"In Japanese there is an expression ichigo ichie which is mostly associated with the tea ceremony. It means "one meeting ,one life" and refers to the fact that each tea gathering is totally unique. Even if it happened again (for instance if the same guests were in attendance ), the mood, the weather, the placement of the objects in the room - something would be different.
Each meeting is a once - in - a - lifetime event.

In a sense ichigo ichie is the secret of the present moment because when we are fully awake to the uniqueness of each new situation, we are fully alive. We are responding directly to something fresh and new. And we should begin and end each meditation (tai chi practice ) with the thought , " This meeting will never come again." "
From Clark Strand's The Wooden Bowl