Mushin - The mind of no mind

The final mindset of zen Buddhism I will discuss here is called “Mushin” (Pronounced moo-shin) and translates as “The mind of no mind “, “empty mind” or “mind without mind”.

The application of Mushin is to enter a state of empty mindedness when caught up in full focus on a task. It is what athletes experience when they are intensely focussed - or in the “Zone”.

“Ma” in Japanese zen Buddhism is the space between an object that in fact defines that object – it’s the space between your fingers, or the space between the branches of a tree. “Mu” though is the absence of anything. It is literally nothing. And it is the state of mind that a person attempts to obtain through the practice of meditation.

Mushin is a harder mindset to understand or manifest than any of the others I have written about. It requires a degree of dedication and competency in the activity being practiced. The difficulty is that as soon as you start to actively think or ponder your actions, you both disperse and erase the mindset of Mushin.

Mushin is about being able to attend to your task with such focus and command that your mind is empty of intrusive outside thoughts. The western equivalent of this would be called unconscious competence (the final stage in the 4 stages of competence).

Mushin requires an innate understanding of the tasks at hand, to the point where we can automatically focus on our task, without conscious effort or intrusive feelings such as anxiety or anger. Whatever task this may be, it takes a lot of practice to achieve the necessary competence to invite Mushin.

If you’ve ever cantered or galloped across a field - or focussed intently going down the centre line of a dressage arena. If you’ve ever gone after an errant cow - or cleared a course of jumps. If you did any of these activities with a determined or focussed mind, with quiet emotions, then you may have experienced a moment of the mindset of Mushin.

Mushin is a mindset that is ideal to aspire to when working with horses. Being able to work with calm content emotions and a clear mind will be a great asset when working in any capacity with a horse. But Mushin is a state of mind that one cannot actively call upon. It is a phenomenon that occurs through diligent practice, combined with relaxed and confident focus.