Mahāyāna Buddhism & East Asian Contemplative Traditions

Kamakura — the historic heartland of Japanese Zen — carries centuries of contemplative history into the present day. In 2012, Mikio Shishido began building a space in Kamakura for learning Japan’s ancient wisdom of harmony — work that grew into the Kamakura Mindfulness Lab, translating Zen heritage into corporate management, organizational development, and human resources. Shishido has described his mission as building a “Mindful City Kamakura,” where contemplative wisdom shapes how modern institutions are run.

Shortly after, Shishido co-founded Zen2.0 with Kouji Miki, an annual international conference on Zen and mindfulness held at Kenchō-ji, a more than 760-year-old temple in Kita-Kamakura. Zen2.0 has grown into the world’s largest global conference on Zen and mindfulness, gathering monks, scientists, and business leaders from across the world. Miki has written about a personal crisis — job loss and depression following the 2008 financial crash — that led him to building this platform for sharing Zen wisdom with a global audience.

All Here’s collaboration ran through both organizations. Working with Miki and Shishido through Zen2.0, All Here conducted EEG sessions in Kamakura, placing centuries-old temple practice alongside real-time brainwave data. At the Tokyo Quantified Meditation Challenge, Shishido represented Kamakura Mindfulness Lab, presenting on Mindful Cities and sharing a vision of Kamakura as a model for how meditation and contemplative practices can enhance the well-being of entire communities.