Karate Essence, ‘Ethical Philosophy’, Mushin/Mind Without Mind
- tdmckinnon0
- 2 days ago
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Karate Essence
Ethical Philosophy
無心
Mushin: Mind Without Mind
By T.D. McKinnon Hanshi Photograph & Editing by Zoё Lake
Mushin: the term is a shortened form of, ‘Mushin no shin’ (無心の心). This Zen expression means, basically, ‘mind without mind’; referring to the state of ‘no-mindness’, or the state of mind that is not fixed, not cluttered by thoughts (anticipation or concerns about which techniques et cetera) or emotion (anger, fear or excitement), and therefore will not get in the way of the self as it acts and reacts according to its training and exactitudes – in combat or in any part of life where much preparation has been undertaken.
Table of Contents
A Zen State of Mind
Doubt is the Backstabber
Have no Doubt, your Mushin has your Back
A Personal Account of Mushin’s Benefits
Conclusion
A Zen State of Mind
Mushin is achieved when a karateka’s mind is free of random thoughts, free of anger, free of fear, and particularly free of ego during combat and or other facets of life. When Mushin is achieved during combat there is an absence of loose or rambling thoughts, leaving the practitioner free to act and react without hesitation according to all of the study and training that has brought the Budōka/karateka to this place on the path. Relying on, not what you think should be your next move, but on what your trained, instinctive, subconscious reaction directs you to do.
This Zen mind state is just one of the esoteric accoutrements which complement the consummate, experienced and well-practiced martial artist. Legendary Zen master Takuan Sōhō is reputed to have said:
“The mind must always be in the state of flow, for when it stops anywhere that means the flow is interrupted and it is this interruption that is injurious to the well-being of the mind. In the case of the swordsman, it could mean death. When the swordsman faces an opponent, he is not to think of himself, his opponent, or of his enemy's sword movements. He just stands with his sword which, forgetful of all technique, is ready only to follow the dictates of the subconscious. The swordsman deletes his rational mind from the situation as the wielder of the sword. When he strikes, it is not the man but the sword in the hand of the man's subconscious that strikes.”
Doubt is the Backstabber
Belief is the ally of the highly trained Budōka, karateka, soldier, police officer, or high-risk security operative. Belief is the supporter of Mushin; doubt, on the other hand, is the infiltrator, the ripple in the flow, the enemy of Mushin that could cause your downfall. Mushin will save your life in the worst case scenario. However, make sure you have put in enough time, training and dedication to dispel any doubts; because doubt can destroy your Mushin. In that worst case scenario mentioned, doubt is the backstabber that could get you killed.
Have no Doubt, Your Mushin has your Back
Although it is difficult for the inexperienced, inept or novice instructor or kata judge to identify; Mushin can be and must be demonstrated during the performance of kata. Without Mushin, kata becomes just a sequence of moves strung together in a kind of karate dance. When practising kata, practice allowing your Mushin to dictate the pace, timing and intent of the technics in your kata.
Like many of the esoteric concepts utilised in the martial arts, Mushin is by no means exclusive to the martial arts. Mushin, in Japanese, or Wuxin, in Chinese, could be termed as a light, Zen, meditative state, which is recognised and utilised by all manner of the various arts, for example painters, actors, singers, dancers, sculptors, poets, writers, and many more. Also, outside the arts, I won’t even try to list all of the professions that benefit from the state of mind we (Budōka or karateka) attribute to the acquisition of Mushin; however, surgeons, pilots and racing car drivers would be on that list.
A Personal Account of Mushin’s Benefits
Those of you who are regulars to my Blog-post, or have read ‘A Budōka Odyssey’, my latest release, will know of my 30 year background in high-risk security as a Bodyguard and a Bouncer. The following is a personal account of an incident from the 1990s:
"It’s a Saturday night and I’ve been working here at the Workies’ Club for three months; the club is as busy as I’ve seen it in that time. On function nights, apart from myself, Roy and Dennis, the Security Manager, there are usually two or three extra security on, supplied by a local security firm. Tonight there is a celebration after a cup final win, as well as the Saturday night disco in the auditorium and there are six security personnel in total.
Bang! Bang! Bang! I can hear banging over the music and the pokey machine noises. There are several rows of pokey machines in the centre of the main bar area and, with a quick check, I find several footy player types, large and aggressive, standing around a pokey machine watching another of their number, who looks like a front rower, thumping the machine.
Dennis is at the front desk, Roy is on a break, I can’t see any of the three private security guards, and so I guess it’s all on me at this point.
“Guys!... What are you doing?!”
“This f***ing machine ain’t paying up!” says the guy who was doing the bashing.
“Take it easy, and I’ll get the manager,” I say, quite reasonably… I can understand the frustration of putting money in these things and then have them not pay up if you get a winning combination; theoretically anyway. I’d never actually waste my money or my time on such an endeavour.
“F***ing thing!” says the guy, punching the machine again.
“Hey!... Step away from the machine!”
The guy turns on me, angrily, “And what the f**k are you going to do if I don’t?!”
“I’ll be forced to evict you.”
“Yeah!... I’d like to see you f*****g try!” he says, aggressively, stepping toward me, while his associates encircle me.
I know that it’s going to be on, and I know that I’m in the worst possible position; and I also know that these guys have been waiting, since I first began at the club, for just such an opportunity to have me in the centre of the pack.
'True fearlessness is a spiritual quality that the Budōka acquires through the acquisition of Zanshin, Mushin, Shoshin, Fudoshin and Senshin. Together, the five spirits, or five minds are also known as the ‘Mantle’, the seamless, shining armour of the spiritual warrior.
Each has a part to play, for instance: Fudoshin: the 'immovable mind' has met all challenges of life, and has attained a state of complete composure and fearlessness. Fudoshin represents a peaceful state of total determination, and is associated with a feeling of invincibility, of a mind that cannot be disturbed by surprise, fear, doubt or confusion; however, without Mushin to store all the learned knowledge and training there would be doubt, and remember that doubt weakens the Mantle.'
Standing there, with the pack forming around me, I feel no fear. In a situation like this, firstly, there is not a lot of time for a battle plan and, secondly, it is an evolving situation with only one possible course of action: to completely trust that you are prepared for whatever might occur and the belief that you will react in the appropriate manner.
The front rower flinches in a way that I know precedes a powerhouse right hand; instinctively, firing off my own lightning fast right hand… I beat him to the punch!
However, as I’m executing the punch I feel my head being jerked back and to my left, effectively, causing me to miscue. I’ve been bushwhacked! Instead of striking sharply and squarely, on the corner of his jaw, with the two leading knuckles, I hit him on the right hand side of his forehead with my pinkie knuckle. And although I still hit him hard, it’s less so, and I can feel the knuckle break. It’s the same knuckle I broke all those years ago at the Beacon Inn in Scotland. There’s no time to analyse this, of course, but it registers in my subconscious for future analysis.
Aware that someone is trying to yank me around by my hair, and needing to move out from the centre of the onslaught of punches, I swing my left arm backwards, over my head, simultaneously, spinning left. Completing the spin, I have the bushwhacker’s right arm locked, against his elbow, held tight in the crook of my arm, while smashing him with an empi, my right elbow, across his jawline.
Throwing the semiconscious bushwhacker at the legs of one of his charging teammates, I mae geri chudan, front-kicking him to the solar plexus, folding him in two, and follow through with an oi-tsuki, a right hand lunge punch; this time hitting with the two leading knuckles to the point of his chin and he drops like a stone. However, the explosion of pain from the broken pinkie knuckle is excruciating.
It’s at his point I realise that Dennis, Roy and the other security guards have joined the fray, and we have actually cut a swathe through the footy team.
What I hadn’t seen was my team hitting the action at a run. One of the regulars had seen the adverse situation formulating and had run to the front desk to tell Dennis.
Hearing Dennis and the three rent-a-guards stampeding past the staffroom, Roy had almost beaten them to the scene, coming a close second to Dennis.
The first to arrive, Dennis dropped the first guy – who was taking a swing at me from behind – with a technique he called ‘a straight arm bar’ to the back of the neck. Then, kicking another of the footy players in the balls, he cleaned him up with an uppercut.
Roy hit one of the footy hooligans with a running straight right, cleaning him up, and then shouting to the rent-a-guards, “Throw these b**t**ds out!” indicating that he meant the growing number of wounded, semi-conscious, and unconscious footy crew.
There was one other thing… As we unwound at the end of the night with a couple of staff drinks, and talked about the evening’s experiences, Dennis said, with a wry smile, “You might want to rethink the pony tail, Tom.”
It was the very first time that it had proven to be a problem and I had to agree with him; I had a broken pinkie knuckle courtesy of my pony tail, actually it was a top knot, but the sentiments are the same.
So… much as the injury I received from not wearing a groin guard, one night, made sure that it never happened again; in the future, and while I chose to work in the high risk security industry, I would keep my hair short.
Conclusion
So, to conclude, for the advanced Budōka/karateka, all of the training, all of the drills, and all of the countless repetitions of all the various computations of combinations that the practitioner has performed over the months, years and decades are like money in the bank. The more you put in the less you have to worry about the actual combat or having enough to get you through those adverse situations. All you have to do is ‘trust’ that you have enough in the bank.
Operating on that level, to maintain that amount of belief, you must be confident that you have done more than enough to be ready for anything that might occur. Having complete trust in your skill-set, you do not have to think about exactly what it is that you will do; you just have to know that you will react to whatever occurs, in the most appropriate way, at that moment of necessity. That is Mushin.
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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