Honrai Muichimotsu: Everything Begins from the Realization That You 'Possess Nothing'

This article is recommended for the following people:

• Those who feel that the things they worked hard to acquire do not bring them the peace of mind they expected.

• Those who feel tired somewhere in their heart from the anxiety of thinking, 'I must have more' or 'I must accumulate more.'

• Those who have a strong fear of losing what is precious to them and realize that this fear is restricting their current way of life.

• Those who are interested in Zen sayings and want to incorporate them into their daily lives.

• Those working in nursing care, medicine, or interpersonal support who feel torn between 'having' and 'letting go.'

Introduction: Why do we feel unfulfilled even after accumulating so much?

I must achieve more. I must build up more trust. I must acquire something more.

Even though you have been running forward like this, have you ever stopped for a moment and felt a hollow space inside your heart? You have certainly accumulated status, relationships, and experience, yet you do not feel that they are truly supporting you. In fact, the anxiety about losing them grows larger every year. That is the feeling.

I have worked in the field of nursing care for nearly ten years. In facilities centered on special nursing homes and rehabilitation, I have been present at the end of many lives. What I have seen repeatedly is the fact that no matter how much a person has accumulated in their youth, what quietly supports their heart in their final moments is not their wealth, status, or the glory of their younger days. In my experience, those who quietly let go of their attachment to such things often had a more peaceful expression.

Today, I would like to think deeply about this through a Zen saying. The theme is 'Honrai Muichimotsu' (originally, there is nothing). It is a five-character phrase left behind by Huineng, the sixth patriarch of Chinese Zen Buddhism. This phrase does not mean that you are unhappy because you have nothing. On the contrary, it is a thought that strikes at the core of Zen: 'It is precisely in the state of originally having nothing that there is already a fulfilled freedom.'

Before / After: What changes before and after reading this article

Before (state before reading)

A state where you are constantly using energy to accumulate something or protect something. A state where the fear of losing things has become the standard for your choices. A state where the feeling that 'something is missing in me' is the starting point for your actions.

After (state aimed for after reading)

A state where you do not deny the act of accumulating itself, but are not bound by it in your heart. A state where, by returning once to the foundation that 'originally, there is nothing,' your perspective on what you currently have changes. A state where you can make choices based on quiet gratitude for what is here now, rather than fear of losing it.

This change is not something that is completed just by reading this once. However, knowing this way of thinking will certainly change how you deal with small daily attachments.

Part 1: Where did the phrase 'Honrai Muichimotsu' come from?

A verse from a rice-pounding novice

There is a very impressive story behind the background of how this phrase was born.

The time is the Tang Dynasty in China. Around the Zen master Hongren, the Fifth Patriarch of the Zen school, gathered as many as seven hundred monks. When it came time to decide on his successor, Hongren told all his disciples, 'Show me the state of enlightenment you have attained in a single poem (gatha).'

Shenxiu, the head of the disciples, was a high-ranking student who was excellent in scholarship and held in high regard by many. He composed this: The body is like the Bodhi tree that harbors enlightenment, and the mind is like a clear mirror stand. Therefore, one must strive to polish it constantly so that it does not become soiled by dust or dirt. This is the idea that the mind is like a mirror, and by continuing to polish that mirror through daily practice, one approaches enlightenment. Here lies an attitude of carefully, steadily, and patiently polishing oneself.

However, a man who worked in the temple pounding rice and was not yet even recognized as an official disciple saw this poem and presented a completely different one. This was Huineng, who would later become the Sixth Patriarch. He composed this: There is no such thing as a tree that harbors enlightenment. There is no such thing as a mirror stand that needs to have its cloudiness wiped away. Since there is originally nothing at all to possess, where could dust or dirt possibly accumulate?

While Shenxiu's poem represents a philosophy of accumulation—'approaching enlightenment by continuing to polish'—Huineng's poem was a fundamental questioning of the premise, stating that 'there is no fixed entity that should be polished in the first place.' It is said that Hongren highly valued this state of Huineng's, called him secretly in the middle of the night, and passed the lamp of the Dharma to him.

Which is correct, Shenxiu or Huineng?

What is important here is that this is not a story about Shenxiu's way of life being wrong. Shenxiu's teachings were later transmitted to Japan for a time as 'Northern School Zen' and guided many people. A way of life that involves accumulating daily effort and refining the mind is noble in itself. In fact, the process by which we learn things in our daily lives, acquire skills, and nurture human relationships is exactly the Shenxiu-like act of 'polishing.'

However, what Huineng showed was a story about the foundation that lies even before that act of 'polishing.' The mirror itself that should be polished, and the body itself that should be soiled, do not actually exist as fixed entities. What we are convinced is 'ourselves' and what we are convinced is 'our own mind' are not, in essence, solid things to be attached to, but merely a flow of phenomena that are constantly changing. If that is the case, then the very idea that 'dust and dirt accumulate' cannot hold up in the first place. This is the question Huineng posed.

In other words, 'Honrai Muichimotsu' (originally not a single thing) is not a phrase that denies effort or accumulation, but a phrase that quietly unravels the very assumption that 'I possess something in a fixed way,' which lies at the foundation of effort and accumulation.

Part 2: 'Muichimotsu' is not nihilism

The difference between 'nothing' and 'no dust'

In the commentary of a certain Zen temple, it is explained that 'Honrai Muichimotsu' does not simply mean empty and having nothing, but refers to a clear state where nothing catches in the mind and there is no dust or dirt. This is a very important auxiliary line.

When we see the kanji for 'Mu' (nothingness), we tend to have images of 'zero,' 'nihilism,' or 'losing everything.' However, 'Muichimotsu' in Zen is completely different from such negative emptiness. Rather, it refers to a clear freedom, meaning 'there is no need to be obsessed with anything, and therefore one can remain unsoiled by anything.'

It is said that Dogen Zenji also touched upon this story of Huineng in his writings and emphasized the importance of this state of 'originally not a single thing, so where could dust and dirt be?' We create an ego, separate this from that, possess everything, and continue to live while being attached to what we possess. But no matter how much wealth or things we accumulate, the moment will eventually come for everyone when they must let go of them. 'Honrai Muichimotsu' is also a phrase that teaches us the importance of realizing that fact at an early stage.

Connection to 'Shiki Soku Ze Ku'

I wrote about 'Shiki Soku Ze Ku' (form is emptiness) in a previous article, and 'Honrai Muichimotsu' can be seen as a practical aspect of that. While 'Shiki Soku Ze Ku' preaches a way of looking at the world where 'all phenomena have no fixed entity,' 'Honrai Muichimotsu' can be said to be a phrase that steps into a more personal dimension, stating that 'when you stand on that perspective, your own existence also does not possess anything in a fixed way.'

We hold tightly to our titles, our human relationships, our past achievements, and the youth of our bodies as if they were 'part of ourselves.' However, from the perspective of Zen, these are all merely phenomena that appear temporarily due to overlapping conditions. If the conditions change, the form will also change. That is precisely why holding onto them as 'the self itself' becomes a seed of suffering.

Part 3: 'Honrai Muichimotsu' from the perspective of modern psychology

I think many people feel it is difficult to apply old Zen words directly to modern life. From here on, I will unravel the practical meaning of this phrase while overlapping it with the findings of modern psychology.

The concept of the 'extended self'

In the field of consumer psychology, there is a famous concept called the 'extended self.' It is the idea that people feel their possessions, the house they live in, the things they wear, and the achievements they have attained as if they were part of themselves. It is explained that this psychological mechanism is the reason why losing one's belongings feels as if one has lost a part of oneself.

This resonates perfectly with the image of the 'mirror that must be constantly polished' as described by Shenxiu. Unconsciously, we try to confirm our existence by reflecting ourselves in the 'mirror' of our possessions and achievements. We then become extremely afraid of dust settling on that mirror—that is, of losing something or seeing our reputation decline. What Huineng demonstrated is the perspective that the mirror itself is not who we are. Even if our possessions or titles waver, the foundation of our 'self' does not necessarily crumble along with them. Whether or not we can adopt this perspective has a significant impact on our inner stability.

Liberation from 'Cognitive Fusion' in ACT

In ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), a form of psychotherapy, there is a concept called 'cognitive fusion.' This is a state where we identify ourselves with the thoughts that arise in our minds. When the thought 'I am a worthless person' arises, instead of viewing it as just a temporary thought, we feel as if it were an unshakable fact: 'I am truly a worthless person.' This is cognitive fusion.

In ACT, we practice putting a little distance between these thoughts and ourselves. The idea is that thoughts are like clouds drifting across the sky, and we, the observers, are not the clouds themselves. This resonates surprisingly well with the concept of 'Honrai Muichimotsu' (originally, there is nothing). The anxieties, attachments, and self-evaluations that arise in our minds are all temporary phenomena that appear and disappear, and Huineng's perspective—that there is no fixed entity of a 'mind' to be dirtied by 'dust'—is connected at the root to the 'distance from thoughts' that ACT aims for.

Self-compassion and the peace of letting go

Kristin Neff, known for her research on self-compassion, points out that constantly evaluating oneself harshly actually hinders growth and a sense of well-being. When we feel that we must keep accumulating things, there is often a harsh self-evaluation hidden at the root: 'I am not enough as I am.'

Standing from the perspective of 'Honrai Muichimotsu,' this structure looks a bit different. If we originally had nothing, we can realize that the very feeling of 'not enough' is merely a temporary yardstick for comparison. Compassion-Focused Therapy, proposed by Paul Gilbert, also teaches that loosening the defensive workings of the mind that try to protect us from threats leads to a sense of security. Loosening the defensive stance of 'I must have, I must protect'—I believe this is an experience very close to being liberated from the tension of constantly polishing the mirror in Zen.

The relationship between 'possession and happiness' shown by minimalism research

Recent psychological research has also accumulated findings that being free from attachment to things is more closely linked to life satisfaction than actually possessing them. It suggests that the relationship we have with what we own has a greater impact on our inner stability than the act of owning many things itself. This can be said to be one example where the state of mind Huineng pointed to over a thousand years ago quietly aligns with modern empirical research.

Part 4: What I saw in the field of nursing care

When I worked at a special nursing home for the elderly, the time I spent with one particular resident remains in my heart to this day. I heard from their family that when they were young, they had built a well-known business in the region and were a person held in high regard by many. However, by the time they entered the facility, the business and most of the relationships from that time were no longer in their hands.

At first, I could feel the regret and loneliness for what they had lost seeping through their words. However, I still clearly remember how their expression gradually changed as time went on. One day, while gazing at the light outside the window, they smiled quietly and said, 'When I was young, I only thought about what I had to have and what I had to protect. Now, I don't have anything, but surprisingly, this isn't so bad.'

When I heard those words, I felt as if I had finally understood the meaning of 'Honrai Muichimotsu' with my whole being. It wasn't that they were lonely because they had lost what they possessed, but rather that a new stillness was born when their grip on those things loosened. Even though everything they had built had crumbled away, the dignity of their existence remained completely undiminished.

The work of nursing care is also a job where one witnesses daily how people 'let go' at the end of their lives. And what I learned from witnessing this is that letting go is not a defeat. Rather, I felt that those who were able to return to the foundation of having originally possessed nothing were the ones who spent their final time peacefully and in their own way.

Part 5: Steps to practice 'Honrai Muichimotsu' in daily life

Here are concrete steps to not only understand this concept intellectually but to integrate it into your daily life.

STEP 1: Write down what you are currently holding onto on a piece of paper

Titles, relationships, past achievements, appearance, income, social media reputation. Write down whatever comes to mind that you are unconsciously clinging to as 'part of yourself.' The act of writing it down itself is the first step toward separating it from yourself and viewing it objectively.

STEP 2: Ask yourself, 'If this were gone, would I be nobody?'

For each item on the list you wrote, ask yourself quietly: If I lost this, would my existence truly disappear? In most cases, the answer should be 'no.' Even if you lost those things, the 'you' who breathes, exchanges words with others, and finds beauty in the morning light still exists just the same.

STEP 3: Distinguish between 'polishing' and 'clinging'

As Shenxiu's teachings show, making daily efforts to polish oneself is by no means something to be denied. What is important is to occasionally check whether you have become so attached to the results of those efforts that you cannot let them go. Continue your efforts, but loosen your attachment to the results. Try to be conscious of balancing these two.

STEP 4: Try saying 'Honrai Muichimotsu' out loud

When your anxiety about losing something grows, or when you feel down after comparing yourself to others, try whispering 'Honrai Muichimotsu' (originally, there is nothing) in your heart or in a small voice. By putting it into words, there is a moment when the hand you were clenching loosens just a little. Zen phrases are not just words to be understood; they are also words to be chanted with the body.

STEP 5: Start practicing letting go with small things

You don't need to let go of big things all at once. Try getting rid of one item you no longer use. In a conversation with someone, try to loosen a small pride you have been clinging to from the past. Such small accumulations of 'letting go' will cultivate the flexibility of your heart for when you eventually have to let go of something big.

Conclusion: Because you possess nothing, you are already free

The phrase 'Honrai Muichimotsu' may sound lonely or even cold at first glance. Some may feel insecure when told they possess nothing. However, what this phrase is truly trying to convey is the exact opposite.

When we were born, we truly possessed nothing. Names, titles, wealth, and relationships were all given to us later and built up over time. When we return to that fact, we can finally begin to quietly appreciate these things not out of 'fear of losing them,' but as 'grateful gifts that happen to be given to us right now.'

There is no need to fear building things up. Just try to remember from time to time that behind that accumulation lies a quiet foundation where you originally possessed nothing. When you return to that foundation, the things currently in your hands should change their form from objects you fear losing into gifts you should be grateful for.

Living rightly and living skillfully are not the same thing. I hope you spend today cherishing both what is in your hands and the emptiness of your palms.