莫妄想
まくもうぞう / Maku Mōzō
Maku Mōzō (莫妄想) Meaning
Meaning
Maku mōzō means "Don't think deluded thoughts" — or, more simply, "Stop overthinking." In Buddhism, mōzō does not mean daydreaming; it refers to the mind spinning stories about gain and loss, right and wrong, past and future, until it loses touch with what is actually here.
Origin
The phrase is associated with Fenzhou Wuye (Japanese: Funshū Mugō), a Chinese Zen teacher of the Tang dynasty and a student of the great master Mazu. According to tradition, recorded in sources such as the Jingde Record of the Transmission of the Lamp, whatever a student asked him, he simply replied, "Don't think deluded thoughts." In Japan the phrase is still often seen on hanging scrolls in tea rooms.
How it helps with everyday worries
Many of us know the late-night loop: rehearsing tomorrow's meeting, guessing what someone really meant, replaying an old mistake. The mind keeps running scenes that are not happening right now. Maku mōzō isn't an order to force thoughts away. It is a gentle reminder that the worry in your head is not the moment in front of you. When work anxiety piles up, or you're exhausted from reading between the lines of a relationship, you might quietly tell yourself, "Don't overthink." What truly needs thinking through can wait for its proper time. For now, come back to the email in front of you, or the cup of tea in your hand. Thoughts will still arise, and that's natural — no need to scold yourself for them.
A small practice for today
When your thoughts start to spiral, pause, breathe out slowly three times, and silently name one thing you can see right now.