Cleaning can be much more than a “peaceful” activity. Cleanliness is an expression of respect for oneself and others. As a mediator of interpersonal relationships it is an important part of school education in Japan. The aim is to teach the students through cleaning that they can improve their environment and that it is good to do something with and for others. This tradition is held in everyday working life, because very few companies employ cleaning staff. Rather, it is the task of all staff members regardless of their position. The aim is to improve teamwork, to train their attention and to promote consideration and independence through this routine morning activity.
To be able to understand the practice of cleaning and its influences on the mind I stayed four days with monks at the Eihei-ji temple.
The rural monastery Eihei-ji is located in the Fukui Prefecture and was founded in 1244. Spread over a hillside, the complex is surrounded by cedar trees (some of them up to 30m tall and as old as the temple) and bright green moss-covered boulders.
It is one of the two main temples of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism. Its founder was Eihei Dōgen who brought Sōtō from China to Japan during the 13th century. Dōgen’s writings, Shōbōgenzō, include chapters on toilet manners, bathing and the important role of the kitchen. These rules are still practiced and part of the training of monks.
About two hundred monks are in residence at this main temple. Their training can run for one to many years, none of them knowing when their teacher will decide that they are ready to leave. Withdrawn from the outside world, without contact to friends or family, they undergo a strict rule based teaching practice. I feel honoured and thankful to have been able to stay with them, to get a glimpse into their daily life.
Upon arriving each participant had to hand in all of their valuable items, digital devices or cosmetic products. It was probably for most of us the first time in years that we had been without any contact or distractions from the “outside” world for longer than one hour.
After a short welcoming and general introduction, we received guidance into the daily routine and practice which is done according to fixed rules ranging from “how” to go to the toilet to eating.
The following days, without pronouncing a word, we did perform these activities in synchrony, harmony and silence – allowing each of us to be in the moment in total self-awareness.
The day would start at 3:50h with 45 minutes of zazen (still sitting in a lotus position facing the wall), followed by the morning service in the hondo (main hall) with reading and chanting sutras.
To reach the hondo from the sōdo (meditation hall), we had to walk through the whole monastery – a traditional Japanese architectural structure, half indoor half outdoor, connecting buildings. Wearing only a few layers of cloth, socks and slippers, the cold soon got to our bones. While the surrounding forest, half covered in fog, would slowly awake with the sunrise and singing birds.
Around 7h we would receive breakfast – a warm bowl of rice porridge. Nothing would be left over and nothing would be spilled. Everyone would receive hot water to rinse their bowls, which even had to be drunk. We would continue the day with cleaning all spaces, from the tatami room in which we slept to the bathroom and toilets.
We did seat for zazen about 5 to 6 times a day. Without moving, in total silence, one would undergo various stages of experiences. From time to time thoughts would be overwhelming, coming from nowhere, steering up memories which would take all mental space.
Seconds later the direct surrounding would rise back to a full awareness. The sound of the water from the river outside, somewhere a few hundred meters away, would catch your attention as if you were right next to it. But the most dominant sensation was pain, specifically in my legs. Statically folded they would be slowly falling asleep while pressing persistently on the tatami mat. Accepting the pain just as what it was, a sensation, was one of the most enriching experiences which lead me to a moment of real peace with myself.
Even though meditation or zazen is what most people praise as a way to mindfulness and self-awareness, the lesson thought at Eihei-ji was that all our actions can and should be treated with the same awareness. To clean or to eat is as much “zazen sitting” as it is to dedicate your mind and body to do nothing.