An odd little book. Taken as a description of a Zen Buddhist monk’s daily life as regards taking care of their environment, this is a good little book. Having spent a lot of time with such a monk, it gave me a better understanding of his behavior, meaning behaviors I didn’t realize were part of his Zen practice. It also reiterates for us non-monks the link between a cluttered space and a cluttered mind, that self-respect means respecting our environment, including our bodies. While there are those who seem to thrive in chaos, I’m not one of them so appreciate the reminders.

easy and short book on how Japanese Buddhist monks approach cleaning. They say cleaning your house/temple is a way to clear your mind and interact with the natural world around us. Some people complaining they can’t be cleaning their house to the point of scrubbing floors every day, of course, but there are some good takeaways about why we clean and how we can respect the spaces and tools around us. 4.2 stars