A Meditation on Vacuum Cleaning

I spent some time at Tassahara, the Zen Buddhist retreat in the Carmel Valley, It is in a deep canyon crack in the earth with minimalist, electricity-free cabin/shelters on either side of a gravel path. There is a dining room/kitchen, a zendo (meditation hall) and a bath house with wooden, Japanese style soaking tubs. Anyone who stays as a guest is expected to do chores, ranging from helping out in the kitchen or the vegetable garden to raking the paths or cleaning the bathrooms. One is instructed in the fine points on making every action a meditation by living in the moment and bringing compassion, care and mindfulness to every act.

I try to take a zen attitude toward cleaning--be in the moment, find the beauty in the act of vacuuming.

I admire the color and shape of the well designed vacuum cleaner. The German company that makes it has a rampant stallion on its coat of arms with the legend: immer/besser. Think about the meaning of these words (if you understand German).

Appreciate the way the attachments are cunningly contained within a compartment with  a pop up lid, and the ease with which the very expensive bags can be changed--if you can manage to unplug the cord which cunningly fits at an odd angle into a dark receptacle behind the handle.

Try very hard not to be annoyed by the fact that it is difficult (although not impossible, as you can see from the attached photo) to lean or otherwise get the hose with attached brush to stand upright (so you don't have to bend over to pick it up) while you use two hands to move heavy furniture (because said brush will not fit flat underneath).

Admire the effectiveness with which the cord retracts at the touch of a foot. Of course it will not do so if the body of the vacuum cleaner rests on said cord, requiring you to bend over to free it. Be grateful for the fact that you can still bend over .

Praise the fact that it rolls smoothly along on its little wheels behind you as you try to maneuver the brush into numerous corners where it doesn't fit. Contemplate changing to a smaller brush, but reject this idea as annoying and unnecessary ineffective.. Use a damp cloth instead.

Remember  that if when it gets hung up on an obstacle, such as a small stone or a large leaf which it refuses to pick up, a swift kick gentle nudge will free it. Don't forget to bend over and pick up the leaf or stone and carry it to the wastebasket.

If it refuses to go through the center of a doorway and gets stuck against the jamb, bend over (once again) and gently free it. Don't forget to bend your knees and use good posture when you do so.

When you have finished, shove the vacuum back in its closet, quickly slamming the door before the wand and hose fall out. Try not to grimace in pain as you  gratefully sit down to contemplate the following koan* "What is the point of vacuuming when the the dog hair/dust/foxtails/small stones/leaves just come back again?"

*A paradox to be meditated upon that is used to train Zen Buddhist monks to abandon ultimate dependence on reason and to force them into gaining sudden intuitive enlightenment.
--Merriam Webster Dictionary