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  • My name is Taka Kawakami and actually I am vice abbot of this Shunkoin Temple in Kyoto.

  • Then, this temple here, we have a history of 420 years.

  • So, Zen meditation, it's more like conditioning of your mind, so you can keep your inner peace,

  • and you can keep living in the moment. Because living in the moment is the core idea of Zen buddhism.

  • I think a common mistake or misunderstanding about meditation is people try to achieve

  • something during the meditation, people are trying to become something else by doing the meditation too.

  • But actually the idea is meditation is just the conditioning of your mind right? So it

  • helps you to achieve something when you do your daily activity in real life. It's not

  • like, you know, you become some spiritual being or anything like that.

  • Also, you know, people try to empty their minds but it's not like you have to clear

  • your mind in this case. You try to eliminate your ego. So that's not the same thing, it's what's important.

  • So when you do meditation, you don't need to worry about, do you have to go to class

  • or you know, a temple, you find your place in the bedroom or bathroom any place you feel

  • comfortable. And not close your eyes or open your eyes, just focus on your breathing. Maybe

  • 5 to 25 minutes, something like that, you know? It's really casual. You know it's

  • not like you have to do it in any strict manner.

  • I suppose in Zazen, probably, many people are talking about emptying your mind and Mushin

  • (無心) and that's probably the key word. But Mushin in this case is not like emptying

  • your mind, no mind, it's not like that. You have to eliminate your ego, so it's

  • no ego. So, Mushin means no ego. That's the idea. It's very useful for the Zen practice.

My name is Taka Kawakami and actually I am vice abbot of this Shunkoin Temple in Kyoto.

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