The word mushin ‘no-mind’ contains two kanji characters; mu, 無, translating as ‘no’ or ‘nothingness’1and the character shin which we’ve already familiarised ourselves with during the exploration of shoshin (meaning ‘heart’, ‘mind’ or ‘spirit’) last week.
Peter Harvey, a Buddhist Studies academic, describes mushin in the following words:
“In Zen practice, when mindfulness reaches high intensity, it is seen as so taken up with its object that is not aware of itself, and bears nothing else in mind, so it is “no-recollection”. There is no separation of subject and object, and there is no awareness of the immediately prior moment of consciousness. In the state of no-thought, the mind does not try to cloud reality by conceptualising it.”2
Although on a surface mushin seems like it is simply happening on its own (and in a way it is), it still requires full engagement with the present moment.
The state of mushin can be experienced during meditation practices, but it can also be attained while engaging in daily life, and the creative act. Artists in the state of no-thought are still aware of their environment (since this is not a trance-like state) but their minds are spontaneous, direct and free-flowing, not restricted by their thoughts. Mushin is not a passive state but rather a conscious, active states, that happens when experiencing experience directly before the cognitive, intellectual process takes place.
Mushin vs Flow State
Mushin is often compared to a “flow state,” where action and awareness merge in high-performance situations. However, as we have seen, mushin is explicitly described as “no-thought,” meaning the mind does not conceptualise or interpret reality, allowing experience to arise before intellectual processing. In contrast, flow states still involve problem solving, pattern recognition, and quick thinking.
Additionally while mushin originates in Zen Buddhist practice and carries a deeper intention of dissolving duality (self vs. world) and experiencing reality directly, flow state is typically associated with optimal performance.
Perhaps is may be helpful think of flow state as peak doing, while mushin represents being-in-action, without a thinker behind it.
Mushin in Everyday Life
As you may already sense, practicing mushin in everyday life is less about trying to achieve a special state and more about dissolving habits that get in the way of direct experience.
In ordinary life, this may look like experimenting with daily tasks and doing something without judging the outcome and without improving, correcting, or optimising mid-action.
You may also try creating short moments where action happens instantly, like catching something without hesitation, taking a photograph without thinking about the composition or responding in conversation without rehearsing (this could be particularly for my fellow autistic friends, wink wink :-D).
This Week’s Practice1
Before starting the practice choose four small objects that can be held in your palm. Objects should represent various textures. Put them in a bowl or a little basket
Before you begin, assume a relax but alert meditation posture. As a way of arriving, you can focus on the sounds around you, sensations in the body or breath for a few moments.
With your eyes closed pick up one of the objects. Feel every part of the object but avoid trying to identify it. When your thoughts arise, acknowledge them, let go and return to the object. Allow yourself to really feel it without a narrative.
After a few minutes return the object to the bowl and pick up another object and connect with it all over again. Notice the texture, temperature, the way it feels in your hand. You may wish to simply hold it or move it between your fingers. Don’t overthink it.
You will notice that this practice helps you to develop the ability to experience the objects directly, without the need to identify them. We are developing the ability to just, see, just hear, just smell, just see a thought without a need to give it name or identity.
As always looking forward to hearing about your experiences :-)
With care, Kasia
Inspired by Zen Rōshji John Daido Loori
Thank you for that nice article! After reading, I grabbed onto the pine cone on my living room table that I totally forgot about since I've put it there last autumn. The texture was very pleasing (...damn, I've put a label on it!) and all I could think of was the nice day I've collected that pine cone with my wife (oops, mission mushin failed)...
...I wrote this comment without hesitation and correcting though ;)