Tag Archives: kendo calm mind

What does it mean to have an empty/calm mind? I have considered this question many times. I have related the empty mind to being in a state of fudoshin translated to mean a state of mind when one is not preoccupied with anything. The empty mind is fudoshin and more, it is your center. Being centered is the quiet place, without being compelled by fear, or desire. From the vantage point of your center or the empty mind we perform at our most absolute best physically. Fudoshin along with the physical mastery or what is called mushin, fudoshin and mushin in its highest level is the combination that allows us to perform perfectly. Without question the empty mind is a total awareness, it is a point where one does not search for meaning but one simply experiences the moment. Each of us must travel the same kendo path eventually rediscovering what others have come to understand.