Karate Essence ‘Ethical Philosophy’, Fudoshin/Unshakable Heart
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Karate Essence
Ethical Philosophy
Fudoshin/Unshakable Heart
By T.D. McKinnon Hanshi Photographs & Editing by Zoё Lake
Fudoshin (不動心): Indomitable, incorruptible… it is the achievement of a clear and determined mind, and having a spirit that is centred. Fudoshin can be translated as the ‘immovable mind’ or ‘unshakable heart’.
Table of Contents
Internal tranquillity
Fudo Myōō
Shikai
Fudoshin
The Peaceful Warrior
Conclusion
Internal Tranquillity
It is composure under pressure. It is a state of having an unwavering will; a spirit undeterred by obstacles in the chosen path. It is a state of commitment coupled with fearless determination. With Fudoshin, one can maintain a state of mind unmoved by distractions: internal tranquillity in the midst of external conflict, if you will. Fudoshin is the manifestation of fortitude, and has its origins in the guardian deity, Fudo Myōō.
Fudo Myōō
Fudo Myōō is a guardian deity in Shingon (True Word) Buddhism (真言宗 Shingon-shū). Shingon Buddhism is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vadjrabohi and Amoghavajra. Fudo Myōō, a patron of martial arts, is portrayed carrying a sword in his right hand (symbolically) to cut through delusions and ignorance, and a rope in his left hand (again symbolically) to bind evil forces and violent or uncontrolled passions and or emotions.
Shikai
Fudoshin serves as a shield of the heart. In Japan, there is a concept of Shikai: the four sicknesses of the mind that a Budoka must avoid at all costs:
1. Kyo: surprise
2. Ku: fear
3. Gi: doubt
4. Waku: confusion
Kyo:
If you are surprised, time stops for you. You may actually stop moving, hold your breath even, while your mind catches-up with what is happening around you. With Kyo, one’s concentration is broken. In that split-second of broken concentration, defeat is upon you.
Ku:
With fear comes a distorted sense of reality: the attacker may seem bigger, stronger and more fearsome than they really are. Fear may have one mentally defeated before the conflict begins; and there is no chance of victory when one’s mind is already defeated.
Gi :
Doubting your expertise is fatal in a martial situation. The way to safeguard against doubt is through incessant training. Doubt is the back-stabber of belief. One cannot respond to an assault properly when there is a lack of conviction stemming from a mind that doubts. Indecision will cause your defeat.
Waku:
Mental confusion stems from a lack of focus, the mind wonders and tries to consider too many things; movements become unrefined, timing suffers, and reactions are stifled. A lack of focus allows one to be surprised. Surprise may cause fear, and fear sows the seeds of doubt; confusion soon follows, and to be confused is to be overwhelmed.
The Peaceful Warrior
In Feudal Japan, Fudoshin was manifest in the Samurai: in his unquestionable courage and determination, without fear in the face of danger, pain and even death. As the great Japanese swordsman, Tsukahara Bokuden said, "Mental calmness, not skill, is the sign of a mature Samurai.”
From a Western point of view, the idea of violence coupled with a peaceful and calm mind is difficult to comprehend. The concept of a Warrior (Samurai, Bushi) without anger or rage, a peaceful warrior, if you will, would seem to be an oxymoron. However, it was this state of mind that was the essence of the Samurai. Fudoshin is an imperturbable state of equanimity, and an essential philosophical dimension to the martial arts.
Fudoshin
Fudoshin is the 'immovable mind': the mind that has met all challenges of life, and has attained a state of complete composure and fearlessness. This state of equanimity is essential to the Budoka, the accomplished, lifelong martial artist.
Fudoshin represents a peaceful state of total determination and unshakable will. It is the state of a spirit that is filled with courage and endurance and is determined to win. Fudoshin is associated with a feeling of invincibility, of a mind that cannot be disturbed by surprise, fear, doubt or confusion.
A Personal Experience of Fudoshin
The following account is from the 1970s in Scotland, and when Fudoshin really became a solid part of my Budōka experience:
I have just finished work at The Beacon Inn, which has become more and more popular and is the busiest little pub/restaurant/disco night spot for miles. I’m leaving the premises with three friends; Jimmy Barrie my fellow bouncer and star student; Billy Boyd, a fellow Karate Union of Scotland (KUS) team mate, and Jim Bell, fellow KUS team mate and current 1977 Scottish Blackbelt Open Champion.
“Let’s see how much o’ a big-man y’ur the’noo!” Standing in front of me are the same two young thugs I knocked out and evicted the previous Friday; however, this time they have a relative army backing them up. It turns out that they are brothers and part of a gang from a neighbouring district. That gang of young hoods are now, literally, filling the venue’s small carpark. Quite obviously there is no avoiding the coming conflict, and so…
Crack! Crack!! I knock out the two brothers, again, in the same way! (A straight left right, pinpointing the corner of both their chins) And then, of course, it’s on…
The following ten minutes or so is a bit of a blur… with a couple of clear snapshots in time and space:
‘I’m defending myself against several young hoods when I feel, rather than hear, someone moving in fast behind me and I spin around with a fully loaded hammer fist… “Tam it’s me!!!” only to find Billy Boyd, coming to my assistance. I manage to stop before impacting the corner of his jaw.
At another point I hear a plaintive, “Tam!” as my name is called, desperately… Jim Bell is being dragged by his long, blonde hair over a car bonnet, where six individuals are attempting to pin him down, while punching him relentlessly.
Jim is one of the best one-on-one, Karate fighters I have ever known… but this is not anything like a clean, one-on-one situation with everyone fighting fair. Hair pulling, for instance, is frowned upon in any combat ‘sport’. This is an all-in brawl; in fact, it’s more like all-out war!
Jim’s dire straits are occurring just a few yards from me but, as I rush to his aid, two of his assailants step between me and my frantic friend. Snap kicking one of them in the family jewels and then kicking the other’s leading leg away so hard that he drops heavily on his head on the tarmacadam forecourt, I dispense with both of them in short order. Dragging two of the others off by their hair, and hurling them to the floor in the process, Jim is able to regain his freedom and wreak havoc on the remaining two young hoods.
By the time the police arrive there are bodies lying between and under cars, draped over car bonnets, and several young hoods are running down the street, simply trying to escape the bloody mayhem of that car park. It turns out there are twenty seven sad, sorry young hoods, in various dishevelled and injured states.
As for me and my associates… a few scrapes and grazes are our only injuries; nothing that a little iodine can’t fix. Oh, and I somehow managed to tear the crotch of my pants open, front to back, belt to belt.
Conclusion
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) wrote, “Mankind is divided into three classes: those who move, those who are movable, and those who are immovable.”
I have read that ‘inside the mind of everyone is an honest, courageous, good person.’ However, that has not been my experience… I have encountered those persons, but in my experience they are few and far between. Something needs to occur before that person comes forth. There needs to be a catalyst, everyone is different, and I’m not sure what form that catalyst might take. I do know that it was always inside of me, and that I have always been on the quest; the Budōka quest.
On a personal level, if I set my mind on something, I do not allow anything to shake my belief in myself and my ability to reach the goal I have set. ‘Nothing will stand in my way.’ That unshakable resolve is Fudoshin.
Depending on the Budoka or karateka’s end-game (what they hope to achieve, their goals, their purpose in life et cetera); of all the esoteric terms adopted by the martial arts fraternity, the acquisition of Fudoshin is probably the most difficult, and perhaps the most important concept to master. It is definitely the most pivotal philosophical or mental dimension, at least to the Japanese martial arts, and which contributes, immeasurably, to the effectiveness of the advanced practitioner.
Thank You to the Readers
As always, thank you for following the ‘Karate Essence’ and I hope you are taking value from the 2026, ‘Ethical Philosophy’ Blog posts.
Thank you also for continuing to support my latest book, ‘A Budōka Odyssey’. The reviews continue to be excellent!
Top reviews from Australia
Reviewed in Australia on 8 April 2025
Verified Purchase
This book is easy to read in short or long sessions - such an inspirational life story of an amazing guy. Well worth the read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed in Australia on 28 May 2024
Written by a man who has lived the life of a modern warrior. His ability to recognise the lessons and gifts in any situation and the having the humility to seek out those who can help you better yourself are important traits we should all endeavour to achieve not just in our own martial arts’ odyssey but in life.
Top reviews from the United Kingdom
Carl Slee
5.0 out of 5 stars
‘A Fascinating Book’
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 October 2024
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A fascinating book, and not just for those interested in martial arts. Although if you are, this is one of those rare books that will help in not just the development of karate skills but in the facilitation of those psychological states (rarely discussed) of the true karateka.
From early childhood to the present day, Shihan McKinnon shares his adventures as, Truant, Soldier, Nightclub bouncer and Bodyguard as well as Business man but always as a fighter. And in this book he shares with us the ‘gifts’ and ‘Lessons’ that come from such a ‘life worth lived’.
A rare book, in that I found myself re-reading pages, chapters or passages over and over to further understand how such insights related to my own life. And this is the ‘gift’ of this book, I think that each person, whatever gender, age or interest will find something at some point within it, that is very personal and that will reverberate for them, long after reading.
Thank you Shihan
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 July 2024
I have to say that I found this book to be compulsive reading. For someone who was born and raised in the West of Scotland I was immediately drawn to T.D. McKinnon’s Scottish roots. He writes in such a concise and realistic manner. As someone with no knowledge of karate and martial arts, I have nevertheless found the main themes of the book easy to follow and this has made me review experiences drawn from my own life. The concept of ‘gifts and lessons’ applies to all life, not just karate. I would recommend this book to anyone, particularly those who are deeply involved in a sport of any kind, and who is striving to be the best person they can be. Read, learn and enjoy.
Thank you for this book, T.D. McKinnon.
Top review from the United States
Minimal shopper
5.1 out of 5 stars
‘A Fine Man Shares a Life of Budō’
Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2024
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At over 500 pages there is a lot of content in this autobiographical journey. A quick overview is as follows:
Author Shihan TD McKinnon has had ALOT of fights in his life; starting under the age of 6! He tells the narrative of his life through all those fights and what he learned about himself and life along the way. I appreciate that he doesn’t make self-defense fighting seem glamorous and one sided. He talks about injuries, dangers, and making alternate choices to physical violence as a reality.
This book emphasizes lessons like ‘never quit’, ‘move on to the next venture’, ‘stay in the moment and learn what you can along the way’. I recommend it for young and old, karate people and non-karate folks. He carries the journey into today with a very relevant subject - training and aging. Take it on your next plane trip, or beach vacation. And if you’re a karate instructor, you can work it into your teaching.
This book does not disappoint!
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