Mushin | ||
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Absorption
Mushin is a Zen expression meaning 'mind of no mind'.
It entails being total absorbed in the event itself.
This is not to be confused with
concentration.
Concentration is a substitution process where one focus is highlighted at
the exclusion of all else.
Mushin is not focus. It is presence.
By being here and now, with no discursive thoughts,
a person is free to move with what is
happening.
Chop wood
Zen stories and mondos often feature statements
encouraging the student to chop wood, wash the dishes and so on.
These everyday mundane activities are ready opportunities for you to achieve
a condition of mushin.
Self-consciousness
Self-consciousness ruins mushin.
To understand mushin you must lose your sense of self
and be with the now.
Be absorbed in the moment.
Combat
The mind is not fixed on anything. No planning,
no anticipation, no fear.
No aggression. No
ego.
You are composed and calm. Detached and aware.
Receptive and flexible.
There is no doubt or hesitation. You are free and spontaneous.
Instead of preparing, you feel. Instead of
techniques, you
respond.
You adapt, change and
improvise relative to the demands of the moment.
The student is one with every action.
Cultivating mushin
All of the partner work exercises in our
syllabus cultivate mushin.
It is not just the drill themselves. It is the
way in which we explore the material. The how.
The mind is present at all times.
It flows without stagnancy. We find stability in movement, not in
holding to things.
The subconscious mind is encouraged to become dominant.
That way, conscious thought/chattering does not interfere with
spontaneity and immediacy.
Shen
The tai chi quality of shen requires the student to
imbue their actions with spirit.
This assumes the presence of mushin.
Sung
Sung also assumes mushin.
Many people think that 'sung' means relax, but it is far more than this.
True sung involves a condition whereby the body is no longer felt.
You simply move, and you are with the
energy of the movement rather than in the
mechanics of the body.
Finding mushin
If you can cultivate mushin, then your
heightened awareness can
extend to all aspects of your life.
There is no division between combat and leisure. Your state of mind remains
exactly the same.
Narratives concerning martial arts,
tea
ceremony, wabi sabi or
tai chi merge together and you recognise messages and themes inherent in all
things.
Here
In order to find mushin you simply need to be here and now. Nowhere else.
At any given time, nothing else in the universe matters more than what you
are doing right now.
The cars outside, the neighbours, the music, the humming of the computer,
the smell of food are all part of the moment, and you are nowhere but here.
It is all happening at once and you are totally immersed in it.
The
prayer of the monk is not perfect until he no longer recognizes himself or
the fact that he is praying.
(St Anthony)
Page created
11 September 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023
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