Zen No More

Mushin; An expression meaning 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.

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 It all started for me with traditional training in the martial art of Judo. I was very fortunate to be trained by some of the best coaches and players in the world, first at my local dojo, and eventually at the Olympic training center.

Through the elite Olympic training, and extensive contact with many international level judo players, I realized first hand that we train to overcome old habits, and the deep instinctual sub-conscious  responses brought out by fear.

Through repetitious movements and clear intention, the training eventually becomes a moving meditation that enables one to disengage the conscious mind, and overcome and re-wire old pre-set neurological pathways, creating new pathways that are able to produce a reflexive response.

This is where the martial arts and Zen merge at the highest level of skill, and becomes a selfless activity of body-mind meditation, through fluid intentional movement, which for some leads to mushin, or no-mindness.

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 The selfishness of the self, while trying to define itself through its profitability, is overcome only when we find profitability without self-profit.