Mizu no Kokoro,

“A mind like water”

Mizu no Kokoro, a mind like water. A phrase often repeated in martial arts training. But what does it really mean? And what, possibly, are other interpretations of the phrase? And, does this relate to our Dojo motto, , Gai Juu Nai Gou – “Gentle on the Outside,Strong on the Inside.” That is what we will explore in this discussion.

 

The most often used interpretation is ‘stillness or calmness’, as that of a pond of still water. Nothing disturbs it; it can reflect as clear as a mirror. This view is used to train a martial arts practitioner to remain calm in the midst of the chaos of combat. Or, outside of the dojo, in the chaos of daily life, or while under ‘attack’ at the office, or the like. And this is indeed a worthy interpretation and goal of martial arts training. While the mind is calm, it can assess, determine a plan of action and execute it. It is not constrained by outside influences, but recognizes them as being outside. To quote, “You must control your own mind. If you don’t, someone else will.” So often in our encounters, be they physical attacks or verbal attacks (that may be leading to physical attacks), we allow the outsider to influence our response to a degree that renders that response, shall we say, less than useful? Sometimes our response is wholly inappropriate, either too little or too much. For example, a predator may attempt to confuse a potential victim by offering statements that are designed to confuse the situation with one that appears harmless. If your mind is distracted, the ‘water’ roiled by other outside influences, a cell phone for instance, you may not process the outside threat clearly enough to respond. Or a young police officer may allow his mind to be controlled by the taunting of a suspect or bystander, and respond with force beyond the actual threat. In the dojo for training, one becomes distracted by a technique that ‘doesn’t work’ exactly like the instructor demonstrated it and may keep trying the same thing over and over (not a good plan in any encounter outside of training), or get frustrated and either quit or possibly get angry and maybe even injure their training partner. So a mind like still water is indeed to be cultivated.

I want to call your attention to a website that I found particularly interesting in considering ‘Mizu no Kokoro’. It is the work of Vincent Cooper, a ‘life coach’, where he discusses several concepts relating especially to the ‘calm mind’ – the page is at http://www.trans4mind.com/counterpoint/index-esoteric/cooper3.shtml. In it Cooper discusses how water reacts ‘appropriately’, using the analogy of a rock thrown into the still pond causing ripples; ripples ‘appropriate’ to the force and size of the rock. And just as importantly how the ripples diminish as they spread, returning to the calm, still surface. This is the essence of this aspect of a mind like water. It is steady, but reacts; reactive, but returns to stillness. Cooper discusses a view watching a master of martial arts. He describes the master’s actions as almost childlike, undisturbed in mind, the actions unconscious.

Cooper also discusses another of water’s aspects, that of ‘formlessness’, we’ll go into that a little later, and with a slightly different twist added, I think, but now let’s borrow another famous quote, but only part of it. We’ll get to the rest of the quote in time. “Water can flow or it can crash. Be like water, my friend.” Certainly in modern martial arts, and modern culture probably, the last part of that quote (and the first part we’ll get to later) is one of the most recognized phrases around. It is, of course, from Bruce Lee, well-known as a martial artist (and movie star, don’t forget). This aspect of a mind like water deals with the physical attributes of water itself, and the analogue of martial arts, both technique and mental.

Water is one of the great shapers of the physical world. Indeed it is necessary for our life itself. But it, as Lee says, can flow or crash. Borrowing some of the Asian elements, Earth, Wind, Fire, Water (leaving out Wood for the day), let’s discuss the position of Water. From a martial arts perspective we could say (broadly of course) that Fire techniques would be dramatic, direct, aggressive, Earth techniques, immovable, solid, able to absorb and contain, Wind techniques flowing, fast, feinting, moving, but, ah Water… Water among all the physical elements is the most adaptable in form, able to change easily (reasonably) between physical forms. It can be a solid in ice, a liquid, or even, given enough heat, a vapor. Outside of the ice form, water embodies some of the most cherished principles of Aikido, flowing around force, ‘disappearing’ before force. And yet, I said water is one of the great ‘shapers’ of the physical world. And it is, or can be, in all of its forms. As the liquid form, water can move boulders, erode channels in earth, bury a landscape and move across it with the terrifying, relentless momentum and force of a tsunami. As steam, water can explode a vessel if contained too weakly. And, as ice, water can crack granite. These aspects pertain to the mind like water as well. In our training in Aikido we often focus on the flowing, not opposing, aspect, both mentally and in our physical techniques. But, Aikido has its ‘ice’ mode, immovable by the outside force… until we choose. And when the ‘ice dam’ breaks… Mentally, we must be prepared to flow from one technique. Not allowing ourselves to become so focused on trying to get this one thing to work that we can’t see an opportunity open up when this one fails. As in Aikido, so in life. “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”, Hellen Keller. And, of the other attributes, the force aspect must come into play at times. Even in Aikido there are techniques in which the attackers force is ‘overridden’ by the defenders. Mentally we must make that leap that “we must, we can, we will.” It may be that what we have to overcome, indeed most often, is ourselves. “We don’t want to” or “it’s too hard” or whatever excuse comes to our hand. Either push that boulder on with the mind like crashing water or flow around it. But move; a still pond can stagnate if water doesn’t flow in and out and even ice flows.

The last aspect of a mind like water I want to talk about is discussed in Cooper’s dissertation and in the more famous part of Lee’s quote,

“Empty your mind. Be formless. Shapeless. Like Water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. If you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. If you put water into a teapot, it becomes the teapot.”

The interpretation of this saying is most often about adaptability, or flexibility. Cooper discusses it in terms of dealing with events that happen to us without trying to force outcomes. Lee mentions elsewhere about the flexibility of the bamboo and willow in meeting force. The ability to bend, but not break. Again, back to the concept of the ripples moving through the still water, but not transforming the water. And the water returning to rest. This, I think is the best interpretation of this aspect and I like the way Cooper expresses it (and his meditation on it). But that is dealt with very well in other sources. Here I would like to discuss a slightly different view of this aspect of a mind like water.

Many times I have had students with other martial arts training or experiences. I have also trained here and there with practitioners of other arts. I once had a potential student confide that he wanted ten ‘black belts’… In different martial arts… Before he was thirty years old. I asked him how old he was, and he said, “Twenty-one.” I thought about trying to explain how much time was a reasonable time to actually learn an art to the ‘black belt’ level… But decided to allow him to find reality when he came to class. (he never did) But his problem is not the one that I wish to address here. More it is two-fold. One is the problem of ‘not invented here’ or ‘mine’s better’n yours’, which should be dismissed summarily by a quote from another Aikido instructor, “Not better, just different.” The other is somewhat of the nature of “what do you do with training that isn’t ‘your’ art?”… that is, whatever art you are studying at a specific time. Clearly, when one is training in an art, one must ‘put aside’ other training in order to learn, to absorb, the current art. Most martial arts students are familiar with the tale of the young man requesting a studentship with a martial arts master and the teacup, but for others I will recall it here.

A young man approached a master to become his student and the teacher invited him to take tea and explain why he should take him as student. As the teacher prepared the tea, the student recounted all of the other training he had taken and the various masters he had studied with. As the student continued to extol his experiences, the teacher began filling the student’s teacup… to the top and overflowing it into the student’s lap. As the student jumped up from the table, he exclaimed “Look! Why have you done this?” The teacher replied, “Before I can teach you anything, you must ’empty your cup.'”

But, what if the other training has value? And ‘good’ training almost always has value. (I leave the definition of ‘good’ to you) Here, I believe, the ‘formless, shapeless’ aspect of a mind like water can come into play. Let me picture it like this. A master glass blower can create a multitude of shapes of ‘vessels’ in glass. Let us envision that the craftsman has created them with bases so that they can stand upright and that all have open tops. Now let us join them at various levels with open glass tubes. As one fills the vessels with water they will eventually reach an equilibrium with the level of water the same height in all the vessels. Before that they may have various levels and can flow between connected vessels when the level reaches the attached pipe. Unless one stoppers the interconnection there will be some flow between the vessels – the water will seamlessly fill all of them at some point. With a mind like water there is no need to totally discard one training for another. They all will have their places; they can all serve, if only to make the student aware of more things… Or more ‘options’. In time, with careful consideration, as the water reaches the appropriate levels, pouring ‘more water’ in any of the vessels will increase the volume in all.

Lastly, (and briefly, I’m sure you’ll be glad to hear) let me relate some of this to our Dojo motto, , Gai Juu Nai Gou – “Gentle on the Outside, Strong on the Inside.” Present a calm, unruffled surface to the world, flowing around obstacles, moving them gently if possible to where you need them (or they need) to be. But be confident enough in yourself, your training, your skills, mental and physical, strong enough to deal with the situation from strength if necessary, enough strength, but no more. Once the boulder has been moved from the path of the water, the water doesn’t continue to slam into it… the water moves on. Advice we give to our Law Enforcement students and that has been proven ‘on the street’ more than once.

Thank you for staying with me through this thought journey. I hope that it gives you a trailhead to begin a new trek along your journey. Have a mind like water, my friend.