Amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Taishu Kawano, chief priest of Rinkoji temple in Yokohama who is also a psychiatrist, encourages people to focus on the present and accept it as is without judging it.
"Currently, we're surrounded by uncertainty. In an emergency, we get easily swayed by information from the internet. Our mind isn't in the here and now," the 39-year-old, known by his birth name Hironori Kawano when practicing medicine, said in a phone interview with The Japan News. "Some people say they feel uneasy if they don't check news constantly, but such people aren't obtaining news on their own well-being, such as their lack of sleep. So they aren't aware of their health problems."
Kawano said the mindfulness technique based on Zen allows practitioners to "anchor their minds" to a present moment through meditation. He said this can be practiced easily in our daily lives through such simple routine actions as cleaning a room or even shredding cabbage. As long as people can have awareness and concentrate on what they are doing, they don't have to, for example, sit still in a lotus position with eyes closed for however many minutes.
"Even drinking coffee or tea mindfully can also be turned into meditation," he said. "You can reset simply by being aware of every sip."
Kawano believes the teachings of Buddhism offer people the wisdom for living life. His mindfulness sessions, which are taught from Zen and medical perspectives, have drawn people from various age groups and backgrounds.
"Mindfulness is a way of life," he said. "I believe it's important to live in a meditative way rather than meditating strictly for a certain number of minutes."
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
