Attaining Mushin John Douvillier "Learning and knowledge are meant to be 'forgotten,' and it is only when this is truly realized that one attains mushin ('Wu Wei' in Mandrin or 'Mo Wai' in Cantonese). However well one may be trained in his or her art, whatever that art may be, (s)he can never be the master of his/her technical knowledge unless all his/her psychical hindrances are removed and (s)he can keep the mind in the state of emptiness (mu), purged even of whatever technique (s)he has obtained. The entire body together with the four limbs will then be capable of displaying for the first time and to its full extent all the art acquired by the training of several years. The body will move as if automatically, with no conscious effort on the part of the artist... All the training is there, but the mind (shin) is utterly unconscious of it. The mind does not know where it is, or care. With all training thrown to the winds, with a mind perfectly unaware of its own workings, with the self vanished into the void, the art attains its perfection and the one who has it is called a 'mei-jin.' The master (the meijin), is a technician whose ability goes far beyond that of simple physical expertise. His/her essence is a spiritual one. Self-perfection is the salient characteristic; beyond the "doing and seeking" levels of training. The meijin is a living example of an ordered, disciplined life (The life of Jesus is a perfect example). He or she continues to make great demands upon himself and never omits daily training. The meijin possesses 'fudoshin', or an "immovable mind," a mental state that enables him/her to meet any situation with composure. Circumstances which produce shock in ordinary men fail to register on the master's prevailing outward calm and attest to the depth of his state of mind. Any action of the meijin reflects the dominance of his mind over his body in the controlled efficiency of his movements. His movements bear the quality of "accident": he does things in such a way that it is as though they happen accidentally. Such a quality cannot be gained through analysis, mimicry or an assumed attitude of expediency; it is entirely due to the spontaneous functioning of the self, beyond fear. In the "Go Rin No Sho" (Book of Five Rings) Miyamoto Musashi described this in the "Ni To Ichi" way of strategy, recorded in the Fifth Book of the Void. "What is called the spirit of the void is where there is nothing. It is not included in man's knowledge. Of course, the void is nothingness. By knowing things that exist, you can know that which does not exist. That is the void." Do not think that those things which you do not understand is the void. This is not the true void. Think of things in a wide sense and, taking the void as the way, you will see the Way as void. "In the void is virtue, and no evil. Wisdom has existence, principle has existence, the Way has existence, spirit is nothingness." A story to help you see: Miyamoto Musashi once accepted an invitation by the Kumamoto daimyo to come to his castle and train an elite corps of samurai to become the daimyo's personal retainers. So great was the daimyo's respect for Musashi that he had all of his samurai - several hundred of them -form a processional line on both sides of the street, extending from the castle gates to the town. As Musashi strode between the two columns of men, each bowed reverently at his passage. But, as Musashi's keen eye detected, even these elite samurai averted their gaze from his bold stare. Only one among them seemed not to be intimated by Musashi's mere countenance. When Musashi finally reached the daimyo and his counselors, the daimyo asked if any of his samurai had particularly impressed Musashi, perhaps testing to see if Musashi could discern his most skillful swordsmen at just a passing glance. Musashi led the daimyo back to the one man who had not cast his eyes down as Musashi passed. "This man!" Musashi announced. "I don't understand." the daimyo blustered, "He has little training and only modest rank. In fact, his main duty is stonecutting for the castle." "This may be so," Musashi answered, "But he is your best trained samurai." Turning to the man, Musashi asked him, "Tell me, how do you train that you have no fear of death?" "I hardly train at all," the samurai humbly admitted, "When I go to bed each night, I simply unsheathe my sword and hang it above my face by a slender thread. Then I lie down beneath it and gaze up at its point until I fall asleep." "This is indeed your best trained samurai," Musashi told the daimyo, with a knowing smile. "He alone of all your men faces death every day, for he knows that it would take little for that tiny thread to break and end his life. I will train this man to be your personal bodyguard."