Heidegger and Zen Buddhism: From Pre-Reflective Presence to Reflective Awareness of I and Thou

Vladimir Nemet 

“Has it returned,
the snow
we viewed together?”

Matsuo Basho

Introduction

This article explores the transformation of human experience across three interrelated levels of being-in-the-world: pre-reflective, procedural and reflective. Its aim is to show how the identities of I and Thou grow and develop—from implicit, preverbal presence to conscious reflection—through the body, affect, and practice. This process, which can also be called maturation, reveals that the I–Thou relationship is always already present, unfolding from early pre-reflective encounters, through procedural, implicit knowledge of the world and others, to reflective awareness of the encounter with the Other.

The structure of the article follows this progression for deeper understanding: first, pre-reflective openness to the world and Others is explored; then the procedural level, where bodily and affective knowledge is spontaneously activated; and finally, the reflective level, in which Thou becomes clearly recognized and integrated. This trajectory offers insight into the ontological and psychological dynamics of human existence. Heidegger’s philosophy emphasizes being-in-the-world (Dasein), showing that human existence is always relational, oriented toward Others and the world, and that understanding and identity are conditioned by these foundational, pre-reflective openings. Zen practice and psychoanalytic insights from the Boston Change Process Study Group provide both empirical and conceptual grounding. The Boston Group, which includes psychotherapists and researchers such as Daniel Stern, Beatrice Beebe, and Edward Tronick, aims to observe psychological changes in real time through mother-child interaction, affect, and implicit knowledge, highlighting the procedural, pre-reflective dimension of being-in-the-world. Their work emphasizes the importance of presence and micro-processes in relationships, demonstrating how each encounter with the Other shapes the dynamics of I–Thou identity.

Martin Heidegger and Zen Buddhism demonstrate that spontaneity of being and conscious reflection are not separate dimensions but intertwined phases of a continuum. The phenomenon of satori represents the culmination of this process—the realization of unity between I and Thou, where boundaries dissolve and the encounter becomes fully present.

Pre-Reflective Level: Moving Along and the Primordial Being

The pre-reflective level signifies the initial openness to the world and the Other, where I and Thou operate before language or reflection arises. Heidegger’s Dasein describes humans as beings already immersed in the world (In-der-Welt-sein), where existence is always oriented toward the Other and the world, imbued with care (Sorge) and spontaneous openness. In this vulnerable yet complete openness, parallel identities of I and Thou coexist in a pre-reflective vibration—a quiet but present dynamic of encounter that forms the foundation of experience.

Zen Buddhism employs the concept of non-self (anatta) to describe this pre-reflective openness to the Other. This experience is not abstract; it manifests in early relational contexts, such as the mother-infant dyad, where body and affect spontaneously and harmoniously create wholeness prior to language. Rhythmic touch, breathing, micro-gestures, and tone of voice enable implicit coordination of parallel identities, demonstrating that the infant, from the outset, already knows how to exist with the Other, present in the world.

A similar principle is visible in the body while riding a bicycle: balance, coordination, and spatial adjustment occur automatically before conscious thought articulates the experience. Every micro-gesture and adjustment reflects the pre-reflective competence of body and affect. The Boston Change Process Study Group uses the term moving along to describe this flow of pre-reflective presence—a continuous, fluid stream of being that always already includes the Other and the world, in which parallel identities I and Thou hover, touch, and form the basis for later reflective encounters.

At this level, experience is immediate and spontaneous; body, affect, and perception create a network of presence that precedes any conscious reflection. This is the space where the primordial Being reveals itself—not in abstraction, but in everyday, embodied, and affectively mediated interaction, where I–Thou encounters are already unfolding, unspoken yet powerfully present.

Procedural Level: Now Moments and the Activation of the Primordial Being

The procedural level opens a space in which the pre-reflective vibration of the I–Thou encounter becomes tangible through body, affect, and practice. The concept of now moments, as described by the Boston Group, refers to sudden instances of presence—microseconds in which the experience of Otherness unexpectedly emerges, opening a channel between pre-reflective experience and its articulation in interaction. In these moments, time seems compressed, and the presence of the Other becomes intensely felt, almost “experienced through the body.”

Zen practice deepens this presence, training the mind to recognize subtle shifts in each moment. Ritual and bodily disciplines—such as Kyūdō (the art of archery), Chadō (tea ceremony), Kinhin (walking meditation), and everyday similar practices—allow body and affect to activate parallel identities I and Thou, enabling implicit, procedural knowledge to flow toward conscious awareness. The body knows before the mind understands; affect responds before words label it; through these moments, the identities harmoniously interweave, revealing the continuum between pre-reflective and reflective being.

Heidegger’s concept of Sorge emphasizes that the procedural level is not merely technical task performance but active being, involving care, orientation, and attentiveness toward the Other and the world. Everyday, seemingly ordinary activities—riding a bicycle, preparing a meal, coordinating between mother and infant—become channels of presence, rituals stabilizing pre-reflective openness and preparing the ground for reflective integration. In these, body, affect, and practice merge into a network of micro-interactions, allowing the I–Thou encounter to manifest in its fullness.

This level also shows that procedural knowledge is neither fixed nor isolated; it is alive, dynamic, and context-dependent. Now moments create a space for transformation: through them, the pre-reflective Being speaks, and the parallel identities I and Thou begin to reflect the unity and diversity of experience. Body and affect become mediators between the primordial Being and reflective awareness, while practice forms a subtle yet powerful way of learning how to exist in the world.

Reflective Level: Moments of Meeting and Satori

The reflective level signifies conscious recognition of the Other and the integration of parallel identities I and Thou into verbal, affective, and bodily-mediated presence. Heidegger’s concepts of Verstehen (understanding) and Rede (speech) enable Dasein to articulate pre-reflective openness and procedural knowledge and integrate Thou into reflective consciousness. At this level, body, affect, and language function harmoniously, allowing encounters to become consciously recognized and reflected upon.

Zen satori represents the reflective manifestation of primordial Being—a moment in which parallel identities I and Thou merge in conscious presence. Thou ceases to be implicitly present and becomes reflectively recognized, enabling the subject to fully experience the Other and their own being-with. Satori is not an abstract or linear cognition but a living process integrating pre-reflective vibration and procedural knowledge into reflective, holistic presence.

The concept of moments of meeting, as described by the Boston Group, illustrates the same phenomenon in a therapeutic context: sudden, intense affective encounters open space for integrating implicit and pre-reflective knowledge into reflective intersubjective presence. The body responds, affect illuminates experience, and language articulates what was already present—spontaneously, unexpectedly, and deeply.

Satori symbolizes the culmination of the process—the realization of unity between I and Thou without boundaries, a moment in which the subject and the Other fully coexist, freed from separation and discontinuity. This reflective level demonstrates that integration is not a final outcome but a continuous practice of being, in which pre-reflective, procedural, and reflective dimensions merge into a harmonious whole, and each encounter, affective shift, and bodily gesture contributes to presence.

Conclusion

The process of maturation and human experiential development unfolds through three intertwined phases: pre-reflective, procedural, and reflective. From the outset, humans are immersed in the I–Thou relationship, present in a vibration preceding words, thought, and reflection. This vulnerable, silent presence requires activation—through practice, body, and affect—to become consciously integrated. Every touch, micro-gesture, and affective echo forms a thread connecting parallel identities I and Thou, revealing that the encounter with the Other always already exists, even before language names it.

Zen practice and psychoanalytic insights from the Boston Group show how pre-reflective vibration can be transformed into reflective awareness. Body, affect, and language become bridges between pre-reflective Being, procedural knowledge, and reflective understanding, forming a network of presence in which Thou ceases to be implicit and becomes reflectively recognized. Parallel identities merge into conscious presence, opening a space in which I and the Other coexist fully. Heideggerian concepts like Sorge, Verstehen, Rede, and Zen notions like anatta and satori, together provide a framework for understanding this transformation and revealing the wholeness of being.

Satori symbolizes the culmination of this process: a moment in which parallel identities I and Thou become complete, consciously integrated, and fully present. It is a moment in which ontological being and reflective intersubjective awareness are no longer separate, merging spontaneity, practice, and conscious reflection into a unified dynamic of presence. Every micro-gesture, affective echo, and encounter with the Other becomes an act of integration, a channel in which pre-reflective and procedural knowledge emerges into reflective awareness.

This process is neither linear nor final; it is a rhythm of being that continuously renews itself. Through ritual, practice, therapeutic encounters, or everyday gestures, pre-reflective vibration transforms into reflective awareness, and I–Thou encounters reveal the deep connection between body, affect, language, and ontological existence. Satori and moments of meeting become beacons in this continuum—moments of full presence in which each phase—pre-reflective, procedural, and reflective—finds its harmony, and I and Thou together reach an experience of wholeness and authentic presence.

Literature

Boston Change Process Study Group (BCPSG). Change in Psychotherapy: A Unifying Paradigm (MIT Press).

D. T. Suzuki, An Introduction to Zen Buddhism. (Rider & Co., 1948). 

Martin Heidegger, Being and Time (Sein und Zeit). Macquarrie & Robinson (1962).

Stern, D. N., & the Process of Change Study Group. (1998). “The process of therapeutic change involving implicit knowledge: Some implications of developmental observations for adult psychotherapy.” Infant Mental Health Journal, 19(3), 300‑308.

Tronick, E. Z., & the Process of Change Study Group. (1998). “The Process of Change Study Group: The ‘something more’ in psychoanalytic therapy.” International Journal of Psycho‑Analysis, 79(5), 903‑924. 

Vladimir Nemet (2025). New Psychoanalysis and Parallel Identities