Mushin

**Mushin** (無心, "*No Mind*") is an ascended state of consciousness achieved through Martial Arts mastery. While it usually refers to the level reached by martial artists at a certain point of their training in which they are able to set aside emotions, thoughts, and desires in order to fight in an entirely natural manner; adapting and responding to not only the opponent but also to their surroundings without the need for thought nor intention. In Martial Arts Dance it refers to the level where the dancer learns to go with the flow and thus no longer requires the use of music.

## Overview

As its name suggests, Mushin is a state of no-mindedness. It refers to a heart completely untethered by thoughts or concerns, allowing them to act without hesitation and move in such a way that it becomes a natural response to any situation. One essentially empties their heart so as to accept whatever comes their way, though it cannot be done without first developing a strong heart; otherwise, one risks losing themselves to the current of the world or even their opponent's own flow. The body moves in a way that is natural to the situation and acts on opportunities based on the dancer's own intuition without needing to rely on forethought nor on the hesitation that arises from emotions such as anger or fear. By always existing in this flowing state of no-mindedness, emptying the heart so that it remains open to everything, the dancer can respond to any threat without needing to make a plan or even consider what action is needed, for their body has acted.

It can be said that Mushin is the culmination of mastering Martial Arts Dance to its ultimate level, producing a natural method of striking and responding based on mastered movement of the body and control of the mind. The reason martial arts dancers require the use of music in order to utilize their technique is because the beat of the music acts as a timing mechanism. It gives them a reference by which to operate and without it, their timing slips. Not much, but when you're reading someone's rhythm that is trying to mask it, that little bit of slip is all that is needed to render the technique useless. Thus the easiest way to defeat a martial arts dancer is to deprive them of their music.

This weakness can be overcome by utilizing the beat of the planet itself in place of the music. A master of Martial Arts Dance is able to feel vibrations through the ground and can predict an opponents movement based on those vibrations. As they feel the "beat" in the ground, their body will react naturally and move them out of harms way and such. This allows them to dodge attacks they can't even see by normal means.

This is why mastery of Mubyoushi is necessary to invoke Mushin. Because the aspects of self are always working in concert, the body itself can be seen as a mind all its own, making judgments by itself in the same way the martial artist would have done with their own mind, yet without needing for the need of the sensations of the body traveling all the way to the mind to make those judgments. When such a phenomena is possible, it enables the martial artist to theoretically bypass their own limits and continuously evolve without end.

The Mushin is generally attained through an awakening. After a dancer achieves the sufficient level of skill needed to invoke Mushin, it is typically achieved during an instance of nearing death during training; whether in combat or through meditation, in which one willingly dives into the abyss between life and death in order to push through their limits as a living entity. It is like picturing the flow of souls as a river and diving into the water. One must manage to 'swim' down that 'river' by not resisting its flow but by moving together with it, thus emptying themselves as individuals in order to accept the river's flow. In the same sense, the dance opens themselves to the flow of the "beat" during battle, responding in this natural way just like swimming down a river by going with the current.