“The ‘moment’ has no yesterday or tomorrow. It is not a result of thought and therefore has no time.” Bruce Lee, Striking Thoughts, p.9
A phrase that I consistently hear while training in the dojo is: “don’t think”. But why is this? What is gained by no thought? And why is such a simple proposition so difficult to achieve?
I have noticed that the more I train, and the more familiar I become with the movement of my body and of my opponent, the less I need to consider what I am doing. That is, the technique seems to flow more naturally. When under attack, if I feel uncertain, am practicing a technique that I am unfamiliar with, or Uke presents a truly spirited attack, panic sets in. The mind looks for solutions, the body freezes, time seems to be gone and I have already been struck. Or I rush in to the attack, forgetting timing and inevitably trying to force the technique upon my attacker. In essence, I become “shut off” from the experience, and totally lose my Centre.
However, there have been some moments (which with training should become more frequent), with familiar techniques, where Uke has attacked and I have felt that I had all the time in the world to execute the technique.. I don’t think – it just happens. There is something mysterious and inherently beautiful about these moments.
In his essay Within and Beyond You, Don Webb purports that a sense of slower time produces calmness; the speeding of time produces anxiety. Martial training reveals that this phenomenon works in both directions – calmness seems to slow time, and anxiety speeds time up.
In his book The Zen Way to Martial Arts, Taisen Deshimaru claims that “it is a blessing of Martial Arts and of Zen that they permit mitigation if not a transformation of time.” (p. 4). Time seems to move differently when the entirety of our being moves as one (true Centre). It is as if a secret veil between our selves and the workings of the universe lifts from before our eyes. Martial magic (jutsu) begins to reveal its secrets.
Deshimaru (p. 32) advises that “there can be no thought, because if there is a thought there is a time of thought and that means a flaw.” It is time that reveals weakness in our opponent – and in our self. Wait long enough, and an opening in the opponents armor will reveal itself. Similarly, it is with time that our own weaknesses will be revealed.
However, once an opponent commits to their attack, there is no time to think, only to act. One motion can mean death: and that one brief moment will determine the outcome. How to respond in that moment is why the warrior commits to vigorous and persistent training. The response needs be accurate, effective, and to occur with lightening speed, as if a reflex. If that ‘reflex’ action should not be truly centered the Warrior risks revealing a weakness that could mean the difference between living and dying.
Part of our martial training is in training the body, the mind and the Spirit to ACT rather than REACT. Through repetition we teach ourselves, for example, to instinctively and move our feet. The 'fight or flight' responses of humans do not pass through the neocortex: they exist in the spine and in the more primitive parts of the brain, therefore bypassing rational thought. (Biological Psychology, p. 348). This means that a response to a threat can occur incredibly quickly. Repetition and training can help the martial artist to ensure that their instinctual response will be a skilled one. Through training, “faster performance becomes possible because feedback control loops have less impact” Biological Psychology p. 328. Movements become more ‘instinctual’ and less intellectual. We begin to move with spirit rather than with emotions.
Perhaps the state of mushin allows a sense of ‘timelessness’ that provides space for us to perceive the universe in new ways. When we are not limited by our thoughts we are free to perceive so much more. Grand Master Tesshu said “If your mind is empty, it reflects the distortions and shadows’ present in others’ minds. In swordsmanship no-mind allows us to see the perfect place to strike; in daily life it enables us to see into another’s heart.” Found in: The Sword of No-Sword: Life of the Grand Master Warrior Tesshu, John Stevens (p.28)
Such abundance of time and space is surely to be conducive to a calm state – even when under attack.
The goal of martial training is to have the body, mind and spirit move as one: perfect Centre. When we achieve perfect centre, we achieve Mushin. To achieve Mushin is to live in the moment.
Perhaps then, the way to Mushin is to live in the moment?
I am barely a beginner. I have spent so much time in class so desperate to understand; questioning “How is it so?” “Why is it so?” I could not help but to intellectualize what I was doing. After all this time, after all the Teachers’ repeated instruction “don’t think!” I have suddenly come to a revolutionary idea:
Don’t think.
Don’t think. Don’t talk on the mat. Practice, practice, practice. Experience the moment with the fullness of my being.
I have all the time in the world.
