What is Mu Shin?
In Japanese martial arts the training of the mind has always been at least as important as the training of the body - if not more so. One of the reasons for practising mental control is that an uncluttered mind will quicken your reaction time. When faced with an attack the most salient factor tends to be the speed with which you recognise and respond. At a basic level of competence, reaction to attack is simply a conditioned reflex, but at higher levels of martial arts this is not as desirable as it may seem. The beginner may think being able to "react without thinking" shows the highest level of attainment. No so. If people are trained to react reflexively in a certain way this can very easily be turned to their disadvantage. Do not fix your mind on things as they are not always as they seem. Skill in self-defence is not gained by slavish mechanic repetition. Technique has its place, but so too does instinct. The true expert must always be ready to adapt at a fraction of a second's notice.
Mu-Shin, a Japanese concept, means "no mind". That does not mean "mindless", rather that when you enter a state of mu-shin you are void of thought, you have no emotion, no expectations or anticipation. The idea behind this is that you leave your mind and let your body do what it has been trained to do. It is essential not to be too tense since this can inhibit movement, nor so relaxed that you become careless, dreamy or sloppy. In practice this means you retain an awareness of a situation at least on a moral and ethical level. You want to be in control of yourself.
Mu-Shin is something to strive for in your martial arts training. It is not easily attained. Once mastered, it can be applied in all aspects of living, to great advantage.