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December 14 - December 15, 2020
We set about deciphering those characters, pronounced “ichigo ichie,” while the damp wind swayed a small bell hanging from the eaves of the teahouse, making it ring. The meaning of ichigo ichie is something like this: What we are experiencing right now will never happen again. And therefore, we must value each moment like a beautiful treasure.
Meaning
Becoming aware of ichigo ichie helps us take our foot off the gas and remember that each morning we spend in the world, every moment we spend with our children and with our loved ones is infinitely valuable and deserves our full attention.
Every encounter is unique and special
“Brother, remember that one day you’re going to die.”
Monks greating
Ichigo ichie is a clear invitation to “now or never,” since though we may manage to live many years, every meeting has a unique essence and will never be repeated.
Unique every time
Treat your host as if the meeting were going to occur only once in your life.
Every meeting is unique and once in a lifetime
Beyond the tea ceremony setting, today the Japanese use the expression ichigo ichie in two situations: 1. When meeting a stranger for the first time. 2. When meeting acquaintances, to emphasize that every occasion is unique.
Ichigo ichie as a greeting
There’s a Peanuts cartoon that shows Snoopy and Charlie Brown from behind, sitting on a jetty beside a lake, having the following conversation: “Someday, we will all die, Snoopy!” “True, but on all the other days, we will not.”
having the following conversation:
we have the privilege of knowing that what we are experiencing right now will never happen again. Part I The Beauty of
Those familiar with the Land of the Rising Sun know that the most beautiful days of the year are when the sakura, or Japanese cherry trees, blossom in springtime.
Sakura -cherry treesBlossom Jan
Hanami When the blossom forecast, known as the sakura zensen, is fulfilled, the Japanese immediately crowd the country’s parks for the ritual of hanami, which literally means “viewing the flowers.”
Hanami - viewing of the flowers
Sakura is visible proof of how the most beautiful things in life are fleeting and can’t be postponed.
Sakuri - the most beautiful mokments are fleeting
The Japanese enjoy this moment, too. They even have a word, hanafubuki, to describe a flurry of sakura petals, a sublime moment that expresses the beauty and poetry of the impermanent.
Special moment vlossom.fall
Hanafabuki
When kaika is transformative, we want to turn it into mankai. In other words, we want to make sure that what has been born inside us matures and unfolds to its full potential. Mankai occurs, for example, when:
Kaika to mankai - idea or passion to execution
A life lesson for the swordsmiths, considered national treasures in Japan, is to eliminate the unnecessary to get to the essential—that’s where beauty and power lie. And
Eliminate the unnecessary to geto the essential
ikigai + kaika + time = mankai.
Formula
When we get mad, it’s almost always due to our interpretation of something that has happened or that someone has done. Therefore, anger keeps us tied to the past, preventing us from enjoying the here and now. 2. Sadness. This emotion often stems from a sense of loss, in a broad array of situations.
4 EMotions
Anger quote
When we get mad, it’s almost always due to our interpretation of something that has happened or that someone has done. Therefore, anger keeps us tied to the past, preventing us from enjoying the here and now. 2. Sadness. This emotion often stems from a sense of loss, in a broad array of situations.
2. Sadness
In any case, as long as we’re sad, we aren’t in the here and now.
Sad stops being in tfhe here and now as back looking
3. Fear. Just like anger, this emotion is closely connected to our survival instinct and serves to warn us of threats or potential harm.
Fear
Fear is an emotion that projects us into the future. When we live in fear, it’s impossible to enjoy what we do and what we have.
Fear projects into the future so stops enjoying here and now
4. Happiness. This is the least studied emotion, and it has a mysterious character, since it isn’t always justified, and some people have a special predisposition toward it, whereas others appear to sabotage it.
Happiness
Of the four basic emotions we have examined, only happiness belongs to the present and is the home of ichigo ichie.
Happiness is in the present and is Ichigo Ichie
This is the art of zazen,” said Dogen Zenji (1200–1253), considered the founder of this practice.
The art of Zazen - not thinking ( Zen like mindfulness)
This is the art of zazen,” said Dogen Zenji (1200–1253), considered the founder of this practice.
Not thinking as opposed to going blank
Eight Zen Lessons for an Ichigo Ichie
8lessons for a Ichigo Ichieclife
1. Just sit and see what happens.
1- Just sitcand see what happens
2. Savor this moment as if it were your last breath.
2 Saviour this moment as if it were your lasr breath
3. Avoid distractions.
3 Avoid distractions
Free yourself from everything that isn’t essential.
4 Free yourself from everything that isnt essential
Be your own friend.
5 Be your own friend
Celebrate imperfection.
6 Celebrate imperfection - nothing is perfect
Practice compassion.
Practice compassion
Let go of your expectations.
8 Let go of your expectations
Dukkha and Mono No Aware The Buddhist concept of dukkha is often incorrectly translated as “suffering.” A more accurate way of translating it would be: “that slight anxiety and dissatisfaction that all living beings constantly feel inside, because we know that change is inevitable.” Throughout
Dukkha - anxiety knowing change is inevitible
Nothing lasts forever, neither good nor bad. Accepting this fact is the key to taking full advantage of the sublime moments life bestows on us and to not losing hope when we go through a rough patch.
The Buddha summed it up with perhaps his most famous saying, “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”
Pain is enevitable but suffering is optional
The Japanese expression mono no aware is used to express the appreciation of beauty and translates literally as “being aware of the passage of time.” We might describe mono no aware as “bittersweet,” in reference to the strong emotion that overcomes us when we truly realize that the nature of what we are seeing, smelling, hearing, and feeling in the present is ephemeral.
Mono no aware - bittersweet as recognisd the impermanence of things
The Japanese expression mono no aware is used to express the appreciation of beauty and translates literally as “being aware of the passage of time.” We might describe mono no aware as “bittersweet,” in reference to the strong emotion that overcomes us when we truly realize that the nature of what we are seeing, smelling, hearing, and feeling in the present is ephemeral.
Mono no awarr - bittersweet - beauty of things in the moment
Mae West said, “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.”
Mae West - You only live once but if you do it right once is enough
The Latin expression amor fati, meaning “love of fate,” describes the belief that everything that happens in life is for a reason, even though it may not seem so at the time.
Amore fati
The bottom line is when we are listened to, we feel connected. When we’re not listened to, we feel separate.” —Tara Brach, The Sacred Art of Listening
“So you’re saying that . . .” This kind of active listening will be a true gift to those we speak to.
Use - so your saying that --when active listening
while BTTB—our favorite album by the Japanese composer Sakamoto—played in the background.
Composer Sakamoto BTTB
To perform metta bhavana, which translates as “loving-kindness,” you just need to follow these five
Metta Bhavana loving kindness 5 steps
As we approach satori, the Zen vision of enlightenment that is completely tied to the moment,
Satori - Zen moment of enlightenment
The following saying applies: “If you don’t like reality, create another where you can live.” Each of us has heeded this advice
If you dont like reality, create another where you can live
What if . . . ? When we ask this question, we open the floodgates to the creative flow we need to unblock ourselves and step into a world full of ichigo ichie. Let’s look at some examples of how to
WHAT IF ?
