of how early you may have woken up.
We work hard all day, then read aloud from sacred texts, effectively using up all of our energy. When it is time to crawl into bed, our bodies never protest. We don’t have trouble falling asleep, and we always naturally get the right amount of sleep.
The word ‘Buddha’ literally means ‘awakened one’.
Tips for a Good Sleep
Make it a point to keep regular hours, and make the most of your time while the sun is out.
Be sure to get up and move around throughout the day, and go to bed early. Sleeping longer than what your body actually requires is nothing short of lazy. Succumbing to sleep gluttony is giving in to your worldly desires. Idly sleeping your days away is no way to live.
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. After Ippen Shonin’s pilgrimage, he continued living a life without possessions, and never again settled down to live in one specific place. By not being anchored down by worldly possessions, his mind was able to achieve true freedom.
There are some things you start to realize when living the Zen life of simplicity. Namely, that you only keep things of good quality. They are the final products of many people’s diligent work. They are the kinds of things that you can continue to use again and again for many years.
When you acquire such items you begin to truly understand why they must be treasured. This is because the blood, sweat and tears of the person or people who created them have become part of them. Conversely, if you are surrounded only by poor-quality objects that you don’t care about, it is impossible to understand what it is to truly value something.
Even if there are young children in your home, you should try and limit possessions to only high-quality products. For example, teach your children from a young age how to treat fine dishware and utensils properly. Children who grow up like this will gain an appreciation of what makes an item valuable.
Scrutinize merchandise thoroughly when you shop, and consider whether or not you truly need an item before purchasing it. Also consider whether or not you can live comfortably with it. Having fewer possessions in your home will make cleaning it much easier, and, as we have seen, although handcrafted items cost a little bit more, they will stand the test of time.
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.
Organization
Monks live in very simple surroundings indeed. They only have the bare minimum of possessions, and those possessions are all stored away in predetermined areas. This means that even their very small living spaces are never cluttered.
Every item is stored in its proper place. It might sound obvious, but in how many homes can you actually see this? Take out an item when you need it, then return it immediately upon finishing your task. It is very easy, so why do so many of us struggle to do it? Because we have become reckless about how we deal with our possessions. That is to say, our minds have become reckless.
New monks are thoroughly instructed as to where each and every item and tool goes. Brooms, dustpans, buckets, eating utensils, etc., all have a proper place. The same goes for their personal possessions. Even the tiniest deviation in the layout of a monk’s desk can draw an earful from a teacher. Because everyone in the temple knows this, every item is always stored in its proper place.
A monk friend of mine told me something funny: ‘In the beginning I was simply putting things in their proper spots because I had been told to do so. But through repetition I actually began to hear the items speak to me. I felt like if I listened closely enough, I would naturally know where the object needed to go.’
‘I see,’ is all the response I could offer.
Listen to the voice of the object. This is a tall order if you allow yo
ur mind to become restless.
Use your possessions carefully, and listen closely with your heart. Sooner or later you will begin to hear the voice as well. As you do so, you should also try to be knowledgeable about where to store things in your living space. Think of your home as an allegory for your body. Keep cleaning it every day. An object will tell you where it wants to be kept if you learn to see its true essence. All of us can achieve that state of mind!
Experiencing the Seasons
Life in a temple reflects the changing seasons.
From New Year’s Day until the cherry blossoms of spring, and from the Lantern Festival in summer until the turning of the leaves in autumn, monks living in a temple have no lack of opportunities to celebrate the gentle transition from one season into the next. This was one of the things that made me glad I became a monk.
They say that there is no place like Japan when it comes to appreciating all that the four seasons have to offer. Even in my temple in the middle of Tokyo we can enjoy the beautiful cherry and plum tree blossoms in the spring, the din of the cicadas in the summer, and the soft song of crickets in the autumn. Truly enjoying the seasons is most important to Japanese people.
Clean your home thoroughly and then let the seasons pour in. There are many ways to enjoy the seasons in traditional Japanese rooms. Seasonal flowers adorn the tokonoma, and the decorative hanging scroll is replaced by one that reflects the season as well. Burning incense that evokes the season is good too. The traditional shoji doors keep the heat in during the winter, while yoshido, their thinner and more breathable counterparts, keep the room cool in summer. Even changing the paper on the shoji becomes more enjoyable when you are working in step with the seasons.
We change our outfits in the spring and autumn. The robes we wear have summer and winter versions. On the first day of wearing our summer clothing, the cool breeze blows up our sleeves and through the thinner fabric. On the other hand, the weight of the thicker winter clothes portends the coming of winter. Some of our work clothing has a thick lining, while some does not.
This doesn’t mean of course that we have a wardrobe full of different outfits. We have three basic ones based on what we are doing that day. By living with such a limited amount of clothing options, we are free from ever having to worry about what to wear. By stripping away unnecessary possessions, and living simply, we can enjoy the seasons and our surroundings to the fullest extent.
Get up and open a window. Take in the fresh air that blows through. The smell of the wind changes from season to season. The sounds of insects and the songs of birds tell us what season it is. Day in, day out, time marches forward and the seasons slowly shift. Buddha comes through nature and reaches out to us all. The nature you see around you is reflecting back at you what is in your heart.
Spring Cleaning
Everything is made spick and span on a daily basis in a temple, so there is no need for spring cleaning, right? Wrong. Of course we clean the floors, kitchen, toilet and bathroom every day. The places that are hard to reach are cleaned regularly as well. This means that nothing in the temple is cleaned only once a year. In terms of cleaning dirt from surfaces, spring cleaning is not necessary in a temple.
However, as we have seen, cleaning is meant to clean dirt from your heart and your soul. Spring cleaning is a way to clear your mind of all the grime that has accumulated over the course of the year. So, as you can see, this annual cleaning is quite important in a temple.
The common Japanese practice of doing a thorough cleaning at the end of the year was once referred to as susuharai, which literally described the cleaning of soot. Back in the time of wood stoves, candles and oil lamps, soot would begin to accumulate here and there throughout the living space. The practice of doing a thorough cleaning is still called susuharai in some temples even to this day.
In mid-December, the Honganji Temple puts on a susuharai event where the general public can participate in cleaning the temple alongside monks. After the monks finish their early morning chores, the monks, the visitors and the head priest all meet and pray together. They then sweep the altar of the Buddha statue with a giant broom about 4 m in length. The same ritual is performed in front of the statue of Shinran. After this everyone lines up side by side and the cleaning begins.
Keeping with the old tradition, we beat the tatami mats with a long bamboo pole. We then use a big fan to blow the dust away, finally using a broom to clean up the rest. Perhaps what we call spring cleaning is less about the cleaning and more of an event. We are all celebrating having made it through another year with one another. There is no greater gift than that.
The bonds you have with your friends and family are the foundation of a healthy mind. I highly recommend spring cleaning as an annual event in your family. It is important to focus on the places in your home that you rarely get around to cleaning. As for dividing up cleaning tasks between family members, bear in mind that it is good for everyone to get the opportunity to clean areas of the home that they are not accustomed to cleaning. Doing the spring cleaning together will strengthen and deepen the bonds between you.
THE BEGINNING
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First published by Discover 21, Inc. 2011
This translation first published in Penguin Books 2018
Copyright © Shoukei Matsumoto, 2011, 2018
Translation copyright © Ian Samhammer, 2018
Illustrations copyright © Kikue Tamura, 2018
The moral right of the author has been asserted
ISBN: 978-1-846-14970-2