Nishihira Tadashi, one of Japan's leading philosophers, introduces the deeply experiential philosophy of no-mind (mushin). In everyday Japanese, mushin is when one loses oneself in the reality of the present and becomes one with it, resulting in one's best performance. However, behind this everyday use is a concept that touches the core of Japanese spirituality.This book explores no-mind in its dynamic complexity. It is both the letting go of the calculations of mind and at the same time the arising of a vibrant consciousness in unity with reality. This gives rise to various tensions: Is it about negating or affirming self? Is stillness or activity? How does it relate with social ethics, or religious transcendence? And what is stopping no-mind from descending into mere mindlessness?These tensional facets are explored through philosophy and history of thought in Japan, from pre-Buddhist Japanese thought, to Zen Buddhism in D.T. Suzuki and Toshihiko Izutsu, to swordsmanship and Noh theater. These historical approaches are brought to the here-and-now, dialoguing with psychology, ethics, and the experiences of everyday life, and ending with two preliminary practical explorations-What does it mean to care for another and to educate from the point of view of no-mind?

Covers related concepts like innocence and Carl Jung's unconscious and no-self

Series Editor's PrefaceIntroduction1. Seeking Out the Linguistic Roots of "No-Mind"2. Dynamism and Paradox: The Schematic Diagram and Flow of this Book3. D.T. Suzuki on No-Mind: The Experience of Mushin that Founds Religion4. D.T. Suzuki's Research on the History of Zen Philosophy: Mushin in the History of Zen5. Izutsu Toshihiko's Zen Philosophy: Philosophical Considerations of the No-Mind of Zen6. Mushin in Zeami's Writings: "Not a Single Thing in Mind" and the Perfection of Theater7. Mushin in Takuan's The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom: "Not Placing the Heart-Mind Anywhere" and "One Ought to Give Rise to this Heart-Mind"8. Ishida Baigan's "The Heaven of Mushin": "The Mind that is One with All on Heaven and Earth" and Social Ethics9. Innocence, Unconscious, No-Self: The Periphery of Mushin10. Paradox and Zero-Point: The Continuous Reversals of No-MindAppendix: Fragmentary Notes on the Care of No-MindTranslator's Essay: No-Mind and Mindful Education (by Anton Sevilla-Liu)EpilogueIndex