Muga no kyochi

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Ever hear the term, ‘mushin?’ How about, ‘muga mushin?’ Muga-mushin [無我無心] is a state of mind whereby the adept martial artists is able to allow the mind, body and spirit to work in a unified manner as wholeheartedly as one. It is explained in modern times as, “Present moment mind.” Is this the ideal state of mind of a martial artist and karate-ka who faces a threat or is deluged with a flurry of damaging actions of an attacker? 

Yes, muga-mushin is also believed to train the mind and enter a mind-set and mind-state as explained above but it came to my attention that this may not be exactly true. I tend to think of it as the yin side where the yang side is muga-no-kyochi. 

Muga no kyochi [無我の境地] concentrating while continuing to maintain an awareness of all that is going on around you. Awareness of a phenomenon is not the same as responding to that phenomenon. 

When trained to hold both muga-mushin and kyochi the mind is present as in the moment yet it is at a heightened state of awareness that allows the practitioner to remain alert to what surrounds them and act accordingly. The body to achieve results must remain in a state of positive relaxation where adrenal effects of stress-conditions is reduced to its lowest effect possible so that actions of body can remain at optimal speed and fluidity to allow physiokinetic principles to achieve cohesive and effective proficiency to stop a threat intent on doing grave harm or even death on you, your body and your mind/spirit. 

Now, with proper training, practice and experiences along with knowledge and understanding that encodes the primal conditioned responses of the lizard brain you can achieve muga-not-mushin and muga-no-kyochi. 

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