Mastery—what is the truest form of the mastery of the martial and spiritual arts? Many call themselves masters but then…

“Yagyu Munenori, the famous master of the sword and instructor to the Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu, was once approached by a samurai who asked to be accepted as a student. Munenori was puzzled as he felt the man facing him to be a skilled swordsman, and so he asked the samurai to tell him what style he belonged to and the name of his teacher. The samurai replied that he had never studied swordsmanship. Munenori responded sharply, insisting that the man must have already mastered the sword.

Faced with the warrior’s persistent denials, Munenori asked him if he had mastered anything. The man paused for a moment and then answered: ‘When I was a child I realized that a samurai should never fear death, and from that time I have made an effort to deal with that problem. Now I have no fear of death.’

Munenori smiled and said: ‘The essence of the art of the sword is to be free of the fear of death. Of all my students, no one has really grasped this. You do not need to train; you have already mastered the art.’” (Samurai, pg.27)

Fudoshin and mu-shin, mastery encoded within two words, both with an ocean of meaning and understanding, this is the immovable mind of no mind. The highest level of martial and spiritual skill is only attainable through a mind that is present with total sensory input (without mind chatter - no mind) but detached—a mind/heart that is ever flowing but does not attach and thus remains immovable.

This concept, the immovable mind of no mind, is seldom acknowledged and/or applied in our current, supposedly advanced, era of separation and ecological destruction. Without a spirit rooted in the oneness of heart/mind/body, our concept remains an interesting foreign exercise in intellectual musings that rings with the hidden hollowness of ones words and actions, which in all ways reveals a lack of respect for self and others.

The Immovable Wisdom King - Fudō Myō-ō;

Achieving, and then living and breathing, the immovable mind of no mind is no easy path being that it is so complex, yet it is as simple as a strand of DNA. There are many esoteric exercises and practices that will birth and grow our concept. And many are connected with the aspects of death and re-birth by achieving a fearless spirit so that there is no worrying about death. But let me leave you with one simple method—honor and respect—something so lacking in our society, from the lack of respect for nature as being an equal part of the love and light of creation to the lack of respect from a student to a teacher. Respect yourself and respect others and all living things. Respect that yourself and others make mistakes, honor and respect the ant that ‘walks’ in front of your foot, and honor and respect the life and death and life that awaits each one of us.

The Last Samurai, Spirit of the Martial Artist, White Mountain Martial Art, Hakusan Dojo, Holy Warrior, Warrior Sage, Warrior Sage Training