Question about Ikkyu anecdote in "3 Pillars of Zen"


I've loved this English Zen fable since I was a teenager, but not sure of the
correct kanji translation for "attention" - is it 念?

> One day a man of the people said to Zen Master Ikkyu: “Master, will you
> please write for me some maxims of the highest wisdom?”
>
> Ikkyu immediately took his brush and wrote the word, “Attention.”
>
> “Is that all?” asked the man. “Will you not add something more?”
>
> Ikkyu then wrote twice running: “Attention. Attention.”
>
> “Well,” remarked the man rather irritably, “I really don’t see much depth or
> subtlety in what you have just written.”
>
> Then Ikkyu wrote the same word three times running: “Attention. Attention.
> Attention.”
>
> Half angered, the man demanded: “What does that word ‘Attention’ mean
> anyway?”
>
> And Ikkyu answered gently: “Attention means attention.”
>
> _Roshi P. Kapleau, The Three Pillars of Zen_




I observe this is sometimes translated into
"[マインドフルネス:Mindfulness](https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%9E%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E3%83%95%E3%83%AB%E3%83%8D%E3%82%B9)"
which is reverse imported into Japan, being popular among businessmen and
practiced in the retreat.

I am not a Zen Buddhist scholar and believe the correct translation is still
in the debate, so I borrowed the explanation in the wikipedia entry:
"マインドフルネス".

They say,

>
> _mindfulnessと英訳された仏教用語は、パーリ語のsati（サティ）および、サンスクリットにおいてsatiに相当するsmṛtiに起源がある。Robert
> Sharfによれば、これらの語の意味は、広範囲に渡る討論や議論のテーマとなっている。元来、smṛtiは、to
> remember（思い出す、記憶している）、to recollect（思い出す、回想する）、to bear in
> mind（心に留めておく）を意味した。_

So, its etymology should be Pāḷi language: sati and Sanskrit: smṛti. And it is
sometimes translated as the "mindfulness" in English language.

The wikipedia entry lists up the "Attention" and it's counterparts in
Japanese.

>   * _Attention - 注意、考慮、配慮、手当、世話_
>

[![Actually my first impression of your question is the picture
below](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lWf7X.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/lWf7X.jpg)

