"Mushin (English translation "without mind") is a mental state into
which very highly trained martial artists are said to enter during
combat. They also practice this mental state during everyday activities.
The term is shortened from mushin no shin,a Zen expression meaning the
mind without mind and is also referred to as the state of "no-mindness".
That is, a mind not fixed or occupied by thought or emotion and thus
open to everything.
Mushin is achieved when a person's mind is free from thoughts of anger,
fear, or ego during combat or everyday life. There is an absence of
discursive thought and judgment, so the person is totally free to act
and react towards an opponent without hesitation and without disturbance
from such thoughts.
At this point, a person relies not on what they think should be the next
move, but what is their trained natural reaction or what is felt
intuitively. It is not a state of relaxed, near-sleepfulness, however.
The mind could be said to be working at a very high speed, but with no
intentions, plans or direction. In analogy a clear mind is compared to a
still pond, which is able to clearly reflect the moon and trees. But
just as waves in the pond will distort the picture of reality, so will
the thoughts we hold onto disrupt the true perception of reality.
A martial artist would likely have to train for many years to be capable
of maintained mushin. This allows time for combinations of movements and
exchanges of techniques to be practised repetitively many thousands of
times, until they can be performed spontaneously, without conscious
thought, thus changing your natural reactions to be more effective in
combat or whatever else you may be doing. If he is capable of truly
listening to his teacher, however, he could attain this level in only a
few years.
Some masters believe that mushin is the state where a person finally
understands the uselessness of techniques and becomes truly free to
move. In fact, that person will no longer even consider themselves as
"fighters" but merely living beings moving through space.
The legendary Zen master Takuan Sôhô said:
The mind must always be in the state of 'flowing,' for when it stops
anywhere that means the flow is interrupted and it is this interruption
that is injurious to the well-being of the mind. In the case of the
swordsman, it means death. When the swordsman stands against his
opponent, he is not to think of the opponent, nor of himself, nor of his
enemy's sword movements. He just stands there with his sword which,
forgetful of all technique, is ready only to follow the dictates of the
subconscious. The man has effaced himself as the wielder of the sword.
When he strikes, it is not the man but the sword in the hand of the
man's subconscious that strikes.
However, mushin is not just a state of mind that can be achieved during
combat. Many martial artists, particularly those practising Japanese
martial arts such as karate or iaijutsu, train to achieve this state of
mind during kata <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kata> so that a flawless
execution of moves is accomplished that they may be achieved
during combat or at any other time.
Once mushin is attained through the practicing or studying of martial
arts (although it can be accomplished through other arts or practices
that refine the mind and body), the objective is to then attain this
same level of complete awareness in other aspects of the practitioner's
life.
Mushin is very closely related to another state of mind known as
heijoshin, ... Mushin and heijoshin are closely related to the teachings
of Buddhism, specifically Zen teachings, and indeed the more mental
aspects and attributes draw heavily from these philosophies."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushin
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushin>
--- In [email protected], Edgar Owen <edgarowen@...> wrote:
>
> James,
>
> You simply don't understand what is actually meant by no mind. It
doesn't mean becoming unconscious. It means emptying consciousness of
all the little usual distracting details of consciousness so that
consciousness itself is experienced. It couldn't be more different than
becoming a stone...
>
> Edgar
