The desire to win transformed into virtue

I have often been puzzled by the seemingly contradiction of trying to rid oneself of the desire to win in order to obtain mushin, and how do you win without the intense desire to win? Mushin and Fudoshin are both a Buddhist, Zen tradition. The most famous zen master was the priest Takuan Soho, notable for his great wisdom and his famous followers. Takuan states in his writings that “without desire, nothing can be achieved” and “If you act on the basis of the unwavering right-mind, the energy of desire is transformed into the right energy. It is no longer called desire, it is named gi. GI is virtue.” gi means duty. Takuan goes on to say “If you shun desire and become like a rock or a piece of wood you can do nothing. With the help of the energy of desire one can transform desire (yoku) into no desire (mu-yoku). This is the true way.” Takuan’s words explain the samurai notion of the desire to win based on gi and not on greed or selfishness (material riches, or fame).