Find happiness by living fully in the present with this definitive guide to ichigo ichie--the Japanese art of making the most of every moment--from the bestselling authors of Ikigai and The Four-Way Path.

Every moment in our life happens only once, and if we let it slip away, we lose it forever--an idea captured by the Japanese phrase ichigo ichie (pronounced itchy-GO itchy-A). Often spoken in Japan when greeting someone or saying goodbye, to convey that the encounter is unique and special, it is a tenet of Zen Buddhism and is attributed to a sixteenth-century master of the Japanese tea ceremony, or "ceremony of attention," whose intricate rituals compel us to focus on the present moment.

From this age-old concept comes a new kind of mindfulness. In The Book of Ichigo Ichie, you will learn to...

• appreciate the beauty of the fleeting, the way the Japanese celebrate the cherry blossoms for two weeks every April, knowing they'll have to wait a whole year to see them again;

• use all five senses to anchor yourself in the present, helping you to let go of fear, sadness, anger, and other negative emotions fueled by fixating on the past or the future;

• be alert to the magic of coincidences, which help us find meaning among the disconnected events of our lives;

• use ichigo ichie to help you discover your ikigai, or life's purpose--because it's only by learning to be present, to be tuned into what catches your attention and excites you in the moment, that you can identify what it is that most motivates you and brings you happiness.

Every one of us contains a key that can open the door to attention, harmony with others, and love of life. And that key is ichigo ichie.

A PENGUIN LIFE TITLE

About the Author
Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles are the coauthors of Ikigai, a 1.5-million-copy international bestseller, as well as The Four-Way Path. Their books have been published in more than sixty languages. Hector is a citizen of Japan, where he has lived for over a decade, and is the author of A Geek in Japan, a #1 bestseller in Japan. Francesc is the author of a number of bestselling self-help and inspirational books and of the novel Love in Lowercase, which has been translated into twenty languages.

Reviews
"[Ichigo ichie is] a hopeful practice, a promise that while we'll never get these moments back, we can squeeze a whole lot of life out of them before they go poof." -The Washington Post

"A hopeful and practical guide to relishing everyday experiences and living in the moment . . . Filled with anecdotes, parables, and lessons, this [is a] reassuring handbook." -Publishers Weekly



Book Information
ISBN 9780143134497
Author Hector Garcia
Format Hardback
Page Count 208
Imprint Penguin Life
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 249g
Dimensions(mm) 185mm * 132mm * 19mm