What Is the Mind? — The Quiet Answers Philosophy Has Built Up: Chapter 8　What Is the Mind? — The Quiet Answers Philosophy Has Built Up (Final Chapter)

日本語 | English | 繁體中文（台灣） | 簡体中文 | 한국어 | Tiếng Việt

---

Hello everyone. This is Akira.

Up to this point, we have traced the question “What is the mind?” with Plato’s thought as the axis.

The mind continues to seek the “perfect essence” in this imperfect world.

That seeking is easily replaced by various “ideal copies” in the modern world, exhausting the mind.

And by intentionally creating a “sacred blank,” there is the possibility for the mind to regain its original direction again.

Furthermore, by overlaying it with the “blankness” and “letting go” attitude that Japanese thought has long cherished, we saw that the path of recovery becomes even richer.

So, in the end, what is the mind?

Here, I would like to present one answer.

The mind is our inner way of being that possesses both “the power to continuously seek what is better and more true” and “the power to accept blankness without fear and let go.”

As Plato said, the mind has “the power to strive toward essence.”

It is the power that allows us not only to simply live, but to ask “Is this okay?” and seek “a better way of being.”

Because we have this power, we can grow and live deeply.

But at the same time, as Japanese thought has taught us, the mind also needs the power to allow “doing nothing and simply being.”

If we only keep chasing, the mind will eventually become exhausted.

By accepting blankness without fear and letting go for a moment, the mind regains its original softness and clarity.

These two powers are both important, and both are part of the mind

— This is the quiet answer we have arrived at through this series.

This answer does not require special talent or enlightenment. Rather, it is something we can gradually experience in our daily lives.

Turn off notifications for just five minutes in the morning and gaze out the window.

Have a moment in the middle of work where you simply sit and think of nothing.

Quietly ask yourself, “Is this really necessary right now?”

By accumulating these small “sacred blanks,” both “the power to keep seeking” and “the power to let go” can work healthily in the mind.

Chasing is not the only virtue. Allowing oneself to simply be is an equally important power.

The mind does not have to be perfect.

Rather, it is a flexible way of being that can move back and forth between chasing and simply being.

If through this series, even a little “time to face your own mind” was born, I would be very happy.

What is the mind? — The answer is not something given by someone else, but something each person gradually finds in their own daily life.

From now on, please continue at your own pace, while creating “sacred blanks,” cherishing both what the mind seeks and the act of simply being.

Thank you so much for accompanying me to the end. (End)

---

Akira

👤 Profile: https://discipline.tokyo/profile.php

📧 Email: akira@discipline.tokyo

📮 Anonymous Consultation Form: https://discipline.tokyo/contact.php

📚 Summary of All Activities: https://discipline.tokyo/index.php

※ This series and related content are the crystallization of my thoughts and are protected by copyright law. Please clearly indicate the source when quoting. Unauthorized reproduction or commercial use is prohibited.

© 2026 Akira All Rights Reserved.