The Book of Ichigo Ichie: The Art of Making the Most of Every Moment, the Japanese Way

by Héctor García

The most important thing is to keep your back straight, from your pelvis up to your neck. Your eyes should be directed to the floor, at a distance of about three feet, or watching the wall, as in the case of the zazen meditation of the Rinzai school. Zazen meditation has no specific goal other than simply centering oneself as much as possible in the present, observing without attachment the things that pass through your mind. “When you sit still, think about not thinking. How do you think about not thinking? Non-thinking. This is the art of zazen,” said Dogen Zenji (1200–1253), considered the founder of this practice. It is notable that the old master spoke not of making the mind “blank”—often mistakenly considered the goal of meditation—but rather of “not thinking.” This means letting go of anything that passes through our mind without becoming attached to it. In this way, we can reach a state without past or future, which allows us to feel every sensation in our body in the present.