{"id":1891,"date":"2025-02-11T15:39:40","date_gmt":"2025-02-11T06:39:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/?p=1891"},"modified":"2025-02-11T22:46:47","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T13:46:47","slug":"budo-beat-13-the-fixated-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/budobooks.jp\/?p=1891","title":{"rendered":"Budo Beat 13: The Fixated Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The \u201cBudo Beat\u201d Blog features a collection of short reflections, musings, and anecdotes on a wide range of budo topics by Professor Alex Bennett<\/a>, a seasoned budo scholar and practitioner. Dive into digestible and diverse discussions on all things budo\u2014from the philosophy and history to the practice and culture that shape the martial Way.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The beauty of budo<\/em> isn\u2019t just in the clash of steel or the discipline of training\u2014it\u2019s in the way it can sharpen how we see the world. It doesn\u2019t preach, doesn\u2019t pick sides; it simply offers a broader lens, a way to navigate the chaos without getting lost in it. And looking at the world today\u2014where certainty hardens into dogma and every side digs in like it’s a siege\u2014I keep being reminded of a teaching called shishin<\/mark><\/span><\/em>. It\u2019s a lesson in movement, in adaptability, in not letting the mind get stuck. And right now, it feels more relevant than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Yagy\u016b Munenori (1571\u20131646) was a master swordsman, strategist, and the official fencing instructor to the Tokugawa shoguns. As the head of Yagy\u016b Shinkage-ry\u016b, he wielded both the sword and the brush with equal skill, writing Heih\u014d Kadensho, a treatise blending martial technique with political insight. His teachings emphasise control\u2014not just of the blade, but of the mind\u2014where victory comes not from brute force, but from understanding movement, timing, and intent.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The concept of shishin<\/em> (\u6b62\u5fc3 = “stopping heart”) warns against fixation or attachment, urging practitioners to maintain fluidity and flexibility. It describes a state where the mind becomes stuck or attached, hindering responsiveness. Yagy\u016b Munenori, in Heih\u014d Kadensh<\/em>o<\/em> (1632), emphasises the importance of an unbound mind, stating, \u201cIf the mind stops, the sword stops.\u201d The moment one\u2019s attention latches onto a single thought\u2014whether an intent to strike, a plan to defend, or an emotional reaction\u2014it disrupts the natural flow of movement, making one predictable, vulnerable, and even stock-still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Takuan S\u014dh\u014d, the Zen master of Munenori, wrote in his famous treatise Fud\u014dchi Shinmy\u014droku<\/em> on which much of Heih\u014d Kadensho<\/em> is based,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Where do you place your mind? Do not fix it in one spot within the body\u2014rather, leave it there and abandon attachment to it. The mind does not wander elsewhere; it remains where it needs to be. Proper training is in ensuring the heart never settles in a single place. The essence lies in this: do not place the mind anywhere. If it is not attached anywhere, it is present everywhere. But if you send your mind outward and fix it in one direction, you lose awareness of the other nine. Only when the mind remains unfixed does it exist in all ten directions.<\/em>“[1]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

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Takuan S\u014dh\u014d (1573\u20131645) was a Zen monk, calligrapher, poet, and advisor to the highest echelons of samurai society, best known for his writings on the mind in combat and daily life. A sharp wit with little patience for rigidity, he famously counselled Yagy\u016b Munenori, distilling Zen philosophy into practical wisdom for warriors.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

That is to say, if your mind gets stuck on one thing, you lose awareness of everything else. Instead of trying to pin it down, let it move freely\u2014when it\u2019s not fixed anywhere, it can respond to everything. In a fight, in life, in anything, the moment you lock your focus too tightly, you create blind spots. But if you keep your mind open and adaptable, you see all possibilities at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If a martial artist fixates solely on attacking, they become oblivious to possible counters. Likewise, an excessive focus on evasion leads to hesitation, preventing them from seizing the initiative. Real skill in budo lies in maintaining a flowing awareness that does not cling to any single point, allowing for spontaneous and effective action and reaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This principle aligns closely with enzan no metsuke<\/em>\u2014\u201clooking at a distant mountain\u201d\u2014whereby one maintains a broad perspective of the whole mountain rather than being consumed by the things in front of you, ensuring clarity and flexibility. Either one in no way teaches you to forget about the small details. These are important, too. The idea is to not get bogged down in them so much that you are unmindful of the larger picture.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u9060\u5c71\u306e\u76ee\u4ed8\u3051 (“t\u014di yama<\/em>” = Enzan no metsuke<\/em>“), translates to “the gaze of a distant mountain.” It is a concept in budo where the idea is that just as one views a distant mountain, a martial artist should maintain a soft, expansive gaze rather than fixating on the opponent’s weapon or eyes. This allows one to perceive subtle movements and react appropriately without being caught off guard by feints or unexpected attacks. This is the beautiful Mount Kaimon in Kagoshima, BTW.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Shishin<\/em> in particular is a warning against both mental and physical stagnation, urging practitioners to cultivate a mind and body that moves freely, neither loitering nor hesitating, and not attaching to a single point of reference. When the mind stops, the body stops, and that leads to extinction. Everybody who has practised a martial art knows exactly what I\u2019m talking about. I think the opposite of this state is what is called \u201cbeing in the zone\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If only the mind did not loiter, There would be nothing that could not be accomplished<\/em>.”[1]<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A budo poet\u2019s way of saying: stay too long, and what once felt like freedom starts looking suspiciously like a cage. The lesson? Keep moving, keep shifting, and keep your mind as nimble as a cat avoiding a bath. This is the essence of shishin<\/em>\u2014the trap of a fixated mind. Once you let yourself completely latch onto something\u2014a place, a habit, an idea\u2014you\u2019re in danger of not seeing the bigger picture, like staring at a single brushstroke and missing the whole painting. Your world shrinks, just like when you focus too hard on a single leaf and forget the whole tree. And suddenly, your freedom to act? Gone. Your perspective? Narrowed. Your mind? A prisoner of its own obsession.<\/p>\n\n\n

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It might be a bit of a stretch, but I reckon a lot of what\u2019s wrong with the world could be put down to toxic doses of shishin<\/em>. People cling to their ideological tribes as if they were lifeboats\u2014never mind that they\u2019re already taking on water. The leftists, the rightists, the centrists, the nationalists, the globalists, the fundamentalists, the atheists, the don\u2019t-give-a-shitists\u2026 the interminable list of ‘ists’ is each convinced that their blueprint for the world isn\u2019t just correct, but is the only one worth considering. My point here is that having convictions and beliefs isn\u2019t the problem\u2014stagnation through fixation is. When we stop questioning, stop listening, and stop entertaining the possibility that we might not actually have all the answers, we become rigid in our beliefs to the extent that never the twain shall meet. This kind of unyielding rigidity, as history has shown time and again, breeds conflict. And behold, we\u2019ve entered a perpetual vicious circle<\/mark>, and we all lose.<\/p>\n\n\n

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One of the most powerful books I\u2019ve ever worked on captures this sentiment with extraordinary poignancy. It\u2019s the autobiography of a kamikaze pilot who miraculously survived the war. Through my kendo connections, I was asked to translate it from Japanese\u2014a deeply moving and eye-opening experience.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Shishin<\/em> is a trap people fall into in everyday life, whether in the boardroom, the classroom, the bedroom, or the dojo. Consider the professional who clings stubbornly to outdated methods, insisting that \u201cthis is how we\u2019ve always done it\u201d, until one day they find themself replaced by a bright-eyed intern who can automate their entire workload with a single app. Or the student so obsessed with memorising formulas that when the test demands actual thinking, they sit there blinking like a deer in the headlights. Seen plenty of them in my day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even in relationships, shishin<\/em> digs in its claws. The hopeless romantic, expecting love to come with a sweeping score and perfect lighting, might overlook the real thing because it doesn\u2019t cue the orchestra. The control-freak manager, convinced no one else can do the job right, ends up buried in paperwork while their team watches the slow-motion collapse. And the friend clutching an old grudge like a family heirloom? One day, they\u2019ll look up and realise they\u2019ve outlived their own friendships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as a martial artist stays fluid in a fight, we need to stay flexible in thought and action. The world never stops shifting, and gripping too tightly to any belief, method, or expectation only locks us in place. Real strength isn\u2019t just holding firm\u2014it\u2019s knowing when to let go. Get the balance right between conviction and a mind that moves freely, and you might just make it through without tripping over your own certainty. Lately, that lesson has been hitting me hard in my bud\u014d<\/em> training. (See Budo Beat 10<\/a>, for example.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Takuan S\u014dh\u014d, the Zen master with a serious knack for metaphors, put it best in Fud\u014dchi Shinmy\u014droku<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When a gourd is pressed on the surface of water with one hand, it immediately slips away. Try to hold it down, and it will suddenly dart to the side and never stay in one place. Likewise, the mind of an enlightened person never fixates on a single thought or object. It moves freely like a gourd drifting on water<\/em>.”<\/p>\n\n\n

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This, of course, applies to budo, but really, it\u2019s life in general. Focus only on swinging hard at your opponent\u2019s whatever, and you\u2019ll miss the counterstrike. Focus too much on dodging, and suddenly, you\u2019re right where they want you\u2014like stepping neatly into a mousetrap of your own making. The solution? Be the gourd\u2014light, fluid, always ready to shift. Because once you stop moving in body and mind, that\u2019s when you get really stuck. You become rigid, and then frigid…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a world where rigid certainty<\/mark> fuels division, and division in turn hardens certainty, a touch more fluidity wouldn\u2019t go amiss\u2014more curiosity, more adaptability, a greater willingness to see the whole forest, not just the one tree we\u2019ve grown too fond of. That\u2019s the mark of a heart that moves freely. I\u2019ll leave the final word to Takuan:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Night after night, the moon crosses the pond,
 Yet it sets not its heart, nor leaves its shadow behind<\/em>.”[3]<\/a>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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[1]<\/a> Contained in Bugei S<\/em>\u014dsho<\/em> (Rangaid\u014d, 1894)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/a> Kinoshita Toshinori, Kenp\u014d Shigoku Sh\u014dden<\/em> (Bud\u014d Sh\u014dreikai, 1914), \u201cKokoro dani todomaru koto no nakariseba<\/em>, Ikanaru mono mo sarenu koto nashi.<\/em>\u201d p. 177<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/a> \u201cIkemizu ni tsuki wa yo na yo na kayou domo, Kokoro mo tomezu kage mo yadosazu.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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