The Book of Ichigo Ichie

What we are experiencing right now will never happen again. We must value each moment like a beautiful treasure. If we let it slip, it will be lost forever.

Becoming aware of ichigo ichie helps us 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.

“Treat your host as if the meeting were going to occur only once in your life.

Yamanoue Sōji, 1588.

As moment hunters, everything becomes unique and sublime, since we know that what we are experiencing right now will never happen again.

Each tea ceremony should be treated with great attention because it is ichigo ichie, which is to say, a unique encounter in time. Even though the host and guests may see each other daily, the gathering can never be exactly repeated.

The host should thus show true sincerity and take the greatest care with every detail, to make sure that everything flows smoothly and without a hitch.

The guests for their part must understand that the encounter will never occur again, and so they must appreciate every detail of the ceremony prepared by the host and, of course, participate wholeheartedly.

Ii Naosuke

Sakura is visible proof of how the most beautiful things in life are fleeting and can’t be postponed.

Kaika indicates the early buds of Sakura. A kaika moment, is when something unknown begins to blossom within us.

When kaika is transformative, we want to turn it into mankai, the full blossoming of Sakura. We want it to mature to its full potential. This means cultivating our habits, seeking continuous improvement and reaching 10000 hour of practice to achieve mastery. Gladwell suggests that a great deal of effort and commitment are required for talent to be realized in all its brilliance.

Ikigai: discovering something we become passionate about and which also comes easily to us.

Kaika: making room for our passion, allowing the reason we feel we were put on the earth to begin to blossom.

Mankai: we reach mankai by staying the course, keep dreaming and devoting mindful time to improve our skills.

”If we discover our talent, open ourselves up to it, and make it a priority in our lives, our passion will be able to develop, leading to our happiness and that of others.”

There are 4 key emotions that leave a mark on your life:

• Anger: evolutionary emotion that enabled to face danger effectively. It keeps us in the past and prevents us from enjoying the present.
• Sadness: healthy sadness is due to a loss and is used to grieve, process and determine a strategy to face the future. It keeps us focused on the past.
• Fear: also evolutionary, fear makes us live in the future and makes is impossible to enjoy the present creating a sense of doom.
• Happiness: belong to the present and can or not have a cause. With Ichigo ichie we want to tap into unconditional contentment.

When you are mindful, you are fully aware of your surroundings and of yourself in the present. Mindfulness increases the time that you swim with your head above water, when you can see both potential dangers and pleasures. When you are mindful, you are aware of your position and your destination. You can make corrections to your path.

“You will find Zen in your everyday life, if you dedicate yourself passionately to what you love. . . . You can still have a spiritual life while you run your business.” Describing Ikigai to Steve Jobs

1. Just sit and see what happens
2. Savor this moment as if it were your last breath
3. Avoid distractions
4. Free yourself from everything that is not essential
5. Be your own friend: you are unique
6. Celebrate imperfection: Each failure is a sign that you should take a different path. Each flaw is an invitation to polish a diamond. If you have the will to improve, then it’s perfect to be imperfect.
7. Practice compassion: Each person acts according to the moment of personal growth in which they find themselves.
8. Let go of your expectations: expectations are like the wrapping that prevents us from seeing the gift.

1. Don’t postpone special moments. If you don’t embrace it, it’s lost forever.

2. Live as if this were going to happen only once in your life. Be aware of the unique and once-in-a-lifetime nature of each meeting.

3. Dwell in the present. Here in this moment, all the possibilities in the world are alive.

4. Do something you’ve never done before. Allow something new to blossom inside you.

5. Practice zazen.Just sit down and observe the miracle of life.

6. Apply mindfulness to your five senses. Train yourself in the art of listening, watching, touching, tasting, and smelling to give each moment the richness of human perception.

7. Notice Coincidences. A journal in which we keep notes of these moments of daily magic will increase our ability to follow the invisible threads of reality.

8. Make every gathering a party. The right frame of mind can make every day a celebration.

9. If you don’t like what there is, make something different.

10. Be a hunter of special moments. The more you practice, the better and more abundant the results will be.