Mushin
By Christopher Caile
"Mu" meaning negation, "Shin" meaning heart, mind, feeling. Often translated
(confusingly) as "no mind." A Zen term referring to that state of mental
clarity and enhanced perception (sensory and intuitive) known as pure
mind, produced by the absence of conscious thought, ideas, judgments,
emotion (fear and anxiety), pre-conception, or self-consciousness. A product
of Zen meditative training. For the warrior, meditation (towards mushin)
was an important compliment to technical training. Through mushin the
mind is not absent, but instead is freed. No longer inhibited, slowed,
distracted, or clogged the mind was free to fully perceive, respond and
commit to action. The mind is not fixed on anything and is open to everything;
a mind expanded through the whole body with total awareness of and focus
on everything. The concept was developed by Hui-Neng (Wei lang in Chinese),
the sixth Patriarch, or successor to Bodhidharma, who brought to China
(and the Shaolin Monastery from India) meditative Buddhism and the concept
that all the world comes from the mind and meditation should be used to
attain a state of pure mind without stain or dust. The concept is closely
akin to the Taoist concept of stillness (inside) within motion. Lao-Tsu
said "The stillness within stillness is not the true stillness (as in
meditation), the true stillness is within motion." A term closely akin
to Fudo and Fudoshin.
About the Author:
Christopher Caile is the founder and Editor of FightingArts.com. |
