Abstract - Mushin and learning in and beyond budo
Recent developments in the theorization of learning reflect a degree of frustration with the limitations of Western dualism and, in particular, with its separation of mind from body. These include the appropriation of the Buddhist concept of mindfulness in Positive Psychology and the concept of flow that has been applied to thinking about athlete performance in sport. This article follows on from this work to draw on the Japanese concept of mushin that underpins the practice of traditional martial arts and other cultural practices in Japan to explore the possibilities it offers for an holistic conception of learning. Translated by Suzuki as meaning ‘no mind’ in English, mushin describes a state reached through extended periods of training in which purity of action is made possible through the elimination of the interference of the conscious mind as a state of the unity of mind body and spirit. This article concludes by suggesting that the concept of mushin offers a new way of conceptualizing learning in and through sport that supports more holistic thinking about it.