Sweeping Changes: Discovering the Joy of Zen in Everyday Tasks

Are you familiar with the story of the young beginning monk who goes to the Zen master and asks him what he should do to attain enlightenment and the master asks him if he has eaten his bowl of rice, the boy says yes and the master says, "Wash your bowl." ? Gary Thorp with compassionate good nature explains how to wash your bowl. Enlightenment needs no special equipment and each and every creature and object in your life is just waiting to give it to you. I think this book suggests many ways of how to see that. It's magical. You don't have to stop anything that you are doing, you don't have to join any club or cult or religion, you don't have to be anything but what you really are. Just read the book and meditate on it and everything will be fine. No kidding. It's that good.

Maybe it is a California thing but as a native, I think the term Zen gets overused. The author notes on page 2 "Zen is the Japanese word for "meditation," and while this is usually understood as sitting quietly in a formal posture, it can also be applied to the everyday movements of daily activity."I am neither Zen or Buddhist in the purest form of the word. But I bought the book because I have been involved in simple living for almost two decades and I am always interested in how different people approach simplicity and quietness in everyday life.So what value did I find in this book? Well, for starters its nice to see the everyday tasks that must be done, elevated to a higher or revered level. I have always believed that preparing food or making a house a home and feeding the bodies as well as the mind of the ones around us is something very spiritual or even holy. That bring order from chaos is wonderful. And seeing smile and laughter and contentment from daily tasks is a sure sign of enlightenment.There are so many gems in this books from pots and pans to where one sleeps, to the colours that surround us and how that effects us, to simple things like learning that in Japan that when a precious tea container is broken it is not only mended but gold leafed so that the repair is shown as a continuance of the life of the item. Whereas here in America when something is broken it usually gets tossed out and a new replacement is sought.

I had been looking around for an electric broom, so I could take care of the floors in my home between my cleaner's every-other-week visits. I couldn't make up my mind, then I came across this book and decided to give the old-fashioned broom and dustpan another try, with a better attitude. For now, I'll stick with them. This is a delightful little book. While so many other books on adding meaning to ordinary life come across as merely clever, repetitious, or self serving, Thorp seems to have written this little gem with sincere desire to simply share some of his accumulated wisdom. I hope he is working on another book

I've been on a thirty year search for a book like "Sweeping Changes". Although, I've read a lot of books on zen, only a few seem to capture zen's true essence. Gary Thorp, author of "Sweeping Changes", is able to convey this zen essence to his reader. He writes of bringing mindfulness into all aspects of daily living. But Thorp does this without being prescriptive. Instead, after reading (or shall I say savoring) a chapter of "Sweeping Changes", you find yourself inspired to bring your entire presence to the task at hand; whether it is sweeping the kitchen floor, taking care of the kids, or addressing a challenge at work.For now, "Sweeping Changes" will have a special place on my book shelf; a place where it comforts me with its very presence of zen.

When I received this book the rougher edged pages made it intriguing to handle. In a way this prepares you for the message of the book. It is the little things that form us as well.Upon reading the first section of the first chapter, a mere page or two, I knew this book was going to be a treat. It frames for you a single thought or consideration about the world around you. This I found well worth using the rest of the day to ponder. I deliberately then read only one section each day. Sadly after 39 days of having this book as my daily companion, I have finished reading it. It was shear joy, as this book illuminates your own life, your common everyday occurances and helps you see how each contributes to the whole. I plan to read this over and over again. This has given me an inside to Zen, that I would not have oridinarily had. With the bibliography in the back of the book I'm encouraged to read more.Also, as not to miss the point of the name "Sweeping changes" it gives a much more satisfying view on housework. It brings it more into an overall perspective. You are caring for the things that help support you. It is a synergistic relationship.Fantastic book