Zenchi Uno, who is active in conveying the philosophy of Zen, which is attracting attention from all over the world, in easy-to-understand words, has been involved in many activities related to mental health and delivers messages that lighten the hearts of people who are struggling with life. What kind of advice can a monk from a 2,500-year-old history of Buddhism and Zen offer for the various problems people are experiencing today?
● “I cannot find hope in my future.”
● life as a curve graph
● Feel your “breathing self” and use that calm feeling as your baseline
“I cannot find hope in my future.”
When I watch TV or go online, all I see is bad news. There’s no sign of salary increases, and it doesn’t seem like anything good will happen in the future. I always feel a bit down, and I have no motivation to improve my skills, work, or do household chores.
“Everyone dies equally.”
That is the only certain fact.
Buddhism teaches that all human beings are equal. However, this equality is different from Western egalitarianism; it is a “negative equality.” No matter how rich, beautiful, or high in social status you are, everyone will get old, get sick, and die. These are the “four sufferings” (birth, aging, illness, and death) from the “four and eight sufferings” (terms describing the unavoidable “pains” of human life) I mentioned before. We cannot choose to be born, and we all die equally.
The “eight sufferings” add four more: meeting people you don’t like, parting from loved ones, not getting what you desire, and even your own mind and body not being under your control. These things are unavoidable for everyone and never go as planned. Even those people you admire and envy for being so fulfilled and wonderful cannot escape this reality.
Think of life as a curve graph. Let the vertical axis represent “what you have” and the horizontal axis represent “the passage of time”. At birth, you come into the world with nothing and know nothing. The only sound you make is your first “birth cry,” your first breath. From there, you learn language, go to school, make friends, gain knowledge, money, and connections, and rise upward. But there is always a peak, and then a decline. It drops dramatically when you quit your job, even more when you get sick. It goes down and down, and finally, you die. People say, “I’ll draw my last breath,” but in the end, you leave all your breath behind. Life goes from zero to zero.
Where you set your baseline changes the way you live
When trying to think of a reference point in life, most people choose the peak of a graph as their reference point. However, the peak is only a moment, and after it passes, you realize, “That was the time.” At other times, you may feel immature, undeveloped, “lacking,” or “lost.” Is this really the right approach?
That’s why I encourage everyone to practice zazen. Zazen is not influenced by age, gender, social status, or skill. You just sit quietly and become aware of your breathing. It’s the same state as just after birth or just before death. If you can recognize this “breathing-only self” and make it your reference point, you will eventually understand that everything else is optional. I’m not saying, “It’s optional, so you don’t need it.” It’s better to have it than not, and if you have it, you can enjoy it. But if you don’t have it, you can still get by.
The experience of zazen is like a “simulated life idling” from the moment of birth to the moment of death. If you can feel during this experience that you are breathing and alive, you will understand that everything else is just above the baseline. It is very important to feel relaxed and at ease while doing zazen, and I believe that is the true meaning of zazen.
Feel your “breathing self” and use that calm feeling as your baseline
I sometimes teach zazen to elementary school students on school trips. I tell them something like this:
You are going to learn a lot in your life, make many friends, maybe earn a lot of money, and some of you will become great and respected. That is very important, and I support you in that. But it’s also true that you will face failures and setbacks, and in the end, you will leave everything behind and die.
You might have 100 friends, 10 friends, or just one friend. If you have 100 friends, enjoy your time with them. If you have 10 friends, be close with those 10. If you have only one friend, spend quality time with that friend. If you have no friends, you can relax alone, read a book, or practice zazen. You’ve confirmed today that you are alive, so cherish that standard.
Even elementary school students listen and understand this. There probably aren’t many adults around them who say such things—only monks do. But I think it resonates because it’s important. Sometimes, you might feel hopeless about the future or lack motivation. There will be times like that in life. When that happens, try experiencing zazen. If you can fully feel your “breathing self” and enjoy a relaxed, calm feeling, I believe something will change.
Have a try !
For information on Zazen, please refer to the Soto Zen website.
（https://www.sotozen-net.or.jp/sotozazen）
