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Warrior Mind What is the warrior mind? In some cultures, warriors worked themselves into a frenzy before combat. And, although this would create fierce determined fighters, they would not have the full use of all of their faculties. In Eastern cultures, Zen principles often exerted a powerful influence on the warrior class. Through their training, warriors would attempt to attain a determined yet highly perceptive frame of mind. In fact, a warrior would strive for a heightened sense of perception. The Zen ideal was to try to attain the original mind; one free of the deceptions of ego. However, in attempting to describe the path to the original mind, we are faced with contradiction upon contradiction. To even try to attain the original mind begins with a contradiction; we must not desire to be desireless for then we are already desiring something. These contradictions exist because there is a mind that moves us and a mind that paralyzes us. This is what Timothy Galway refers to as self-I and seIf-2 in his inner game books. Whenever we speak of the mind, we have difficulty, as words are inadequate to explain the mind or state of mind. But it is usually accepted that there are particular states during any endeavor, physical or mental, which, when attained, enable us to operate at our maximum potential. In the martial arts, it is vital to be able to operate within this realm. For years martial artists have tried to explain this state but the explanation often adds to the confusion. This mind state is variously called a 'mind like water' or a 'mind like the moon'. These phrases are an attempt to explain a mind state in which the martial artist has a clear mind undisturbed by whatever confronts him. The word for mind in Japanese is kokoro. And yet even this is confusing because this word can also he translated as heart or spirit. Clearly, if we cannot even define what the mind is, we will have even greater difficulty defining mind states to a person who has not experienced what is being described.. D.T. Suzuki in 'Zen and Japanese Culture' explains it thus, "The point is to realize that all that is expressible by symbols or letters is secondary, that they are no more than mere tracks." In the end, through training and understanding, warriors achieve a certain mind set, one that seems contradictory to many, and yet is not when understood. The warrior mind should be clear. It should be able to perceive without distraction. It should be relaxed though alert. The mind should be determined yet unconcerned. The mind and the body should be in complete unity; in fact, there should not be a distinction between mind and body. |
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