To reiterate, in Zen Buddhism, experience is everything. And the most important teaching is “furyūmonji,” which points to experience, not words or teachings, as being of utmost importance. Here, let’s take a moment to enter Zen through real life experience.

Please face the center of Hon-dō Hall with your hands together in quiet prayer. Sit at the veranda and open the candy available to those who have purchased this guide. Put the candy in your mouth and put away your phone. Correct your posture and breathing, and focus your thoughts on the candy and nothing else.

Just focus on the candy. What flavor is it? Take a deep breath. The sweetness seeping out of the candy travels across your tongue down into your stomach. Focus on the journey the candy takes through your body. Once you’ve finished, return to the guide again.