Inspired by Nishida Kitaro's insight that true reality is beyond the subject-object duality, the book uses a series of examples and exercises to explore the background to Husserl's idea of the phenomenological epoché, Hans-­Georg Gadamer's emphasis on play in human understanding and the haiku poet Matsuo Basho's call for a new level of freedom. This practice-oriented approach moves beyond the traditional East-West divide. It connects various traditions, old and new, contemplative and theoretical, and explains why Japanese philosophy and phenomenology can enrich the quality of our lived experience.