A Monk's Guide to a Clean House and Mind

by Shoukei Matsumoto

  The only object that a monk uses in the bath at a temple is a pail. Monks bring their own soap and tenugui towel (though other kinds of towels are permissible). Before going to the bathroom, a monk makes sure that all his bathing items are in order. Then he puts the pail back in its proper place in the bathroom after use, and checks that the taps are turned to face the same direction. Everything must feel as though it is in the perfect place.

  As this is an area closely related to water, the basis of all life, it is natural for one’s instincts to reveal themselves. Simply put, the bathroom, like the toilet, is a place in which others cannot see you. Because of this, the strong ego can be revealed in this room.

  Due its nature, we always make sure that the bathroom is scrubbed clean in a thorough and methodical manner. Areas that are particularly prone to dirt if cleaning is put off should be cleaned in a scrupulous manner. This will, in turn, keep the heart pure.

  If you enter a damp bathroom, your heart also becomes damp. If mould grows in a bathroom, then mould also grows in your heart. If the body is washed sloppily, then impurities of the heart cannot be removed.

  If you allow dirt left by the basis of life, water, to form, then impurities will accumulate within your heart as well. Conversely, if the bathroom is kept clean, then you can keep your heart clean as well.

  ‘The highest excellence is like water.’ These words from the Tao Te Ching convey that the ideal way of life is like water: flexible and calm.

  To remove impurities from your heart, be sure to keep the bathroom sparkling clean.

  How to Clean the Bathroom

  First, scrub the floor clean so that you can sit comfortably, even in a seiza position. Use a Japanese tawashi or a similar scrub brush to remove any mineral deposits (however, surfaces that can be damaged easily should be cleaned with a sponge rather than a tawashi). Use baking soda on grime that is more difficult to remove.

  After cleaning the bathroom, you may find yourself so relaxed that you hum without thinking. However, as the bathroom is one of the Three Mandas, why not try from time to time cleaning it in complete silence instead?

  The Toilet

  This is where the true colours of a household are revealed. However, while many people pay particular attention to cleaning the entrance of their home before guests arrive, not all give the same amount of attention to the toilet (tousu).

  When guests use your toilet, they are entering a private room alone. Since, as with the bathroom, this is a place where one can let one’s guard down, it is likely that they will notice even the minutest of details: a dirtied toilet, dust on the floor, an empty toilet paper roll.

  If the toilet is a poorly kept room where guests are unable to relax, this will impact negatively on their impression of both your home and the head of the household: they will not feel truly welcome.

  The toilet is one of the areas that Zen monks always put a great deal of effort into keeping clean.

  Adherents of Zen Buddhism also believe that Ucchusma (also known as Ususami Myou in Japanese) attained enlightenment in the toilet, thus making it a holy space.

  Since the toilet is an area that allows us to expel impurities, it is vital that our cleaning of it be thorough, leaving not even a fingerprint behind. Incidentally, as one of the pious acts Ucchusma performs is to ‘cleanse all impurities of the world’, we place divine statues of Ucchusma in the toilet.

  The toilet etiquette carefully observed by Zen monks, established by Master Dogen (AD 1200–1253), is to utter not a single word, and to keep the area clean.

  Even at the temples of Pure Land Buddhism, where there are separate toilets normally reserved for visitors, I have never come across a toilet that was dirty or not kept in good order. Regardless of which temple you go to, the toilets will be clean. Someone is always at the ready to keep them this way, making sure that toilet slippers are properly placed for their guests (in Japan, house slippers are taken off before entering the toilet, and we change into a second pair of slippers used only in the toilet).

  Those who use a well-maintained toilet can sense its cleanliness on their skin, and are able to relax during their time there. In addition, a well-maintained toilet naturally creates an environment that encourages the user to use it in a tidy manner so that the next person can also enjoy the same level of cleanliness.

  Monks on the path to enlightenment at Eihei Temple don’t wear slippers in the toilet at all. Although they wear special slippers while inside the zodo hall, they remove them at the tousu and enter barefoot.

  According to one of my monk friends, the tousu there is so clean that one could lie down on its floor, and when entering, one is as solemn as if taking part in a ceremony.

  Since the toilet should be a place that is both calm enough for you to be able to relax, and clean enough to make you conscious of the way in which you use it, always endeavour to clean this room as often as possible.

  Toilet Etiquette

  Although it is standard practice for all temples to keep their toilets clean, Zen temples are particularly meticulous when it comes to cleaning their toilets.

  Regardless of how many toilets there are, cleaning should, at the very least, be done in the morning and at night. The tousu used by unsui monks is kept particularly clean: after wiping down the wooden floor and toilet itself with an old dust cloth, any leftover hairs, dust or paper are removed as well. The ends of the toilet paper are folded into a triangle.

  The basic secret to keeping a toilet clean is to use it in a clean way. If everyone makes an effort to use the toilet in a clean way, when it’s your turn to use it, you’ll find yourself leaving the toilet cleaner than when you first found it, in turn helping to preserve the next user’s awareness of its cleanliness.

  The principle of cleaning your own toilet is very much like the idea that even just one or two lines of graffiti in a public toilet can immediately cause it to become filthier and filthier.

  Since the toilet is clean, you do not leave it dirty. Since you have not left it dirty, the toilet will stay clean. When this rule is broken, the toilet becomes dirty immediately. The first step to keeping your toilet clean is to adopt this mantra into your own life.

  Floors

  When it comes to cleaning a temple, polishing the floor is as basic a chore as it gets. For many monks, a day does not go by that they don’t clean the floors of the temple corridors.

  Since the floors are thoroughly polished day in and day out, every inch of them is beautiful, with their surface, blackened through hundreds of years of use, taking on an almost translucent, fossilized look. You can walk through a carefully maintained temple all day long in white socks without worrying about discolouring them. There is no dust or grime to speak of.

  It is the job of the monks to perform the upkeep on these beautifully preserved floors. They are polished every day whether they appear to need it or not.

  When you are polishing the floor, you are polishing your heart and your mind.

  The point of housework is to clean up dirt and grime, isn’t it? So you might be wondering what is the point of cleaning something that is already spotless. But for monks the physical act of polishing the floor is analogous to cleaning the earthly dirt from your soul. This grime accumulates in your body and poisons your mind. This manifests itself as a dirty room and cluttered surroundings. Wipe your floor and see. Each blemish you find is a sign of unrest in your mind. Once you learn how to see how your inner turmoil manifests itself through your surroundings, you can reverse engineer this, mastering yourself by mastering the space in which you live.

  It goes without saying that dust will accumulate in a home that is never cleaned. Just as you have finished raking the leaves, more are sure to fall. It is the same with your mind. Right when you think you have cleaned out all the cobwebs, more begin to form. Adherence to the past and misgivings about the future will fill your head, wresting your mind from the present. This is why we monks pour ourselves heart and soul into the polishing of floors. Clea
ning is training for staying in the now. Therein lies the reason for being particular about cleanliness.

  Kyoto’s Jissoin Temple is known for the way its floor reflects the beautiful autumn leaves from the trees that surround it. But just how much polishing does it take to achieve such a beautiful, reflective black lustre? Why not polish the floor in your home as if you were polishing a mirror that will reflect your soul?

  How to Polish the Floor

  Before we polish the floor in a temple, we must sweep it thoroughly. Only once the sweeping is complete can we begin wiping. Dip a cloth in a bucket of water, wring it with all your might, then glide it across the surface of the floor. We don’t use any soap, and there is no need to dry the floor. Your carefully wrung out cloth should contain a minimum of moisture, meaning that the floor dries out shortly after the cleaning rag passes over it.

  As you do this, avoid any unnecessary thoughts, instead allowing your body to focus only on the task in hand. When doing this alone, you should be looking inward. When doing this with others, allow yourself to notice those around you, being conscious of your role in the team effort.

  Guest Rooms

  The tokonoma (a decorative alcove in a Japanese-style room) became a fixture in every Japanese home during the Edo period (1615–1867), and has come to be a treasured symbol of Japanese culture. The tokonoma usually contains a kakejiku (hanging scroll) on the wall of the alcove, with flowers and incense on the floor beneath it. It may also contain a simply decorated shelf. The tokonoma is the face of your guest room, and should be carefully considered when you are expecting company.

  Even in hard-to-see places such as the tracks of shoji doors, you must not cut corners. Though it may be difficult to see, leftover grime and clutter will negatively affect the climate of the room. Clutter that is hastily stowed away in drawers before the guest shows up will give an air of disorder to the room. Be sure to clean even places that are well out of your reach.

  Once you have cleaned the room in its entirety, survey it carefully. Is there any dirt or dust? Are there any unnecessary items out? Is everything orderly and organized? Since a guest is coming, also make sure that you are stocked up with drinks, snacks, clean linen, etc. This should never be overlooked! Everything needs to be done to make sure that your guest has the most comfortable stay possible.

  At the temple we believe that if guests are visiting on business, it should be our goal to create a space free of distractions where they can talk and work. That is the key to good hospitality. If the surroundings are dirty or the windows have fingerprints on them, this will tug at the mind of your guests, making it difficult for them to say what they want to say. Overly gaudy decorations should be avoided as well for the same reason. What you want instead is simple beauty, and decorations that will make your guests feel a lightness or perhaps even a playfulness in the room. The ultimate goal is to put each of your guests’ minds at ease.

  How to Clean the Tokonoma

  Clean once with a dry towel, then with a wet one. If you commit your mind fully to the task, you can bring out the brilliance of the area with a dry rag alone. Once it is clean, hang a seasonal kakejiku and put out a simple arrangement of flowers.

  The Butsuma

  Monks often visit people’s homes in order to recite a sutra for a recently departed loved one. When we arrive, the owner will meet us at the front door and lead us to the butsuma (Buddhist altar). The location of the butsuma depends on the family. Some people have it near the entrance while some have it in the living room. Although homes come in all shapes and sizes, there is one common thread that I see over and over again: families that do not take good care of their butsuma. In extreme cases I have even seen the space around the altar turned into a veritable storage space for dusty, unused furniture and exercise equipment. I cannot help but feel bad when I behold such a sight.

  Do you have, or have you seen, a butsuma? A butsuma is a place where the spirit of Buddha rests. Many people think that the altar is simply a place to pay respect to deceased family members. Actually, the altar enshrines the souls of those who have passed on and become a part of Buddha themselves. In other words, your altar is your family’s own little temple. It is a place where you can express gratitude, and where Buddha will come to you to ease your heart and soul. Even in a small apartment, surely you can get creative and dedicate one small shelf to your own altar.

  Once a day, whether morning or evening, bring a small offering of food to the altar, then put your hands together in quiet prayer. This will soothe your heart and allow you a little more peace of mind throughout your daily routine.

  You should think of the space around your altar as temple grounds. You would never litter or clutter up the sacred area around a temple or a church, and so you should treat your butsuma the same way. Commit yourself to keeping this space as clean and tidy as possible.

  How to Clean Your Butsuma

  Just as you would with your guest room, keep the cleaning of your butsuma simple and gentle. Your goal should be to provide a quiet, relaxing atmosphere for all that enter. You may want to bear in mind the following:

  1 Keep the ashes in your incense holder flat and clean. If your incense holder is becoming full of incense cinders, use a strainer to collect them. Once you have tidied up, the incense should be able to burn entirely without going out.

  2 Never touch the golden parts of your altar with a rag or your hand. Instead, use a feather duster to gently remove the dust.

  3 Take great care when cleaning all the other parts of your altar. Use a soft cloth to dust the metal parts. You can rub the colour off if you use a coarse cloth or detergent, so do this at your own risk. I personally use a cloth that is specially designed to clean the various metal tools and decorations in a Buddhist altar. If your altar should ever require any kind of serious repair or maintenance, do seek the help of a professional.

  Shoji doors

  Repairing shoji (paper doors or screens) is one of a monk’s tasks. Sometimes visitors to the temple, especially young children, will inadvertently poke a hole in the delicate shoji. It is our job to repaper the affected area as soon as possible. But even with no one poking holes in them, shoji can become dirty and weathered over time. Since they are made of paper, we cannot simply clean them with a rag. Even if there is no damage, the paper has to be replaced at regular intervals, namely each time the seasons change.

  Nowadays products are designed for easy use and easy disposal. In such a world, we cannot really expect that people will have a deep appreciation for the things they consume. However, shoji are something that you do not simply replace every time they break, and there is no such thing as shoji paper that will never tear. In comparison to most modern conveniences, shoji are a pretty burdensome thing to own. If you do not put a little bit of elbow grease into them regularly, they are nearly impossible to maintain. But this inconvenience can teach us a lot in our modern world. By using and maintaining such a device, we can gain a better understanding of all that goes into the various gadgets around us. By replacing the paper in your shoji by yourself, you will foster a deeper appreciation for your surroundings. Not only that, but the effort you put in will lend a warmth to the air that your guests will be able to sense in every corner of every room.

  I recommend having your children help you. They are much less likely to poke a hole in the paper that they helped install.

  How to Repaper Your Shoji

  Back in the day there were different sizes of shoji paper based on the size of your frame. Today, however, many people use a one-size-fits-all approach.

  1 Use a moist sponge to dissolve the glue on the paper. Once you have done so, carefully peel the paper away from the frame.

  2 Wipe the frame clean and then allow it to dry completely.

  3 Use a piece of tape to fasten one corner of the new paper to the frame. This will be your starting point. Using a special shoji paintbrush and paste, thoroughly coat the contact points on the frame. Being careful to act while the pa
ste is still wet, roll the paper on to the frame.

  4 Cut off the extra paper, trimming it to the size of your frame.

  Lighting

  It is not easy to clean light fixtures in high places every day. Even at the temple we do not do this daily. But my recommendation for hard-to-reach spots is to set up a cleaning schedule. Setting a regular schedule for cleaning such places is a good way to keep them looking great, and to avoid overlooking them. The monks at the Eihei Temple take care of these spots when the date ends in a ‘3’ or an ‘8’, in other words the 3rd, the 8th, the 13th, etc., of the month. These areas can require many hands, so try to enlist family members or friends.

  Back before the light bulb, light was only available until the sun went down. Even in today’s age of electric light, we should do our best to keep sources of illumination free of grime or anything else that might obscure them. In the world of Buddhism, light is a symbol of wisdom and compassion. My temple is called Komyoji or Bright Light Temple.

  The ultimate goal of Buddhist teachings is to conquer the suffering in people’s lives and open them up to enlightenment. In most cases we regard the root of human suffering as mumyo. Literally translating as ‘no light’, mumyo refers to the condition of being figuratively lost in the dark. Since you are unable to see the true nature of what is around you, your mind succumbs to worry and anxiety.