Zen, Wellbeing, and
the Possibilities of Technology

Projects Based on the Zen Philosophy

As a chief monk of Ryosokuin Ito has engaged in various efforts to promote the Zen philosophy using technology, including an online zazen meditation program and a smartphone app. Interest in heightening one’s own wellbeing has grown in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked Ito about the relationship between Zen, technology, and wellbeing.

I was born in Ryosokuin, a sub-temple^*1 of Kenninji Temple, the head temple of the Rinzai sect. After graduating from the Department of Philosophy, Education Course at Ryukoku University, I spent three years as a live-in trainee at a training monastery in the Kenninji school, Rinzai sect. Since then, I’ve based myself in Ryosokuin while engaging in efforts related to the Zen philosophy and the calming of the soul, both in Japan and overseas.

In 2018, for example, I set up “是是-XEXE,” a project that expresses the beauty and wisdom cultivated in the Zen philosophy. The project goes beyond the traditional temple “scope” and engages people on topics such as food, clothing, and shelter, based on Zen ways of thinking.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve worked actively to incorporate digital technologies in these efforts. For instance, the smartphone app InTrip (in japanese), which helps people incorporate the Zen philosophy into their everyday lives, was released in July 2020, and the "Unze" online zazen meditation program was set up in April 2021.

*1 Sub-temple: Temple established under a head temple, built by a disciple of a soshi (founder of a sect), koso (high monk), etc., after their passing, usually within the grounds of a temple in the Zen sect, and that honors their teachings.

Asking Ourselves About "是" ("Good" or "Right")

Are all of your efforts aimed toward transcending the traditional temple "scope" and expanding the temple’s interactions with the outside world?

Yes. The interaction between temples and the outside world started in the past with the danka system (system of voluntary, long-term affiliation between Buddhist temples and households), and in recent years has evolved into Buddhist memorial services, workshops, and the like, but hasn’t gone beyond that. I want to change that.
In that sense, I think of the "是是-XEXE" project as a platform for collaboration. Think of the word "是非," or "zehi" (Japanese term used to mean "please"). Look at the Kanji characters, and you’ll see that the characters "是" ("good" or "right") and "非" ("bad" or "wrong") actually have opposite meanings. Apparently, the term was originally supposed to convey, "Please come whether good or bad," or "Please accept any contradictions." I ask myself what we should consider to be "是" and whether things that were considered "是" in the past should still be considered "是" today. I made the slogan "是是-XEXE" because I wanted the temple to promote this sort of explorative mindset.

You call yourself a "traditional-modern performer." What does that mean to you?

Ever since I completed my training and returned to Ryosokuin, I’ve thought constantly about how I can promote the approximately 300 cultural properties of the temple—documents, hanging scrolls, and more—to people in the modern age. Because Ryosokuin has a deep connection with pottery, I started thinking, maybe people would be able to learn something if we found a way to show traditional earthenware next to modern earthenware, contrasting the old with the new.
In the past, things like Kakejiku (hanging scrolls), Byobu (folding screens), Fusuma (sliding screens), and sculptures were constrained to their specific format. Nowadays, however, there’s no need to stay within the boundaries of a specific format, as long as the core portion of the piece is aligned with Zen philosophy or Buddhism. So you can have things like fusuma that utilize photo technologies, and experiences that utilize video to create more immersive experiences. Instead of establishing existing definitions, I wanted to explore what was possible—something consistent with Zen philosophy.

So I held the modern art exhibition at Ryosokuin as a part of the "是是XEXE" project, and in 2021, set up the online "Virtual Ryosokuin"(in Japanese) project, and held the Ryosokuin Multiverse Exhibition, which links the virtual with real-life.
I think my efforts, in a nutshell, involve collaborating with artists to create new forms of expression. That’s why I began calling myself a "traditional-modern performer."

What the Recent Popularity of Meditation Reveals
About Modern Society

Mindset of the Zen Philosophy

What does the "Zen" you practice in your everyday life look like?

I think it’s an attitude—believing fully in potential, in possibilities. Daisetsu Suzuki, the Buddhist scholar who promoted Zen abroad, has said, "Zen must not be limited by Zen as it exists within Buddhism." In other words, not believing blindly in things just because that is what is established for that time, like, "This is what Buddhism is," or "This is what’s normal." You have to believe fully that things can be changed, for instance, that there’s potential for Zen to reach yet more people. I think this mindset is the foundation of my thoughts toward the Zen philosophy.
Zen first emerged in Japan when factional rivalries between temples were intensifying, and people were having difficulties even knowing what to believe. Eventually, the focus returned to the experiences of the Buddha, and temples began to take on a more experiential approach, with more importance placed on training. If we’re to expand our perspective from there, we should look not just at output—designs and forms of expression—but at the evolution of the philosophy, tracing it back to its origins. I think, in doing so, we will be able to unlock even more potential.

Meditation has become very trendy in the past several years, particularly amongst designers and engineers in the West coast of the U.S. Why do you think we’re seeing people all over the world, of all ethnicities and religions, beginning to incorporate Zen into their everyday lives?

I think one of the main reasons is the surprise people feel when they realize their soul is connected with their body and breath, and that they can shift how they feel through these things. The idea that we exist based on our connection with nature—it’s a mindset that is normal to us in Japan, but it actually reflects ways of thinking in areas such as Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. The idea that the soul and body are neither in opposition to each other, nor the same thing, but one, and intertwined. This way of thinking is called "mind-body monism" (oneness/non-duality of body and soul). The West, on the other hand, has been more influenced by the "mind-body dualism" proposed by 17th century philosopher René Descartes, and has a tendency to conceive of the body and soul as two separate entities.
But why exactly have designers and engineers in Silicon Valley specifically become so interested in Zen or meditation? I think the answer is in "time." In recent years, the tendency has been for people to prioritize efficiency above all, managing their time down to the second. Zen and meditation, on the other hand, are acts in which people must "let go" of productivity. It makes people realize that there are important things completely outside of their battle for efficiency and productivity, and helps people relax a bit mentally. In that sense, I think you could call it a "revolution of the soul."

The Techniques of Meditation

The COVID-19 pandemic has left many people feeling lonely and embroiled in the negative emotions that come from grappling with an uncertain future. How do you think people can learn to face these emotions while also believing in future possibilities?

I think many people have realized, from the pandemic, the need to prioritize themselves instead of living constrained by other people’s lives. And it’s true that this realization has led to many new connections being formed as a result of the pandemic. I think the issue is in how people are facing their own emotions. In Japan, people think of meditation as a state of nothingness in which you’ve put all worldly thoughts out of your mind, and aren’t thinking of anything. But that’s the pinnacle of meditation, and there are steps, and techniques, to getting there. It’s like how in soccer, you’d only be able to play in a match once you’d learned how to dribble, pass, and shoot. Once you learn the techniques, you can meditate without sitting, even while lying down or walking. In the past, people in Japan had meditative time in their daily lives, like while going through the formal tea-making practice, or creating flower arrangements, but nowadays most of these practices have been lost to time.

In our research for this installment of DESIGN VISION, we visited the Shinshoji Zen Museum and Gardens in Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture, and experienced the "KOHTEI" meditative space created by artist Kohei Nawa. There, we felt for ourselves how difficult it is to put worldly thoughts out of our minds. We also wondered how meditation could connect to new forms of creativity.

Worldly thoughts are always present, in everybody. In fact, having worldly thoughts is an indication that you’re observing what’s happening inside of you. The first step is learning that that is what your soul is like. From there, what’s important is how you heighten your understanding of yourself.
People generally think of themselves as a singular entity, as one thing. But in the meditative state, they sense things like the blood coursing through their body, the beating of their heart, their breathing, and they realize that they are a collection of various different things, that they are an aggregation, that they are "many." Extend this approach further, to the outside world, and they realize that the world is also made up of countless things, of "many." The chirping of birds, the sound of the wind. They realize that the world is infinite, and therefore “none,” and that the combination of "many x many" is what makes it so.
All things are connected, and beyond the "many" there is "none," and that calls back to the singular entity that is you, and so the cycle goes, and expands: one, many, none, one, and so on. This is the "oneness" we refer to in the world of meditation.

The Possibility in a
"World Without Boundaries,"
as Seen Through Zen Philosophy

What is "None"?

In our research for this installment of DESIGN VISION, we’ve been exploring the concept of "multispecies" ^*2, a concept which aims to break free from the human-centric worldview, and reconceptualize humanity from a perspective that transcends the boundaries of species such as animals and plants. Hearing what you just said, it occurred to me that the "multispecies" way of thinking is another "none" state beyond the "many."

People in Japan generally see "none" as nothingness. But in reality, it’s not nothingness—it’s a lack of borders, boundaries. That’s why grappling with this way of thinking opens up all kinds of possibilities.
In meditation, you start by concentrating on what you can hear and smell, then move on to the finer physical senses, to further blur the boundary between the inner and outer world.

*2 Multispecies: Concept proposed in multispecies anthropology that aims to reconceptualize humanity by examining its relationships in a way that transcends species, from plants and animals to microorganisms like intestinal bacteria, with the premise being symbiosis with the ecosystem.

What is happening inside of the brain during meditation?

When I had my brain activity recorded during meditation, I found that despite there being significantly less brain activity, my senses felt extremely sharp—for instance, I was able to hear the faint sound of a bird chirping far away. It was completely different from the sort of shutting everything down, "blackout" image of meditation a lot of people have.
So what do people meditate for? I think one thing you could say is that the technique and habit of calming one’s soul in this way is Zen, that it embodies Zen philosophy. That’s why, for instance, the act of drinking tea is enough for meditation.

Initiatives That Extend Into the Digital World

You’ve been very active about promoting the Zen philosophy and meditation using technology. Why did you start doing this?

Back in about 2018, it occurred to me that we were entering an era centered around the "individual," even in temples—that it would become important for individual monks to promote their own thoughts and character to the public. But at that point, I was still reluctant to engage in online efforts, due partly to how difficult I felt it would be technique-wise to "connect" with people's souls through a screen.
Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and I set up the online zazen meditation program, because it felt like the only thing I could do. I started thinking about how the Zen dialogue (question-and-answer exchanges between Zen monks and their followers) approach, which opens people up to various possibilities by encouraging them to look at matters from different angles, could be applied to the digital realm to help expand people’s ways of thinking. As time went on, and I tried various things, I began to use the virtual realm and real life for clearly delineated purposes: the purpose in real-life settings like temples being to sense our connection with nature, and the purpose in virtual settings being to "stretch" our minds by connecting with various thoughts.
The "Virtual Ryosokuin" project is a bit different, however, because it's based on the interplay between the real-life and virtual Ryosokuin, under the concept of a "multiverse." You wouldn’t be able to hold a zazen meditation and a Buddhist memorial service at the same time in real life, but this sort of pluralistic activity is possible in this multiverse. Particularly with regards to art, the multiverse could have any number of fusuma paintings—the waterfalls or carp in the paintings could even jump out at visitors. I feel like hosting the Ryosokuin Multiverse Exhibition has opened world of possibility.

Sony’s Purpose is to "Fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology." What would be your advice to us with regards to this Purpose, and Sony’s efforts in general?

I think it’s an amazing Purpose. The Zen mindset is to believe in possibility with regards to people, things, life, and the world, and in doing so, discover emotion. The obstacle in this sense is thinking you know something. For instance, thinking you can’t feel emotion from a sunset unless you’re in a scenic area—despite the sun setting every day. Just stopping for a little bit and connecting with the phenomena in front of you can be enough for you to gain an impression of it.

When all you care about is doing things quickly, you start being blind to the emotion just there around you. You must have your antennas up so that you can sense tiny joys in your everyday life. And every night, before you sleep, reflect on the beauty and kindness you discovered that day. In other words, you must have a routine. In the Japanese tea ceremony, for instance, people concentrate on the minute details of the routine, and in doing so, are able to feel emotion or discover new things from the smallest of differences.
Keeping this in mind as an everyday routine will help you not get caught up in what’s "normal" or "established," keep you asking questions and noticing new things, and that will lead to further creativity.

(Interview held at Ryosokuin on June 22, 2022)

Interviewer’s commentShoko Otani / Design Researcher, Creative Center, Sony Group

In the 2022 research, we visited Kyoto and interviewed Toryo Ito, who, despite being a Zen monk, has embraced the use of technology in his initiatives. The topic that left the deepest impression on me during this interview was his approach to the concept of "none." The "none" that Mr. Ito talked about shares similarities with the concept of multispecies*2. Countless creatures, objects and nature exist in the world beyond one’s mind. Becoming aware of the world beyond oneself allows us to objectively view where we stand.
People of the modern age, living in a world of uncertainties, are looking for ways to protect their minds. In such an age, technology is becoming a means to heal people’s minds, and we hope to continue researching such applications of technology.