States of Mind

The Five States of Mind in Budo are:

Shoshin: (初心) Beginners’ Mind

Zanshin: (残心) Lingering Mind

Mushin: (無心) No Mind

Fudoshin: (不動心) Immovable Mind

Senshin (先心) Purified spirit; Enlightened Attitude

These very old concepts are largely ignored in modern Martial Arts. The student who takes the time to understand these lessons will mature to become a strong and competent martial artist. The student who does not take the time to know and embrace these lessons will always be lacking in their training.

Shoshin:

The state of shoshin is that of a beginners mind. It is a state of awareness that remains fully conscious, aware, and prepared to see things for the first time. The attitude of shoshin is essential to continued learning.  Morihei Ueshiba (founder of aikido) once said, “Don’t expect me to teach you. You must steal the techniques for yourselves.”  The student must play an active role in every class, seeing with a beginners mind, in order to steal each day’s lesson.

Zanshin:

The spirit of zanshin is the state of the remaining or lingering spirit. It is often described as a sustained and heightened state of awareness and mental follow-through. However, true zanshin is a state of focus or concentration before, during, and after the execution of a technique, where a link or connection between uke and nage is preserved. Zanshin is the state of mind that allows us to stay connected, not only to a single attacker, but to multiple attackers.

Mushin:

Mushin: “No mind, a mind without ego. A mind like a mirror which reflects and does not judge.”  The original term was “mushin no shin”, meaning, “mind of no mind.”  It is a state of mind without fear, anger, or anxiety.  Mushin is sometimes described by the phrase, “mizu no kokoro”, which means, “mind like water”.  The phrase is a metaphor describing the pond that clearly reflects it’s surroundings when calm, but whose images are obscured once a pebble is dropped into its waters.

Fudoshin:

An unshakable mind and an immovable spirit is the state of fudoshin. It is courage and stability displayed both mentally and physically. Rather than indicating rigid, inflexibility, fudoshin describes a condition that is not easily upset by internal thoughts or external forces. It is capable of receiving a strong attack while retaining composure and balance. 

Senshin:

Senshin is a spirit that transcends the first four states of mind. It is a spirit that protects and harmonizes the universe. Senshin is a spirit of compassion that embraces and serves all humanity and whose function is to reconcile discord in the world. It holds all life to be sacred.