How Can We Practice Mushin (No-Mind)?
I’d like to build on my previous blog, Mushin (No-Mind) as a Trainable Practice, with some practical ways of noticing our normal mental habits and starting to experience mushin.
One reason that addressing the habit of mental activity is difficult is because it’s so deeply ingrained. We’ve become so used to the feeling of thinking that we self-identify with it. We think, “I feel this way all the time. This must be me.” So, I’d like to take stock of the physical sensations associated with the thoughts in our heads (more than the thought content). What do you feel right now?
I have a few typical ways that I physically experience thoughts. First, my brain can feel like it has a muscular texture - like it’s doing work, flexing, and holding tension around thoughts. When I notice that, I can usually let it go. Second, it can feel like there are arrows pointing inwards and causing pressure build-up in my head. Third, the thoughts can feel like they’re swirling and floating around. One student aptly described this as a “buzzing bee” inside her head.
Many have noticed the connection between physical activity and thoughts, where the mind calms as energy moves and the body tires. I’ve also noticed that the experience inside my head varies from day to day – one day it’s clear, another cloudy. In fact, I notice a relationship between the weather and how my head feels. I wonder if you notice something similar? This kind of variation in the quality of our daily experience is as natural as the weather.
Next, I’d like to present several different approaches to practicing mushin (no-mind) in your own body. Most of the cues have been collected from other teachers, and some I’ve found myself. I’ve categorized the approaches based on how I think they’re working. Because individual results vary, please take your time to experiment and see which works best for you.
Hara (physical)
In our tradition, the entry point is the body - posture and breathing. We emphasize breathing into the hara (lower abdomen), which is our center, seat of intuition (kan), and energy source. Mushin is intimately tied to hara, which we can rely on in the absence of thinking. Hara development exercises are critical at all training stages, but especially in the beginning. Some of the best physical exercises to build mushin are hojo walk, martial arts, okyo (sound), or somatic practices that enable relaxation of the musculature around the hara so that the breathing can drop (e.g., Hanna Somatics or deep bodywork).
These activities are critically necessary, but also take time to develop. So, I want to talk about complimentary entry points to mushin right now, wherever you are. Basically, I’m highlighting another type of tool besides your breath and posture – it gets described as “concentration,” “awareness,” or “our senses.” Usually, we give far less instruction in this area than about breath and posture, letting people discover for themselves, which can take years. I have found people can access these kinds of tools earlier than commonly acknowledged. Continued attention to breath and posture is still fundamental and necessary to make a lasting shift.
Kiai (energy)
Kiai can be felt as a subtle swirling or sense of running water through the body. The working principle is: Where your awareness goes, energy flows. Most beginners don’t start with a felt-sense of kiai but can understand if instructed to extend energy through their arm and out their fingers like a firehose. Or, they can sense gravity and the associated feeling of weight in the body.
A basic exercise here is just paying attention underneath your feet (or your seat). Feel gravity in the body. This can be referred to as grounding.
Another exercise (naikan) comes from our great Zen patriarch Hakuin. After breathing in, exhale through hundreds of imaginary nose holes on your feet, legs, and lower back.
Thoughts have weight to them. One cue is to let gravity pull thoughts out of the head and into the lower body. A related exercise (nanso) from Zen Master Hakuin is to imagine a lump of soft butter on top of the head that slowly melts, softening and nourishing the body as it runs down.
Relaxed focus (concentration)
The basic cue for “relaxed focus” is to see 180 degrees. When we start training, this cue is a revelation. But, potency can wane as the mind reverts to unconscious multitasking of focus between outside and inside worlds. Sometimes, we’re 70% outward and 30% inward; other times, we’re 10% outward and 90% inward; and it constantly changes. Greene Roshi gave a helpful description: “When my senses are working full blast, not a lot is happening in my head. If I’m full of thoughts, my senses shut down, and I’m in the world in my head.”
Building on the basic cue of seeing 180 degrees, try incorporating, “If I’m seeing both walls, I’m not thinking thoughts.” Or, even try seeing 360 degrees (both walls, ceiling, and floor). You need to relax your face to see like this.
Relax the face (forehead, eyebrows, and eyes) and “focus 100% outwards (none inside).” The eyes slide forward a bit in the sockets. Have the felt-sense of the eyes as windows: “Open the windows and air it out up there.” You can even try zazen with your eyes wide open (instead of half-shut, which is our usual instruction).
A classic is using your hearing as a primary sense. Human vision is so good that it dampens the other senses, most importantly listening. In the Surangama Sutra, paying 100% attention to sound is described as the most efficient path to samadhi (state of relaxed concentration of no self) and ultimately kensho (seeing the True Self).
Another favorite came from Kushner Roshi as a correction for how to retrieve arrows from the kyudo (archery) range. He didn’t like how I was walking down range and not paying attention to activities in the kyudo dojo. He shouted, “See out the back of your head!” In my experience, this cue gives a big feeling and is effective in most circumstances.
Watch frame of mind (awareness)
In The Work of Koan Training, Tanouye Roshi gave instructions for listening to teisho (Zen talk) as follows. You’ve got to do two things at once: (1) use your breath and posture to attain a level of samadhi, and (2) watch your frame of mind (observe samadhi). These instructions are broadly relevant for daily life.
The principle here is a specific way of observing a relatively calm mind, cultivated through breath and posture. No action – just awareness. When I observe the mind, there’s often a tingling sensation in my brain (similar to the sensation generated by ASMR videos. Note: Watching these videos won’t help you practice mushin!).
Of the tools I described, I discovered this way last. An easier access point may be: “Think thoughts and watch what happens.” Thinking on command is actually difficult. This cue is nonspecific enough that usually there’s nothing to hang onto. No thoughts come. You end up watching an empty mind.
Exercises
One of the first demonstrations of mushin (no-mind) that I received was passing a ball back and forth through the air. You can try tossing a ball up in the air and catching it. What happens in your mind right before you catch the ball?
Watch a video of me thinking thoughts versus focusing 100% outwards. What do you observe about me in both conditions? What do you notice in your own body as I shift focus?
Try each of the different mushin cues described above while standing. Which one or two are the most effective for you? Make a note, so you can remember and practice.
Using your new cue, try walking around your house or outside. Remember the words that helped me: “Do you need to think to walk around like that?”
Using your new cue, try sorting silverware from the dishwasher into the drawer where you may store it in an organizer tray. Or, you can dump it on the counter, mix it up, and practice sorting it into piles in mushin. How is the result different from your normal experience? What other activities can you approach in no-thought?
In our daily lives, we spend so much time resisting actually being here-now. Each of us was born with an eagerness for new goodies. As a result, we reject our present mundane experience and distract ourselves with the more interesting stories in our heads or the goodies on our mobile phones. If you approach your daily activities in mushin, you may find that the everyday world becomes shiny and full of new wonders. This is a readily available experience. But, you must regularly practice the physicality of mushin to be able to access it when needed.
