Why Is Ichinen So Important To Understand — Even If You Are Not A Buddhist?

I came across a BBC podcast about dark matter. It fascinates me because it seems to be more than our material reality. According to the program, it is about 85% of everything. Most we can perceive is only a fraction of the whole.

So, how can we be so sure about anything when we don’t know anything about most of the things that influence us?

In this article, I take the Buddhist concept of ‘Ichinen’ to ease the pain of our ignorance.

What is Ichinen?

It is a concept that explains how a single moment of life or one instant of thought can contain everything. This concept claims that we are interconnected with everything and that everything exists within us. Instead of analysing this concept, we are encouraged to awaken to it and fully immerse ourselves in its understanding.

The Japanese term ‘ichinen’ is based on the Sanskrit term, Kshana. According to Buddhist cosmology, it is an extremely short period, like the sixtieth of the time it takes to snap one’s fingers. But that’s not all.

Ichinen is also considered to be the functioning of one’s mind for a moment. Any moment — but usually the shortest possible one. It’s an instant thought so elusive that we could say it’s like quarks and leptons. There is a theory but no direct way to put your finger on it.

“You mean that our innermost thoughts, those fleeting feelings and dreamlike moments in our life that often remain unconscious, are actually the whole universe,” asked my sceptic friend at a cafe when I became excited about ichinen, “You think that you are the centre of the universe, in other words”.

“Yes and no”, I explained how the Chinese philosopher and Buddhist monk T’ien-t’ai (538–597) interpreted the concept as a mechanism of how the universe works. It is like a model or theory. It does not put you in the middle of the universe but connects you with everything else in it.

According to T’ien-t’ai, the concept of ichinen contains infinite potential that our clever minds cannot fully comprehend but can tap into. In this view, our mind pervades the entire universe, including our body and mind; it also includes both self and our environment and gives rise to both good and evil. And this moment of truth contains the cause and effect simultaneously in one package.

Because this philosophical concept is quite abstract, Nichiren Daishonin (1222–1282) used it as a backdrop for his practical application, which he encouraged all Buddhists to apply in their lives. In his view, what matters is the heart, or our vow to become happy and continuously improve our lives, and the matter of the heart is faith in this principle. Those who are awakened to this principle are — you guessed — enlightened or Buddhas.

“Life at each moment permeates the entire realm of phenomena and is revealed in all phenomena. To be awakened to this principle is itself the mutually inclusive relationship of life at each moment and all phenomena.” — The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol I, p. 3.

Ichinen in practice.

I met a fascinating young scientist and the CEO and founder of OpenStar Technologies, Dr. Ratu Mataira. He is building a fusion reactor just a few kilometres from where I live with a shoestring budget compared to the others.

Ratu told me that he spent a year trying to poke holes in his theory and idea until he reached the point that he had to test it by building the damn fusion reactor. Now, he is on it, and his faith is unshakable. His ichinen knows no bounds. And I am sure that he can beat those big boys with their billion-dollar toys and get this fusion reaction going. If — and when — that happens, it would revolutionise the energy sector.

That’s ichinen in practice: you must believe that you have what it takes to be happy, to invent, to build new, to change the world for the better.

Another example of ichinen in practice is the Ndlovu Youth Choir. They came from slums to the limelight and are now performing worldwide. Their example shows how a strong ichinen moves mountains and can give hope to all.

“Life is indeed an elusive reality that transcends both the words and concepts of existence and nonexistence. It is neither existence nor nonexistence, yet exhibits the qualities of both.” — The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol I, p. 4.

We can use our ichinen, the realisation that in each moment, we have the power to choose our attitude, response, and subsequent actions without being at the mercy of our circumstances.

Ichinen in the context of science and life.

Faith is the extension of science, reason and common sense. Without it — without ichinen — we cannot survive. Hope keeps us going, and ichinen is the principle that gives us the hope – and determination – we so desperately need.

We didn’t know about dark matter not very long ago. But now scientists are chasing that 85% of the reality we didn’t even know existed. We are pushing the boundaries, and by doing that, we reveal more than meets the eye in life. That’s ichinen.

We must have faith that we can start building a fusion reactor of our life in each moment, propelling our lives to the stars. There, we can sing to our hearts’ content for our universal audience, knowing that it is all part of the circle of life, as beautifully sung by the Ndlovu Youth Choir.

How do you build your ichinen? Do you believe you have what it takes to transform your life or the lives of others for the better? Do you have a strong ichinen — the moment of truth about yourself and determination to make the change?