Sit (Zen and Everyday Life)

This is a beautifully shot short film by Yoko Okumura about how zen works out in everyday life.

It is centered around her family: her father is a Zen Priest ordained in 1970, her mother a mindful housewife, and her brother Masaki, the confused young man at the centre of the story.

In the beginning her father explains some of the outlines of zen, what it means in terms of meditation; and her mother demonstrates how it carries over into everything that is done during daily life, one stitch, and one prayer, at a time.

That’s the theory. But her brother, and maybe Yoko also, is confused. How to live in a zen family where there are no expectations, and everyone is left to find their own course? Not so easy as it sounds, and Masaki is under-achieving.

Dad’s philosophy is that “love is to give space to grow”, Masaki, though, doesn’t feel the sun, and doesn’t know which way to grow. Will he find his way, and will everything turn out for the best? You have to watch to find out.