Meditation is perhaps the best known direct psychological training and its benefits are widely appreciated; many people who have nothing to do with the martial arts also use meditation. The posture adopted for the traditional method of practicing meditation is known as zazen. There are many different drills through which which students are led until they are capable of meditating on their own. One classical drill involves sitting in zazen and imaging oneself on a mountain top. In front of you there is a white handkerchief covered by pebbles. The sensei tells you to empty your mind of everything and every time a thought drifts into your consciousness you should pick up a pebble and throw it away, the thought going with it. This is good training for stilling the mind. Such training greatly improves the ability both to concentrate and to identify needs and objectives more clearly.
These meditation practices, carried to the most extreme degree were at the heart of the samurai warriors' resolute acceptance of death and the code of busido, the way of the warrior.
The way of the warrior is death. This means choosing death whenever there is a choice between life and death. It means nothing more than this. It means to see things through, being resolved. Sayings like 'To die with your intention unrealised is to dies uselessly' and so on are from the weak Kyoto, Osaka Bushido. they are unresolved as to whether to keep to their original plan when faced with a choice between life and death. Every man wants to live. They theorise with staying alive kept in mind. 'The man who lives on having failed in his intention is a coward' is a heartless definition. That to die having failed is to die uselessly is a mad point of view. This is not a shameful thing, it is the most important in the way of the warrior. If you keep your spirit correct from morning to night, accustomed to the idea of death and resolved on death and consider yourself as a dead body, thus becoming one with the Way of the Warrior, you can pass through life with no possibility of failure and perform your office properly.
This was the essence of the samurai ethos and an integral, indispensable part of the warrior's training for battle. For the modern day jitsu student, who is unlikely to be a soldier it may seem less relevant, but it can help considerably in the winning of the little battles that make up daily life. Meditation helps composure and self-control and alleviates stress-; it can provide a route to the acceptance of death; it also enhances life. One of the reasons for practicing mental control is that an uncluttered mind will quicken your reaction time. When blocking any attack the most salient factor tends to be the speed with which you recognise and respond to the initial attack. At a basic level of competence, reaction to attack is simply a conditioned reflex, but in the higher echelons of the martial arts this is not as desirable as it may seem. The beginner may think that being able to react 'without even thinking' shows the highest level of attainment, however, this is not always advantageous.
If people are trained to react reflexively in a certain way this can very easily be turned to their disadvantage. Do not fix you mind on things as they are not always as they seem, skill in self-defense is not gained by slavish mechanical repetition. Technique has its place, but so too does instinct. The true expert must always be ready to adapt at a fraction of a seconds' notice. A number of terms exist describing the states of mind to which students of the martial arts aspire and which are considered to be useful and desirable for progress.
Mu-Shin Mu-Shin, or empty mind, is a mental state in which students try to cut off thought and free themselves from distractions. This stopping of the thought processes, when successful, leads to a clear mind uncluttered by irrelevant or distracting ideas. The essence of Mu-Shin is in being ready and able to react without reflection in an emergency. It is essential not to be too tense since this can inhibit movement, nor so relaxed that you become careless, dreamy or sloppy.
Isshin & Zanshin Isshin (one heart or mind) and Zanshin (remaining heart or mind) are mental states or attitudes apposite to certain circumstances. Isshin is the spirit of abandonment, of throwing yourself into whatever you are doing with no thought for success or failure. This means attacking with all your spirit, fearless of any counterattack. If the attack is good you will succeed with your intention, if not, its intensity may at least unsettle your opponent. Attacking with this spirit in training - which is akin to risking everything on a single roll of a dice - will eventually bring results. Zanshin means retaining conscious (or unconscious) awareness in the course of an action, not exactly holding back, yet being aware of possible subsequent consequences to the initial attack. It is a wider, more enduring spirit than that of isshin which is focused like a laser beam and discharged. Zanshin is the consciousness both preceding and continuing after the attack. Another state of mind in ju-jitsu is Fundoshin, or 'immovable mind', and is a state of unshakable determination and is developed through training.
Mu-ga-mu-cho; the concept of selfless and total immersion in the training process of jitsu.