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Mindfulness SIM丁SIMT (Self lnsight lV'leditation Technologyfl-herapy) is a type of MT(tvlindfulness Therapy) that was developed uniquely in Japan. Examples ofIVindfulness Therapy in the US are Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction(lvlBSR), Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, and Acceptance Commitment

Therapy (ACT).
IVindfulness therapies are all similar in that they promote the developmentof one's mindfulness and yet they all differ in its methods. SIN/T is unique inthat it is based on the philosophies of Nishida and Suzuki.
SIMT's foundation lies on the ways of Zen and its philosophy. Because Zen islimited to its ideology, there were no real practical methods that could beapplied to patients with mental disorders. The philosophy of Kitaro Nishida
was applied to compensate for what Zen ideology lacked. Nishida practiced
Zen and insightfully examined the Self to formulate his philosophy. Hisphilosophy helped to establish the guideline for practical therapy as weil as
prevention methods for patients with mental disorders. Another importantreference used in the creation of SIIVT was Daisetsu Suzuki's writings on Zen.
As such, SIIVT's lVlindfulness Therapy was developed in Japan based on
Nishida's philosophy, Suzuki's Zen ideology, and Dogen Zen, in addition to thetypical references such as research results on patients with mental disorders
and neurophysiology.
SIMT is a 10 step program and a manual for treating depression, anxiety andPTSD has been published. (Reference A, 2013)
ln March of 2009, a non-profit organization called tVlindfulness Researchlnstitute was founded. There,Zen counseling was performed until SIMT wasdeveloped.
ln June of 2014, japanese Association of Mindfulness Psychotherapy(JAtVP)
was established. From then on, StVllT courses for therapists have been offered
for the purpose of certifying Mindfulness NlIeditation Therapists (MlVlT).

Nishida's Philosophv
Nishida's philosophy was systemized by none other than Kitaro Nishida(1,870-1945) who was born in Unokemura in lshikawa Prefecture (currentlyKahoku City). He logically defines the Self and the world in which he/sheresides. His philosophy has been translated into many Western languages andis still being studied today.
Nishida's philosophy explains various issues however, for the purpose of ourtopic, only matters concerning psychotherapy will be mentioned. Serious
issues deeply embedded in one's awareness will require the understanding of
Nishida's philosophy on religion and absolute nothingness. That shall be foranother time.
・T・

Chapter lhe Self and the iVVOrld

Section 1 Now-Here-Self
You exist here and now. The Self is always an integral part of theuniverse in which it influences the choices it makes in its actions to materialize
one's value. The present becomes the past instantaneously and thus there is
only the present. Now is forever eternal.
The world and the environment are created by actions taken bycountless human beings in the present moment. The Self is always creating its
environment from the point of now and here. One's senses help it to see,
which in turn helps it to think and act to create the world.
Section 2 The Self Resides Within the World(Reference Diagram 1-2)According to Nishida, "if the world is created by countless individuals,
then that implies that each individual is part of a whole and each interrelatewith one another."
The world does not exist outside of onesell one resides within theworld. One is enveloped by the world and as such, individuals project theworld within his/herself and uses this image as the foundation to create a newworld by acting out the choices that enable materlalizing his/her values. (E11,F23)

Section 3 From the Created to Creating
Each individual is affected by the creations in his/her environment. Pastcreations placed in the world influence future creations. ln other words, the-2-Nishida's Philosophv
Nishida's philosophy was systemized by none other than Kitaro Nishida(1,870-1945) who was born in Unokemura in lshikawa Prefecture (currentlyKahoku City). He logically defines the Self and the world in which he/she
resides. His philosophy has been translated into many Western languages andis still being studied today.
Nishida's philosophy explains various issues however; for the purpose of ourtopic, only matters concerning psychotherapy will be mentioned. Serious
issues deeply embedded in one's awareness will require the understanding of
Nishida's philosophy on religion and absolute nothingness. That shall be foranother time.
Chapter 1
The Self and the World******fi.:f ****{******l***!F*{.*H.{****{.:**************************,H.*

Section lHere― Self
You exist here and now. The Self is always an integral part of theuniverse in which it influences the choices it makes in its actions to materialize

one's value. The present becomes the past instantaneously and thus there is
only the present. Now is forever eternal.
The world and the environment are created by actions taken bycountless human beings in the present moment. The Self is always creating its
environment from the point of now and here. One's senses help it to see,
which in turn helps it to think and act to create the world.
Section 2 The Self Resides Within the World(Reference Diagram 1-2)
According to Nishida, "if the world is created by countless individuals,
then that implies that each individual is part of a whole and each interrelatewith one another."
The world does not exist outside of oneself one resides within theworld. One is enveloped by the world and as such, individuals project theworld within his/herself and uses this image as the foundation to create a newworld by acting out the choices that enable materializing his/her values. (E11,F23)

Section 3 From the Created to Creating
Each individual is affected by the creations in his/her environment. Past
creations placed in the world influence future creations. ln other words, the-2-

have knowledge of its place is a more profound act which lies somewhere
deeper than the previous location. (G2)

Sedion 2 Noesis (Act) and Noema (subiect)(Reference Diagram 2-1)
There are various types of conscious acts that humans engage in (simplycalled acts or function). For each conscious act, there are two facets: the act
and its subject. Nishida describes them as Noesis and Noema. Noesis refers to
the act and Noema the subject. Noesis is also what envelop the space the twooccupy. (G3)
Acts of consciousness include the senses, thoughts, and acts of will toname a few. The senses consist of sight, hearing, smelling, taste and touch.
The contents of said senses are vision, sound, fragrance, taste (sweet, salty,etc.) and to feel pain or cold.
The contents of thoughts are words, ideology and scientific fact. Forinstance, when "one thinks I am no good," "l am no good" is the content but
the act of "thinking" is taking place simultaneously. The act of doing and its
content are two separate entities. The act of thinking is constant and yet its
content is consistently changing.
The function of sight is to create images. Likely, sound is what is createdby the function of hearing. What was created is usually called subject orcontent. While function or act does not change, the content is foreverchanging. One can perform the same function of seeing but the content willvary each time such as a mountain, a tree, a person, a wall, etc. (F7)
Section 3 The Act and its Subiect Occupy the Same Place
The act of consciousness, consciousness for short, are basic functions
such as sight and thought. Because they exist within one's consciousness, they
too must occupy some space. Sight, hearing, taste, smell and physical sensesuch as feeling heat also have their place. lVloreover; a place exists thatenvelop the act and its subject together, (G2)Section 4 Subiect Prole

on in the Conscious Field
A subject harnessed by an act projects itself in some place somewherein one's consciousness. That projected place is called the Conscious Field. Theconsciousness and its subject is a conscious phenomenon. However; the fieldof consciousness is not of the same thing. The relationship is similar to that ofa mirror image of an object and the mirror. (G2)Section 5 The Act and its Subiect Embrace their Place-4-The subject that causes an act resides beneath the function. Thesubject wraps around the function from its depth. The subject that knows andacts is also the place where the function of knowing and acting are enveloped.
It is not a point but an area of embrace. (G2)
Self is not a subject nor a function and yet holds the definition of thetwo elements that occupy the space (G2)Section 5 Self AwarenessSelf is the subject that lies beneath the act it causes. To progressively
know oneself and to be conscious of one's self is called "self-awareness." (F4)The "place" where the act is enveloped during one's act is considered tobe "Self." Put another way, the subject that becomes aware of the act at theprecise moment of performing a conscious act is considered to be "Self."
There are many cases where the individual does not recognize the Self
during the act. The Self is not recognized whilst Enactive lntuition.
Chapter 3
Acts of Will********lol.***************{.:1.****{dolqor#*#*******{.:t*:f **{.:lc*******
Section 1 Lqns lerml&fue lflife
People in the world chooses and materializes what is valuable tohim/herself over an extended period of time. Examples are one's occupation,family, hobby andlor volunteer activities, These are the values of life. Thisrefers to the value of doing and not of existence. One sees and acts to fulfill
his/her value in the place of his/her choosing.
The value of life is what one creates for the world over a length of time.
For instance, "truth" by scientists, "beauty" by artists, "holiness" by religious
people and "technology" by industrial people. lndividuals love themselves byloving the value they've materialized. (F39)
Because all individuals live within the world, he/she must work for theworld. The act of establishing a goods or services within the world is called"Poesis." To work is a type of skill. Poesis means to work for the value of life.
The act of developing one's inner self during this state of Poiesis is called"Praxis". (H9)Section 2 Short Term Goal
( Reference Diagram 3-5)
While fulfilling one's long term value of life, one repeatedly pictures anumber of short term plans and acts upon them. That in which they strive for-5-isthe goal. The goal can be set in years, months, days, hours or minutes. Forinstance, the goal of making a meal can be achieved in less than half an hour.
To pass an exam within a year is a longterm goal. ln orderto achievethat longterm goal, one can set short term goals such as studying math for 3 hours
every day.
Section 3 Dogmatism - Self lnterest - Egotism- Jrue lntention(Reference Diagram 3-3)
Whether it be a number of short term goals or one long term goal, it isvery difficult to achieve them in a manner one hopes to. One faces many
obstacles along the way. The world's movements are created by countless
individuals. Because all human beings possess free will and behave freely, selfmaterialization and self-profit inevitably creeps in.
Because of one's freedom, helshe may misunderstand having obtained
the absolute truth and act inappropriately. Or one may get overly attached topersonal prejudice and profit and make others suffer or commit wrong doings.
Prejudlce, dogmatism, self-interest, egotism are all things that sabotage thefulfillment of one's or others'values and goals. ln SIN/I they are called "Truelntention." True intention works simultaneously with conscious acts. (F16)
Section 4 Varyins Depths of Acts
( Reference Diagram 3-4)
As previously mentioned, there are various types of conscious acts suchas senses, thoughts, desires and willful acts. There are varying levels withinthese conscious acts. The profoundness of the act depends on whether acertain act can be seen as the subject of another act. The act of seeing does
not allow one to comprehend the contents of one's thought. On the otherhand, the act of thinking manages what one sees with his/her eyes. ln otherwords, one thinks about what he/she is seeing.
Therefore, the act of thinking is more profound than the act of seeing. For
example, one can look at an apple and think about it in various ways. However;
one cannot see his/her thoughts by simply looking.
Looking and listening often times causes an action. This causal force iscalled the willful act. A willful act allows one to consider the contents of what
one saw heard, or the contents of one's thoughts as a subject and it can also
halt it. Therefore, a willful act is more profound than the act of seeing, hearing
and thinking.
One's emotions are for expressing whether one is satisfied or frustrated
with the state he/she is in and it is caused by his/her senses, thoughts and-6-

actions. ln addition, there are different degrees of emotions depending on its
content's level of profoundness. (FB)
Section 5 Profound WillfulActs( Reference Diagram 3-5)
To observe the difference and transition of various acts is a willful act.
For the purpose of fulfilling one's value, one repeatedly envisions one's shortterm goals and works towards materializing them. However, because suchactions activate one's true intent, they cannot get carried out as planned.
One uses mental acts such as perception (inner; outer), reasoning, andrecollection in order to fulfill his value but the perceived idea may differ from
his/her true intention and consequently be unpleasant. Even then, one should
not engage in an act of value destruction. He/she must strive to work towardshappiness by choosing to achieve his/her short and long term goals to fulfill
one's value. This act of control is the willful act.
A willful act is the conscious act of unifying one's integrated goals bycalmly observing one's actions and renewing one's determination and taking
action that will materialize his/her goals. (F20)
Section 6 Further Profoundness in Self-Hierarchy(Reference Diagram 3-6)
The Self behaves as a subject. Beneath behavior and function lie thesubject. People have a multitude of views regarding the Self.
Nishida mentions the existence of the Profound Self and its acts. Thisview is not common in the West. The central belief in Nishida's philosophy isthat of a profound self but that will be omitted here.
For the sake of improving and preventing psychological issues such as
relationship problems, depression, anxiety, and PTSD, the practice of being awillful self by utilizing willful acts would be sufficient. Howeve[ for more
serious issues like negation of personality or those concerned with death will
require the practice of being a far more profound self as defined by Nishida.

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