Saturday, 19 July 2025

B NO MIND X Let thoughts come and go. Don’t follow them, don’t fight them. Rest in awareness itself.

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The Buddhist idea of "no-mind" (無心, wu-xin in Chinese, mushin in Japanese) is a deep and subtle teaching. It doesn’t mean having no thoughts, but rather not clinging to, identifying with, or being bound by thoughts. Here's a breakdown:


🧠 “No-Mind” ≠ Mindlessness

No-mind is not stupidity, blankness, or apathy. It’s clarity without grasping.

It's like:

“The mind functions freely, but nothing sticks.”

You still feel, think, move, act — but without the ego's interference, judgment, or resistance.


🪷 What Is “No-Mind” in Buddhism?

1. Emptiness of the Self (Anatta):
There is no fixed "me" behind thoughts or actions. Thoughts arise, pass. Feelings arise, pass.
But you are not those thoughts — and “you” can’t be found.

2. Non-Attachment to Thoughts:
Thoughts arise in awareness, like clouds in the sky.
"No-mind" is the sky — open, allowing, unmoved.

3. Zen Expression:
In Zen, "no-mind" is essential to enlightenment:

“When the mind is not dwelling on anything, the true mind appears.” – Diamond Sutra

It’s a return to beginner’s mind, fresh and responsive, not cluttered by conditioning.


🏹 Mushin in Action (Samurai & Zen)

In Japanese Zen, especially among samurai, mushin (no-mind) became crucial:

  • In battle, hesitation kills.

  • The warrior trains until technique is second nature — no thinking, no doubting, just flow.

This is like the Zen archer who:

“Draws the bow, but the arrow releases itself.”


🧘 “No-Mind” in Meditation

In practice:

  • Let thoughts come and go.

  • Don’t follow them, don’t fight them.

  • Rest in awareness itself.

Eventually, thoughts may still arise, but they no longer “hook” you. That is no-mind.


🌌 A Koan on No-Mind:

A monk asked Master Joshu, “What is the mind of a child?”

Joshu said, “A ball in a mountain stream.”

🌊 The ball has no resistance — it simply flows with life. This is the spirit of no-mind.


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SAMARPAN 


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