An appreciation of Time is found in the art of tea ceremony. Its basic philosophy is epitomized in the aphorism: a whole lifetime in a single encounter (ichigo-ichiye). This Buddhist phrase suggests that each human encounter is more than purely accidental; in fact, it has deep roots in our karmic past and has vast implications in our interconnected and interdependent universe. . . . In life every moment awaits to be newly explored, for a whole lifetime may be invested into a single moment.
— Taitetsu Unno, Shin Buddhism