Our Inner One-Person Show We may all be followers of a “religion of self,” revering the self as its guru and blindly believing its teachings. Before we know it, a grand story begins in our minds. “What did that person really mean by that comment?” “Am I being properly appreciated?” We are the scriptwriter, director, lead actor, and even the audience. When everything is interpreted in relation to ourselves, the world begins to take on the color of “my story.” When the self sta

In a recent practice session, a participant shared something very vivid. During a period of meditation retreat, their sense of self became quiet. The usual inner movement—the need to be seen, to be recognized, to be “someone”—softened. There was less pressure. Less tension. But after the retreat ended, something returned. Suddenly, the sense of self reappeared—strong, insistent, almost disruptive. With it came familiar patterns: a desire to be liked, a heightened awareness of

Here’s a polished version that preserves your voice and the poem’s quiet, meditative quality while refining the flow and imagery: Resting in the Midst of Fluctuation Long ago, at a lake, I shared a picnic with my Aikido teacher and his family. At one point, we went around asking each other: “If you could be any animal, what would you be?” My teacher said, “Maybe plankton, floating in the water— gently drifting, moving with the waves. And if a fish eats me, well— ‘Ah, I’ve bee

Sonomama— A Simple Yet Vast Word Sonomama — “just as it is” — is a simple phrase, yet it points to something vast. What truly matters is not how we do something, but how we remain — just as we are. That is the essence of the ultimate practice. We often find ourselves pushing inwardly: “I must grow more.” “I must change something.” This does not mean that growth or change are unnecessary. That is not the point. The point is that absolute reassurance and deep peace are not foun

Focusing on What You Can Do Right Now When you’re caught in overthinking, try focusing on what you can do right now. The more you tell yourself, “Don’t think about it,”  the more your mind fills up with exactly that. Have you noticed? The harder you try to stop your thoughts, the stronger they seem to chase you. And if you could easily stop them, you probably would have already. So first—give yourself permission: You don’t have to stop the thoughts. From “Why?” to “What?” Fig

What is zen practice for? Is it a time to gain special experiences? A discipline to calm the mind, stop thoughts, and move closer to an ideal state? Sitting with these questions, we gradually come to see: zazen is not an act of gaining something, but a quiet opening to the reality already unfolding. In everyday life, we place the idea of “self” at the center and live within stories about who we are. Yet when we sit, beyond those stories, we begin to sense a living activity th

What is here is always the way it is now. Thinking about the future and feeling heavy, or looking back at the past with regret, can quietly create stress in the body and invite unnecessary difficulties. To release unnecessary tension from the body and allow your natural capacity to unfold, gently return your attention to this moment right in front of you. (Up to this point, this is what we usually call the message of mindfulness. And then, something more.) How will you be wit

Words are concepts—nothing more than ideas. Without realizing it, we build an “imaginary world” inside our minds through words and wander within it all day long. It is an illusory cage  created by our own thinking. Words are convenient tools, yet at times they carry us away from reality. We drown in a sea of concepts—baseless anxieties and expectations—mistaking the simulations in our heads for truth, and becoming prisoners of our own shadows. The World Before Interpretation

In our daily lives, we encounter countless events, and each time, the mind reacts. Discomfort. Anxiety. Irritation. Fear. These reactions arise regardless of our intention. They simply happen. If we stay in the present moment, do these reactions disappear? Or do we simply stop being pulled around by them? Let us quietly sit with this question. Reactions Arise Automatically First, it is important to understand the nature of discomfort and anxiety. They are mental programs that

Interdependence — What Is Zenki (Total Function)? In today’s society, where fragmentation, anxiety, and isolation are widespread, how deeply do we truly understand “connection”? Zen offers a path to living interdependence not merely as an intellectual concept, but as a direct, embodied experience. At the heart of this teaching lies Zenki, or Total Function, as taught by Dōgen. We often forget the reality of interdependence. We frequently experience ourselves as separate “indi