Or "behave as if you were already dead." This is a mind-set of samurai of that feudal era that had a great influence on Japanese culture and beliefs. It is a mind-set that leaves the samurai with no fear for life and no fear toward life-threatening situations in duels and battles. It created a mind-set that left no room for second-guessing of their abilities as swordsman.
Why am I bringing this up on a karate oriented philosophical blog? It is because this mind-set is indicative of the mind-set a person today must achieve in training and practice if they wish to be proficient in any martially oriented system of self-protection. In karate-justu aspects if one truly believes they are already "dead (metaphorically speaking)" then they won't allow the monkey to chime in with monkey chatter that would cloud a clear mind needed to act.
Hmmm, I am not conveying this thought well so let me try a bit more. Karate-justu requies one to believe that in a fight, in combat under predatory attacks that they are already done, they have nothing to lose, nothing to give up and no possible fault in their ability - a mind-set that does not allow for kinks in the mental and physical armor and weapons. They must have developed "no-fear" of the attack, the attacker or the method of attack. It is a present moment type mental ability that allows nothing to interfere but what is happening in the moment and the application of your instinctual ability to act according to the situation in lieu of thinking, contemplating or allowing mental monkey chatter to enter into your mind - a blank mind as a open conduit for training to be used to combat the situation.
If you are a professional as I am learning to understand one it actually means your already dead when you enter into harm's way. Your life before that moment does not exist. There is no loss. There is nothing but that moment so your mind and body do what is needed to get the job done. Your mind-set must know that has no room for second-guessing your ability. You trained properly and you confidence is unquestionable. No doubt, no second-guessing and no monkey-mind chatter. Just action, just act and just getting the job done.
I feel that this post is not getting the idea aptly across so I will simply state, let it spur you on to investigation of this concept of feudal Japan samurai way. The Japanese are the second greatest industrial force in the world and it is this type of mind-set that got them there. It is not a literal fear of physical death but rather death of the business, etc. Can't we incorporate that mind-set in our practice? Do you have this mind-set? Isn't this the mind-set of our greatest athletes?
In closing, "Mushin (moo-sheen), meaning no-mind - a state of mind that refers to acting without artifices, without illusions, without being influenced by subjective thinking." - Michihiro Matsumoto on Musashi Miyamoto
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