Literally translated, mu means “no” and shin means “mind,” “heart,” or “self,” depending on the context. I’ll often translate it as “no-mind,” but the implied meaning is “no-thought” and “no-self.” That’s a deep state.

A more common experience of mushin is that thoughts and feelings arise, but no one gets stuck. In common terms, we can describe it as: Being in the body and clear-headed. Being present. And, being a real human being.

In mushin, the separation of “self” and “other” resolves and fear disappears. True intuition takes root below the belly button, and free expression emerges reflecting that which is beyond words.

My name is Heather Meikyo Scobie. I’m an 86th-generation Zen master, Zen priest, and head of the Chosei Zen Virtual Dojo. My perspective is grounded in a Rinzai Zen tradition where the entry point is vigorous physical training, often including martial arts. The tools we use are posture, breathing, and our six senses (including awareness, which integrates the other five). 

In 2001, I began Zen training out of a painful awareness that living in the world of my head wasn’t the correct way to live as a human being. After a long road in my own Zen training, I began questioning in earnest how we might accelerate our students’ training in mushin.

In Mushin Zen Blog, I aim to share learnings and explorations on how we can practically access mushin, right now, wherever we are. My aim is to help sincere people everywhere on their path to heal the suffering of duality (body-mind, self-other, life-death). I want to clarify that I’m not promoting mind-only pursuits and can’t speak to the results of those efforts. Instead, I’m endeavoring to more fully transcend body-mind dualism by exploring how our senses, vital energy, concentration, and awareness relate to the embodied state of no-mind. Fundamental is that the human body is the site for resolving such distinctions.