Mushin

Mushin (无心; Chinese: Wuxin ) denotes a state of mind in the very experienced martial artists can move during a fight. The term is an abbreviation of mushin no shin, a Zen concept, which can be translated as " consciousness without awareness," dar. meant by that is an open mind for everything that is exempt from both thoughts and feelings.

The state of Mushin is achieved when a person during a fight neither anger, fear still feels a sense of self. Distracting thoughts will be hidden, so that the fighter can act without hesitation and respond to actions of the opponent. He trusts in this state more on intuition than on what could be the next train the opponent mentally. The mind works very fast in this state, but not a specific intentions or goals. Only after several years of training a martial artist might be able to reach the state of Mushin. This requires that combinations of movement and techniques are repeated several thousand times, so that they can be performed spontaneously and without conscious thought.

Takuan Soho describes this state as follows:

Mushin can not be achieved only during the fight. Many martial artists, especially those of Japanese martial arts such as Aikido or Iaijutsu, exercise to attain this state of mind during the execution of katas, so that a flawless execution of movements is possible. If this target is met, one can try to obtain the same level of consciousness in other aspects of life.

Mushin is very closely related to other mental states such as Heijoshin in which mental discipline through a complete balance and harmony is achieved. Miyamoto Musashi, a famous samurai, is quoted in Japanese folklore concerning these states of mind frequently. Mushin and Heijoshin are closely related to the teachings of Buddhism, especially the teachings of Zen.

Credentials

• Martial Arts ( Japan)