How to Read “If the mind is not here, you look but do not see”
Kokoro koko ni arazareba miredo miezu
Meaning of “If the mind is not here, you look but do not see”
This proverb means that when your mind is focused on something else, you cannot truly understand what you see with your eyes.
Even if something appears physically before your eyes, you cannot grasp its essence or meaning if your mind is not present.
For example, everyone has experienced reading a book while worried about something. The words enter your eyes, but the content does not enter your mind.
Or when you are listening to someone while anxious about something, their mouth is moving but you cannot understand what they are saying. This is exactly the state of “you look but do not see.”
This proverb does more than just warn against distraction. It contains a deep insight that focusing your mind is essential for truly understanding things.
Today, “multitasking” has increased—talking while looking at smartphones or thinking about other things while doing something. This proverb teaches us that true understanding and learning require concentration.
Origin and Etymology
This proverb is believed to come from the “Great Learning” chapter of the ancient Chinese classic “Book of Rites.”
The original text states: “If the mind is not here, you look but do not see, you listen but do not hear, you eat but do not know its taste.” The first part of this passage was transmitted to Japan and became established.
“Great Learning” is one of the important Confucian classics. It is a text that explains human cultivation. This passage is used in the context of explaining the importance of concentration in learning and self-cultivation.
It sharply points out the essence of human perception: if your mind is not there, you cannot truly understand even if you see with your eyes, truly hear even if you listen with your ears, or taste even if you eat.
In Japan, as Confucianism spread during the Edo period, this saying became known among intellectuals.
It was especially valued in academic settings as words teaching the importance of learning with heart, not just following letters. The fact that these classical words have survived to modern times shows they capture a universal truth about human nature.
Interesting Facts
The original text from “Book of Rites” continues beyond vision to include hearing and taste.
The part “you listen but do not hear, you eat but do not know its taste” explains that if your mind is not there, you cannot understand even if you hear with your ears, and cannot taste even if you eat.
In other words, it is a comprehensive teaching that the state of mind is critically important for all human senses.
Zen practice also has the phrase “drinking tea, eating rice,” which teaches to concentrate on drinking tea when drinking tea, and on eating rice when eating rice.
This connects to the teaching of “If the mind is not here, you look but do not see”—a philosophy explaining the importance of directing your mind to this present moment.
Usage Examples
- I was worried about my smartphone during the meeting, and when I looked at the minutes later, I did not remember anything. This is exactly “If the mind is not here, you look but do not see.”
- I was thinking about work while listening to my son, and I missed something important. This is what “If the mind is not here, you look but do not see” means.
Universal Wisdom
The deepest truth this proverb shows is that human perception is not merely the work of sensory organs, but is determined by the state of mind.
We tend to think that if we have eyes, we can see. But actually, “seeing” is an activity involving not just the organ called the eye, but the entire existence called the mind.
Why has this proverb been passed down for over two thousand years? Because humans have constantly struggled with mental distraction.
In ancient China and modern Japan alike, the human mind has a nature that easily shifts from one thing to another. Worries, desires, anxieties, expectations—these constantly shake the mind and try to pull it away from what is right in front of us.
Our ancestors deeply understood this essential human weakness. That is why they did not simply command “concentrate,” but quietly showed the fact that “if your mind is not there, you look but do not see.”
This is not a threat or a sermon, but a calm observation about how human perception works.
At the same time, these words contain hope. They teach us that if we just direct our mind there, we will be able to see. It is not a matter of ability, but a matter of how we direct our mind.
When AI Hears This
Neuroscience research shows that the human eye receives about 10 million bits of visual information per second, but the brain can consciously process only about 40 bits.
In other words, 99.9996% of the information entering the eyes is automatically discarded by the brain.
This amazing information reduction is performed through coordination between the visual cortex and prefrontal cortex. The moment the prefrontal cortex decides “let’s pay attention to this,” that signal is sent to the visual cortex, and only the relevant part is amplified.
For example, when you are looking for a red car, red objects in the city suddenly become noticeable—this is the mechanism. Conversely, information not receiving attention is physically projected on the retina but the signal is weakened in the brain and does not reach consciousness.
Even more interesting is that the neural firing patterns in the brain are completely different between objects receiving attention and those not receiving it.
Even when the same light enters the eyes, experimental results show that the activity level of neurons in the visual cortex changes by more than five times depending on the presence or absence of attention.
In other words, “seeing” is not a passive camera called the eye, but a phenomenon that the brain actively selects and constructs.
This proverb is evidence that ancient people experientially understood the truth that modern neuroscience has revealed: “attention creates the perception of reality.”
Lessons for Today
What this proverb teaches us today is that precisely because we live in an age of multitasking, we should reconsider the value of directing our mind to one thing.
In a life surrounded by smartphones, social media, email, and constantly arriving notifications, our minds are always being pulled in different directions.
But think about it. Conversations with important people, beautiful scenery, the book you are reading, the work you are doing now. To truly savor, understand, and enjoy these things, you need to direct your mind there.
Not just spending time, but spending time with heart. That is the key to enriching your life.
Starting tomorrow, even for just a little time each day, why not direct your mind to just one thing? If you eat a meal, just the meal. If you talk with someone, just the conversation. If you read a book, just the reading.
Put down your smartphone and let your mind be present with what is in front of you. Surely, you will see things you have not seen before.
That will be new discoveries, deep understanding, and heartfelt joy. Your life can become more vivid with just how you direct your mind.
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