A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind

By: Shoukei Matsumoto

Narrated by: Adam Sims

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.

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)

delivers what it promises

Would you listen to A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind again? Why?

yes, the lessons are worth listening to again

Any additional comments?

I like how it ties observations about buddhism with the suggestions on how to clean. It opened up my mind to a different way of approaching everyday tasks. Peaceful and encouraging read.