Mushin
Mushin ( Japanese 無心 ; Chinese: wúxīn ) refers to a state of mind that very experienced martial artists can enter during a fight. The term is an abbreviation of mushin no shin , a Zen term that can be translated as "consciousness without consciousness".
The state of mushin is achieved when a person does not experience anger, fear or self-awareness during a fight. Consciousness in this state is empty and does not fixate on neither external nor internal thoughts, emotions, feelings. This leads the brain to act like a member of the same rank in the body and transmits what it feels to reactions. Fighter acts or reacts without hesitation. In this state he trusts his intuition rather than what his opponent's next move might be. The mind works very quickly in this state, but with no particular intent or goal.
It often takes several years of training to achieve this state. This requires that combinations of movements and techniques be repeated thousands of times each and every time with high awareness, wit and quality. If you then learn to switch off consciousness, the body reacts spontaneously and applies the learned technique without delay.
Takuan Sōhō describes this state as follows:
- “ The mind must always be in a state of flux, because when it stops, that flow is interrupted and that interruption is bad for the welfare of the mind. For a swordsman this means death. When a swordsman faces his opponent, he must not think of the opponent, not of himself, or of the movements of the opponent's sword. He just stands there with his sword, which - regardless of all techniques - is only ready to follow the instructions of the subconscious. He is no longer the bearer of the sword. If he strikes, it is not him but the sword in the hand of the man's subconscious that strikes. "
Mushin cannot only be reached during combat. Many martial artists, especially those of the Japanese martial arts such as Aikido or Iaijutsu , train in order to achieve this state of mind while performing katas so that the movements can be executed flawlessly. Once this goal has been achieved, an attempt can be made to attain the same level of consciousness in other aspects of life.
Mushin is very closely related to other states of mind such as Heijoshin, in which complete balance and harmony is achieved through mental discipline. Musashi Miyamoto , a famous samurai , is often quoted in Japanese folklore about these states of mind. Mushin and Heijoshin are closely related to the teachings of Buddhism , especially the teachings of Zen.