Please take a look at Articles on self-defense/conflict/violence for introductions to the references found in the bibliography page.

Please take a look at my bibliography if you do not see a proper reference to a post.

Please take a look at my Notable Quotes

Hey, Attention on Deck!

Hey, NOTHING here is PERSONAL, get over it - Teach Me and I will Learn!


When you begin to feel like you are a tough guy, a warrior, a master of the martial arts or that you have lived a tough life, just take a moment and get some perspective with the following:


I've stopped knives that were coming to disembowel me

I've clawed for my gun while bullets ripped past me

I've dodged as someone tried to put an ax in my skull

I've fought screaming steel and left rubber on the road to avoid death

I've clawed broken glass out of my body after their opening attack failed

I've spit blood and body parts and broke strangle holds before gouging eyes

I've charged into fires, fought through blizzards and run from tornados

I've survived being hunted by gangs, killers and contract killers

The streets were my home, I hunted in the night and was hunted in turn


Please don't brag to me that you're a survivor because someone hit you. And don't tell me how 'tough' you are because of your training. As much as I've been through I know people who have survived much, much worse. - Marc MacYoung

WARNING, CAVEAT AND NOTE

The postings on this blog are my interpretation of readings, studies and experiences therefore errors and omissions are mine and mine alone. The content surrounding the extracts of books, see bibliography on this blog site, are also mine and mine alone therefore errors and omissions are also mine and mine alone and therefore why I highly recommended one read, study, research and fact find the material for clarity. My effort here is self-clarity toward a fuller understanding of the subject matter. See the bibliography for information on the books. Please make note that this article/post is my personal analysis of the subject and the information used was chosen or picked by me. It is not an analysis piece because it lacks complete and comprehensive research, it was not adequately and completely investigated and it is not balanced, i.e., it is my personal view without the views of others including subject experts, etc. Look at this as “Infotainment rather then expert research.” This is an opinion/editorial article/post meant to persuade the reader to think, decide and accept or reject my premise. It is an attempt to cause change or reinforce attitudes, beliefs and values as they apply to martial arts and/or self-defense. It is merely a commentary on the subject in the particular article presented.


Note: I will endevor to provide a bibliography and italicize any direct quotes from the materials I use for this blog. If there are mistakes, errors, and/or omissions, I take full responsibility for them as they are mine and mine alone. If you find any mistakes, errors, and/or omissions please comment and let me know along with the correct information and/or sources.



“What you are reading right now is a blog. It’s written and posted by me, because I want to. I get no financial remuneration for writing it. I don’t have to meet anyone’s criteria in order to post it. Not only I don’t have an employer or publisher, but I’m not even constrained by having to please an audience. If people won’t like it, they won’t read it, but I won’t lose anything by it. Provided I don’t break any laws (libel, incitement to violence, etc.), I can post whatever I want. This means that I can write openly and honestly, however controversial my opinions may be. It also means that I could write total bullshit; there is no quality control. I could be biased. I could be insane. I could be trolling. … not all sources are equivalent, and all sources have their pros and cons. These needs to be taken into account when evaluating information, and all information should be evaluated.” - God’s Bastard, Sourcing Sources (this applies to this and other blogs by me as well; if you follow the idea's, advice or information you are on your own, don't come crying to me, it is all on you do do the work to make sure it works for you!)



“You should prepare yourself to dedicate at least five or six years to your training and practice to understand the philosophy and physiokinetics of martial arts and karate so that you can understand the true spirit of everything and dedicate your mind, body and spirit to the discipline of the art.” - cejames (note: you are on your own, make sure you get expert hands-on guidance in all things martial and self-defense)



“All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I should not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed.” - Montaigne


I am not a leading authority on any one discipline that I write about and teach, it is my hope and wish that with all the subjects I have studied it provides me an advantage point that I offer in as clear and cohesive writings as possible in introducing the matters in my materials. I hope to serve as one who inspires direction in the practitioner so they can go on to discover greater teachers and professionals that will build on this fundamental foundation. Find the authorities and synthesize a wholehearted and holistic concept, perception and belief that will not drive your practices but rather inspire them to evolve, grow and prosper. My efforts are born of those who are more experienced and knowledgable than I. I hope you find that path! See the bibliography I provide for an initial list of experts, professionals and masters of the subjects.

Mushin: The State of Mind (Another Concept)

Blog Article/Post Caveat (Read First Please: Click the Link)

“The Japanese term Mushin [無心: innocence ; insentient (incapable of feeling or understanding things; inanimate [not alive; show not sign of life; lifeless]); free from obstructive thoughts; to pester someone] is a shortened version of the Zen expression "mushin no shin" which translates as "the mind without mind" or "no-mind-ness." This means a fully awake and aware mind not fixed or occupied by emotion or thought (implying the eyes or any other sensory input also not fixed or occupied on any specific awareness, action or target).” - Christopher Caile, Mushin: The State of Mind posted on FightingArts.com

AND

“Mushin thus implies a state of mental clarity, awareness and enhanced perception (sensory and intuitive) known as pure mind, produced by the absence of conscious thought, ideas, judgments, emotion (fear and anxiety), pre-conception, or self-consciousness. It is a state of total awareness and reaction not impeded by higher mental function or emotion, a mind more open and reactive to subtle sensory input, intuition and spontaneous action. It is a mind that is totally calm -- a mind not influenced or caught up in events or others emotion, thus a mind more able to freely perceive and respond.” - Christopher Caile, Mushin: The State of Mind posted on FightingArts.com

You probably already know that Caile Sensei’s articles have inspired many karate-ka and you can imagine that your practice and training have absorbed many concepts posed in Caile Sensei’s articles. Sooner or later because words and thoughts and beliefs matter to you a great deal that one day the concept is going to change. Today I pose a change in regard to the concept of, “Mushin.” 

Let me be so bold as to provide you a resource that if you read and study it, then you too will allow some concepts such as mushin evolve into a more effective concept. 

To perform what many believe is mushin, many people therefore assume that one has to remove and become without feeling, i.e., without the obstacle of emotional interference. It is said in the first paragraph above, “This means a fully awake and aware mind not fixed or occupied by emotion or thought.” 

The reference is: Barret, Lisa Feldman. “How Emotions are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain.” Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing. March 7, 2017.

I have a vast library collected over the years of study, training, practice and application of my martial discipline, karate of Okinawa (Isshinryu). Over the years many of those publications have held top honors in my list of the best of the best until today. I have placed this reference at the very top of the top of the top simply because it speaks to many concepts that are taught and practices and studied in martial disciplines be they art or simply “jutsu.” 

This recommendation and on a publication that is not directly, somewhat indirectly tho, about and on and a martial art/karate oriented book. Yet, the more I study its meaning, the more I find it of benefit and especially of benefit to the karate-ka and martial artist who truly seeks out enlightenment. 

First, in order to be alive our emotions are the driving force of our evolution and survival even in the iTech Revolution in which we live today. There is just not an app for this … yet. It is literally impossible to live and act as a human being without emotion or thought. What makes us human and what makes our minds sentient is a process whereby perceptions and concepts are formed and stored by words and actions of others in our environment and that means thinking, feeling, experiencing then creating the concepts that make the skills that allow us to function. We would not exist if not for our minds, our emotions and the teachings and experiences that our sensory systems are exposed to from the moment of conception to babyhood to childhood to teen years to adulthood to senior years to the final breath at deaths gate. 

We don’t want to achieve being fully awake because people today go through life awake yet unaware. If one wants to create a inspiration to others then say that Mushin means to be fully aware and informed while understanding with focus that is not disturbed, distracted and frozen by our emotions and external random thoughts. Note: It needs more work and you can imagine how it is more effective because it addresses the reality of how our brains work in the manufacture of our perceptions to beliefs to the very reality of our individual worlds. 

What actually happens if you are only awake, define awake, and aware, define aware in the situation and moment, not fixed in emotion or thought, then you realize you are nothing and because of that nothing you are unaware and subject to inability to take action. In short, this type of inaccurate words and thinking leads to “the freeze” of mind, body and spirit. 

In order to fully understand this concept, one of many concepts, you have to allow that words, word patterns and the accuracy of their meaning drives how we create concepts in relation to our own experiences both past and present moment along with our current concepts in order to create and believe and apply a proper concept that will allow actions of an appropriate nature for that present moment. 

Take another look at the definition found on the term mushin: The Japanese term Mushin [無心: innocence ; insentient (incapable of feeling or understanding things; inanimate [not alive; show not sign of life; lifeless]); free from obstructive thoughts; to pester someone]

Take special note that part of the definition is about being incapable, not alive, showing no signs of life and lifeless. There is a hint within the defining words that create concepts in our minds all leading toward the creation of our reality and those words are not conducive to the actions necessary to make martial practices and applications work. 

Words matter AND word patterns matter AND definitions of words matter AND learning effective, appropriate and well defined words matter AND  learning effective, appropriate and well defined and understood word patterns matter! 


  Bibliography (Click the link)

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