Zen Is a Brain State — And in Japan, This Is Already Understood

In many Western conversations, Zen is treated as something abstract.
A philosophy.
A spiritual ideal.
Or a personality trait—being calm, unbothered, or emotionally controlled.

But this understanding quietly misses something essential.

In Japan, the country where Zen developed and matured, Zen has never been only an idea.
Zen is a state. And that state is physical.

More precisely: Zen is a way the brain and nervous system are functioning.

This may sound surprising to readers outside Japan.
Inside Japan, it is not.

Zen Is Not a Thought — It Is a Condition

Zen does not arise because you think differently.
It arises because the brain shifts out of constant verbal analysis and into a different mode of processing.

When people describe Zen as “no-mind,” they are not describing emptiness.
They are describing the absence of compulsive internal narration.

In everyday terms:

• Fewer automatic thoughts
• Less inner commentary
• Reduced self-judgment
• Clearer perception
• Faster, more intuitive response

This is not mystical.
It is neurological.

The Shift Away From the “Thinking Brain”

Modern life trains one mode of the brain relentlessly:
the analytical, verbal, categorizing mode.

Planning.
Explaining.
Judging.
Rehearsing conversations that never happen.

In neuroscience terms, this mode is often associated with left-hemisphere dominance.

Zen practice—traditionally—does not fight this mode.
It disengages it by redirecting attention into the body, sensation, and action.

When that happens, another mode becomes dominant:

• Nonverbal awareness
• Sensory integration
• Spatial perception
• Present-moment processing

This is commonly associated with right-hemisphere dominance.

Zen is not about silencing thoughts by force.
It is about changing which system is leading.

This Understanding Is Common in Japan

In contemporary Japan, Zen is increasingly explained not as religion but as a functional mental state.

One well-known figure who has helped popularize this understanding for a general audience is Nedo Jun.
Her work focuses on reducing automatic thought and restoring a quieter, more embodied mode of awareness through simple physical practices.

I encountered this perspective through her explanations and, more importantly, through practice.

What I experienced was not belief or faith.
It was a measurable change:

• My automatic thinking decreased
• Emotional reactivity softened
• Decisions became clearer
• My sense of well-being stabilized

This is why I speak about Zen as a brain state, not a belief system.

Where Neuroscience Aligns

This view is not limited to Japan.

Western neuroscience has documented similar states from a different angle.
A well-known example is the work of Jill Bolte Taylor, whose firsthand account describes the sudden quieting of internal narration and the emergence of expansive, present-moment awareness when left-hemisphere language systems were temporarily offline.

Her experience was not Zen training.
Yet the described state is strikingly similar.

Different paths.
Same destination.

My Own Integration: From Idea to Daily Life

While breathing methods and formal techniques can be effective, they are not always easy to sustain in daily life.

So I experimented.

Not to invent something new, but to translate this state into ordinary, repeatable actions:

• Preparing matcha with full physical attention
• Walking without mental commentary
• Sitting quietly with the body rather than the mind
• Listening to classical music without analyzing it

Each of these shifts attention out of language and into sensation.

Each reduces left-brain dominance.
Each reliably produces the same internal quiet.

This is not philosophy.
It is practice.

Why I Share This

I do not share this to present myself as an authority.
I share it because this understanding is already normalized in Japan, and many people outside Japan still believe Zen requires years of monastic training or spiritual belief.

That is not the only way.

Zen is not something you believe in.
Zen is something your nervous system does.

When the brain is in the right condition,
Zen appears naturally.

And when that condition is understood,
anyone can access it—quietly, physically, and without struggle.

If mindfulness has ever felt temporary or fragile,
this perspective may help explain why:
→ Why Mindfulness Doesn’t Work for Most People

This understanding also reframes a common misunderstanding of Zen:
→ Zen Is Not Calmness — It’s Clear Perception