The power of the mind [Open]

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

[Topic Created]

An orange hue bathed the surrounding area with an intense glow as the giant fiery sphere began to slowly retreat behind the tall mountain tops. Without the full power of the sun the air was cold, a firm breeze quickly snapping the warmth away from any areas of exposed skin that people may have been foolish enough to leave uncovered. It was getting to the point in the day where the birds were starting to think about bed, their various calls and chirps becoming few and far between.

The breeze eagerly played with Masaru's long scarf as it twisted and squirmed behind him while he walked. His destination was one of his usual training spots, conveniently just next to the compound of his clan, as he approached the sound of trickling water could be heard from inside. The young samurai turned to the boy that was accompanying him, "This is one of the places I usually do this kind of training."<i></i> He said before leading the boy around to the back of the compound.

The pair arrived in a small open area which was slightly secluded but not completely hidden from the rest of the surroundings by several low bushes. A lone tree stood just off centre of the clearing, leaves rustling violently with each breath of wind. Masaru began to walk towards it, pulling his katana out of his belt as he went. "How well conditioned is your mind?"<i></i> He asked the boy before resting his sword against the tree.

 

[Ren]

It’s not everyday that Haru was blessed with a training buddy much less two, peer sto push him to his limits and then past them. Masaru, the samurai boy, was the perfect partner for Haru equally as intelligent and mentally mature. The other boy Haru had yet to learn about, but if he was training with Masaru he was most likely worth noting.

"This is one of the places I usually do this kind of training."

The group continued into a slightly secluded area with a lone tree near the center of the clearing. The wind continued to blow and the overcast clouds took over as the sun dropped behind the mountains, the temperature drop was almost immediate, Haru was thankful he wore long sleeves today.

"How well conditioned is your mind?"

w-well Haru stuttered I like to think my mind is conditioned well I am able to play out multiple scenarios in my head, ask and attempt to answer the hardest questions life has to offer. But why? And what did you mean this kind of training? Haru began to wrap his hands in his trademark yellow tape getting ready for the training to begin at a moments notice. Haru felt on edge, he was the newcomer the other boys had trained together before and just recently had

The other boys beside him made Haru nervous, was this going to some kind of training Haru could not endure? Masaru’s facial expressions remained the same through out their walk and he never dropped his gaze from the destination, this Masaru boy was interesting. It’s a shame our destinies are already planned out by the universe and I must escape mine, I wonder if our destinies would have ever crossed in the future.

 

[Kousaki Satoru]

Satoru followed Masaru through the streets of the Seki district. This was a neighborhood the student had rarely came about, only passing by during one or two of his courier missions, so the boy took the walk as an opportunity to look around. It was indeed a slightly more pleasant place, more quiet and seemingly more well ordered, though some would probably find it more dull than the ever more lively streets of the rest of the village. This was where most clans had their residences so Satoru figured the two were heading towards Masaru's home, or that he'd at least be able to get a glance at it while there.

The samurai didn't talk until they approached their designated spot. They soon arrived in a relatively small but clear area, surrounded by low bushes, with a single tree completing the scenery. Satoru was still looking around, studying the surroundings as the Nanjirou rested his sword by the tree and spoke.

"How well conditioned is your mind?"

Satoru thought for a few seconds about what this meant. He thought the question related to his ability to concentrate and retain information, as well as being quick-of-mind enough to absorb information and react to a situation, and possibly a number of other characteristics.

"Mm.. well I--" the boy started but stopped as he felt his words doubled by another voice. He turned his head to see somebody else answer Masaru's question. Satoru looked confused. He had never seen the black-haired boy before, who then wrapped his hands in yellow tape as he seemed to also prepare for some training. "U-um.. Is this one of your usual training partners, Masaru-san?" the student asked as he turned his head from one boy to the other, not knowing exactly how to react to the situation.


[Just keep in mind that (at least for Satoru), this is happening before the class we're currently in, Haru-san, as this is a continuation of another thread Masaru and I just finished. Just wanna avoid any awkward situations]

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

Another voice was first to answer Masaru's question, turning around he saw Haru wrapping yellow tape around his hands, "Glad you could make it Santaru-san."<i></i> He said before turning to Satoru, "This is Santaru Haru, I invited him to join me."<i></i> Masaru gestured towards the young boy he'd met today, "Santaru-san, this is Satoru-san."<i></i>

Once the introductions had been concluded Masaru turned to Haru, "That tape probably won't be necessary for what I had planned today."<i></i> Continuing he started to answer the boys questions about the training, "In terms of your answer I think everyone would like to think they can do anything exactly when they need to. You mention being able to think of multiple scenarios in your head, I'm curious, do you think you would be able to come up with multiple scenarios, choose the best one and then carry it out before I could draw my blade and get it to your throat?"<i></i> He paused for a moment, "Then how many times would I have already cut you down in the time it took you to think about it?"<i></i>

At this point Masaru remembered that he wasn't training with his clansmen and with his companions still being students he thought that maybe they wouldn't be used to this direct approach to life threatening situations yet, "Don't worry though, I have no need to test whether you could or not."<i></i> He said as he held his hands up, "None of us here would be able to manage it."<i></i>

The young samurai took a moment to survey the area underneath his feet, finding a suitable spot before kneeling down. He looked up towards the pair before continuing, "Being able to think like that is ideal when you have the luxury of time, but I think you'll find that is the first thing that an enemy would try to take away from you."<i></i> If the boys had not already joined him on the floor Masaru would gesture for them to do so.

"For that kind of reflexive decision your instincts are the only thing that is fast enough. With good training your body will already know what it needs to do, all your mind does is hold you back, over analysing and slowing you down, in the end you become predictable and sloppy. Letting your instincts guide you breaks down this barrier, you'll find that most of the time you've done what you need to do before you even know what it is."

"This state is called Mushin, it was taught to me by my elders. It's said that masters of it can defeat entire armies and have no recollection of how they did it until hours after the fighting has stopped."<i></i> Masaru turned his head to face Haru, an eager look on his face, "That is what I mean by, this kind of training."<i></i>

 

[Ren]

"Santaru-san, this is Satoru-san.”

Hello Satoru-san, you may call me Haru it’s a pleasure to meet a young Shinobi such as myself. I hope we can train together successfully.

“That tape probably won't be necessary for what I had planned today. In terms of your answer I think everyone would like to think they can do anything exactly when they need to. You mention being able to think of multiple scenarios in your head, I'm curious, do you think you would be able to come up with multiple scenarios, choose the best one and then carry it out before I could draw my blade and get it to your throat?" Then how many times would I have already cut you down in the time it took you to think about it? Being able to think like that is ideal when you have the luxury of time, but I think you'll find that is the first thing that an enemy would try to take away from you. For that kind of reflexive decision your instincts are the only thing that is fast enough. With good training your body will already know what it needs to do, all your mind does is hold you back, over analyzing and slowing you down, in the end you become predictable and sloppy. Letting your instincts guide you breaks down this barrier, you'll find that most of the time you've done what you need to do before you even know what it is.”


"This state is called Mushin, it was taught to me by my elders. It's said that masters of it can defeat entire armies and have no recollection of how they did it until hours after the fighting has stopped."

"That is what I mean by, this kind of training."

Haru listened intently to the boy’s explanation as he sat down beside him, he had never heard of this technique before, it was a very logical approach to battle, but it was against Haru’s natural way of life.

You see Masaru, I very much respect your ideology and Mushin would be very useful is mastered, but I have found instincts can be quite betraying. Sure going with your gut will a majority of the time work out, but if you act without thinking the right answer might have been a mere few thoughts away. It is also true by the time I can think of every situation you could have slit my throat ten times over, but what I believe is a better way to deal with the predicament is train the ability to evade the enemy while you analyze and quickening the speed at which you analyze. Even with all that said I would still like to partake in training Mushin, with as my own methods as well. I believe mastered Mushin and my idea are the same thing, you say in the state called Mushin you act without thinking, I believe what it actually is, is thinking and analyzing so quickly with a clear mind that the right decision surfaces itself in a second. That’s just my take on this so far anyway.. Haru trailed off after his tangent, he had hoped he didn’t offend the boys culture, but not thinking was against Haru’s personality.

 

[Kousaki Satoru]

Masaru clarified the situation for Satoru and introduced the newly-arrived boy as Santaru Haru. The clan's name resonated in Satoru's head easily, as it was a clan he had read a bit about. This made him feel more intrigued and even honored, in a certain measure, to meet the black-haired boy, who then greeted Satoru. It looked like he was also a student and that he was happy to be training with them.

"Ah, same here. Pleased to meet you, Haru-san" replied Satoru with a smile that indicated he was also ready to begin training. Normally his efficacy would drop at this hour in the day, which was why he was used to taking training more lightly at such times, but the fact that he was going to train together with two other boys gave him a good, positive lift.

The two boys listened to Masaru as he started speaking, expanding on the question he'd asked earlier. When he knelt and gestured to them to do so as well, Satoru did so, mimicking the same body posture. He then proceeded to explain the principles behind the technique of Mushin, which samurai such as him practiced. Satoru was quite interested in what he was saying. It made him think about it himself, and how he felt about the concept of relying on instincts and ways of conditioning one's mind in a battle in general. "It's said that masters of it can defeat entire armies and have no recollection of how they did it until hours after the fighting has stopped." Satoru's eyes widened noticeably. He knew how it felt when he focused solely on a particular action, as this was something that any student learns eventually, even if not all payed such attention to it, something every shinobi knew. By extension, it was the feeling of flow one would have when performing high-paced actions. What surprised the blond boy greatly, was the saying that a skilled Mushin user would not remember his actions for hours. "Hours!? ...Really? Is such a thing possible?".

It looked like Masaru was eager to teach the two at least a bit of what this mental state meant. This was going to be their training.

Haru was the first to respond with his thoughts. He spoke his mind and then Satoru felt like adding to the discussion.

"I believe mastered Mushin and my idea are the same thing, you say in the state called Mushin you act without thinking, I believe what it actually is, is thinking and analyzing so quickly with a clear mind that the right decision surfaces itself in a second"

"I think it's more like, when you're very focused on what you're doing, you just think very fast anyway. I mean, I think that's what instinct is. Your mind thinks of the next thing to do quickly and you just do it then. You don't have time to put into thoughts. You just... feel" he said and then looked at the two to check their reactions. He was a bit scared of suddenly realizing he wasn't making sense or something. "But if you're in a situation when you constantly have to react fast, I think your clarity can be really blurred. I'm thinking Mushin masters are able to think very clearly, or rather, use their instincts very well in these situations".

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

Masaru exhaled deeply as he shook his head slowly from side to side, "Straight away you're both missing the first and most fundamental step to learning this technique, stop thinking. Stop trying to rationalise this or understand it, you'll never be able to until you can experience it regularly. Just remember I'm not teaching you how to always make the best decisions or beat anyone in a fight, I'm teaching you a single technique and nothing more, you can then choose to use it as and when you see fit."<i></i>

The young boys minds were typical for that of students, eagerly fumbling over every shred of information that gets presented to it, trying to find out all the details while quickly jumping to conclusions. "I share your eagerness to figure out all the details as quickly as possible and I know that works for learning other techniques, but unfortunately this one is a bit different. The full name for this state is mushin no shin, and that name is the biggest clue for how to achieve it."<i></i>

Spoiler

To save you googling it, the english translation for mushin no shin is 'mind without mind'

"If instinct were just thinking extremely quickly by second nature we would still have to make the decision to do it in the first place. Have you ever dropped something and automatically tried to catch it again before it hits the floor? You didn't make a conscious decision to do it, that is your instincts taking over."<i></i> Deciding that if the boys couldn't understand it after that, they probably wouldn't ever get it he decided to move on, "Even if you don't understand it now, just try to accept it for now, once you've experienced it you'll be able to make up your mind on what you really think is going on."<i></i>

Masaru popped each of the joints in his hands before firmly massaging his jaw, "Start off by trying to relieve as much of the tension from your body as possible, the jaw is usually the worst so pay special attention to it. In the real world you'll never have time to do all of this, but it just makes it easier while learning."<i></i>

 

[Ren]

“I'm teaching you a single technique and nothing more, you can then choose to use it as and when you see fit."

"Even if you don't understand it now, just try to accept it for now, once you've experienced it you'll be able to make up your mind on what you really think is going on."

Ah, I do understand further what you mean with this technique, it is better suited for certain situations, but not necessarily if you had massive amounts of time to make a strategy.

I’m disappointed I missed that, Mushin no shin will prove to become very useful, a way to train your instincts, this may be a once in a lifetime opportunity to take advantage of this technique

Haru did as Masaru instructed and relieved the tension in his body he cracked his knuckles before rolling his neck and stretching his back. Now the jaw, he observed Masaru’s way of relaxing it and imitated it. Wow, never knew how tight my jaw was. Haru grimaced as he cracked his jaw, he did feel relatively loose.

 

[Kousaki Satoru]

Masaru seemed to disagree with the other two boys and told them they should stop thinking about it until they experience the technique for themselves. Satoru looked down at the ground and simply listened to what the older boy said next. The older boy was right after all, the most important thing then was to just try to learn the technique. Masaru then argued that if instinct were simply thinking very quickly as Satoru suggested, then it meant one would still have to make the conscious decision to react, which wasn't the case when acting on instinct. Satoru felt like saying something again, or at least felt that he perhaps didn't put his idea into words properly. In any case, he refrained from arguing any longer and continued to listen to Masaru.

The brown-haired boy instructed Satoru and Haru to first relieve as much tension as possible from their bodies. Satoru did as told and started by leaning his head back and rotating it a bit, then massaged his jaw as well. He also popped his wrist joints and rotated his upper body a bit, before making himself as comfortable as possible, ready to continue on with the training.

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

"Ah, I do understand further what you mean with this technique, it is better suited for certain situations, but not necessarily if you had massive amounts of time to make a strategy. "

Masaru nodded in response to Haru's statement, "That's correct, it is meant to be saved for the heat of battle."<i></i> He then waited until the two boys had finished loosening up before moving onto the next step.

"I don't know how familiar either of you are with meditation, but the first step is to get yourself into a state of meditation, then move yourself over to Mushin. I'll just instruct you as if you've never meditated before, but if you have please don't feel like I'm patronising you."<i></i> Masaru shuffled around slightly to get comfortable, he wasn't going to be entering the state with the boys so that he could keep instructing them and tell them whether or not they were getting it.

"The first step is to find something to focus on, the best things are physical feelings because they're easier to let go of in the next step, try to avoid any strong emotional feelings or memories as they can end up sticking in your mind."<i></i> Masaru paused for a moment before remembering a tip his father had given him, "If you're unsure of what to focus on a good thing to try is to just concentrate on the sensation of air entering your nostrils, it's easily noticeable and will help you keep your breathing deep and steady."<i></i>

It was curious how without even thinking about it Masaru was upholding the tradition of his family, passing the knowledge he'd learned from his elders onto his younger comrades, the fact that the two boys seemed willing to accept his words and try to absorb his knowledge gave him a great feeling of satisfaction, as if it was something he'd wanted to do for a long time but never realised it.

Masaru continued to relay information to the boys in a calm tone, "At this early stage you'll probably still have a lot of residing in your mind, don't try to force them away, or interact with them at all, just let them appear and then float away as they please, you're not interested in them at the moment. If you can, try to keep your eyes open while you do this, it'll save you from having to relearn this when using it in combat."<i></i>

Masaru sat patiently watching the two boys, the next stage in this training was a short test, but to be able to carry it out the boys needed to be in a deep state of calmness. Unless either of them spoke Masaru would just sit quietly and wait until the boys eyes looked suitably glazed over to continue.

 

[Ren]

Haru listened to every word Masaru spoke, not wanting to fail in front of his comrades. He also valued the words Masaru spoke because he knew if it came down to a fight against Masaru, Haru would be destroyed.

He got down into a comfortable meditation position and concentrated on the air coming in and out of his nostrils. Just as Masaru warned the thoughts crept into his head, Haru struggled to remain with only the thought of the air flowing in and out of his nostrils. His eyes were set in a position staring off into the distance. Petty thoughts stepped up into his mind, his life’s ambitions screamed to be thought about. Again like Masaru said when Haru left the thoughts alone they faded to the back of his head.

He felt like he had done it, his breathing was the only thing occupying his head. His eyes weren’t looking at anything, he felt calm everything seemed clearer to him. A thought glanced across his brain, should he say something to move onto the next step, he decided it was a good idea, but the thought just faded back out of his brain he breathing took over.

 

[Kousaki Satoru]

Satoru closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing as Masaru said, as soon as he finished explaining the first step towards meditation. This was something Satoru had never tried before, as he never had who to teach him how to do it properly, and he'd rather not waste time doing something like this if he wasn't sure he was doing it right.

After a minute or two, Satoru was looking very calm and comfortable, almost like he was taking a nap. He indeed ended up feeling like not concentrating on any one thought. Instead, it felt like his thoughts had somewhat surfaced and were all floating in his mind, but the boy wasn't paying attention to either of them. He momentarily remembered it would be better if he did this with his eyes open, but he simply didn't feel like opening them. It felt like this state of balance he had brought himself into would disappear if he did that, so he simply continued meditating with his eyes closed, keeping a small bit of his attention on listening to Masaru's next indication.

 

[Kurosawa Hiraku]

It seems like the two boys were getting the hang of things fairly quickly, it wasn't long before the both appeared to be in a suitably calm state. Haru seemed to be comfortable while keeping his eyes open whereas Satoru still had his closed. Masaru quietly stood up and walked over to the boys, first he approached Haru and waved his hand in front of the boys eyes while watching for any twitches. After waiting for a couple of seconds Masaru moved onto his next test, he stood in front of the boy in clear view and threw a punch with the intention of stopping right in front of Haru's face.

After seeing Haru's reaction he would move over to Satoru, the boy having his eyes closed posed a slight problem to Masaru as he couldn't really use the same tests as he had for Haru. After a moment to think of a solution he decided to lean down next to the boy, then without warning he clapped loudly next to Satoru's.

Again after watching the boys reaction Masaru walked back to where he was originally kneeling and reassumed his relaxed posture, "It seems you're both fairly good at getting yourselves into a relaxed state. What I just did a moment ago was to test if you could stay in this state when something unexpected or shocking happens."<i></i> He explained, "Staying in this state is actually sometimes easier in battle because your adrenaline helps to boost your instincts and keep you focused."<i></i>

Everything being considered, Masaru was impressed with the boys progress, learning to get into a deep state of meditation could take some people weeks to learn, and while the boys were by no means there yet, they'd got very far for their first try. "As this is a technique which is designed to be used in battle we need to find a way to teach ourselves to stay in this state regardless of what is happening around us. If you're interested in becoming more proficient in Mushin I can show you a few training methods my family use to simulate such stressful conditions, the first is by triggering a strong and disturbing memory with Genjutsu to try and disrupt your state of calm, and the second is simply sparring whilst in this state."<i></i>

Masaru waited a moment to see if either of the boys did in fact want to learn more. "Do either of you have any questions so far?"<i></i>

 

[Ren]

Haru noticed Masaru getting up, walking towards him. He stayed in his meditation and let the thought about Masaru drop away. All of a sudden Haru noticed the fist of Masaru headed towards his face, he felt alarm in his head but his body didn’t react, the fist stopped centimeters from his face. The fear seeped out of his brain and Masaru walked on. After a few more moments Haru heard a clap, must’ve been Satoru’s test.

"As this is a technique which is designed to be used in battle we need to find a way to teach ourselves to stay in this state regardless of what is happening around us. If you're interested in becoming more proficient in Mushin I can show you a few training methods my family use to simulate such stressful conditions, the first is by triggering a strong and disturbing memory with Genjutsu to try and disrupt your state of calm, and the second is simply sparring whilst in this state."

A few questions flashed through Haru’s mind but he just let them seep away and waited for Masaru’s instructions.

 

[Kousaki Satoru]

Satoru inevitably twitched at Masaru's sudden clap. It immediately pointed out the massive advantage of entering that calm state with eyes open. He would have had to rely heavily on his other senses to see the clap coming, which was naturally hard for Satoru. Regardless, he sighed discreetly and kept his eyes closed, managing to regain control quickly. He tried to hold on to the state of balance he had brought himself into, which felt easier than he'd thought. He slowly opened his eyes when Masaru started talking again. He found he was able to focus on things more clearly while in that meditative state. His eyes open then, it felt like his clarity, and perhaps even his reactions would be faster, but he couldn't be sure. He tried to maintain that mindset but it was only normal that it would slip away as he also focused on listening to Masaru's words.

"But then... is it really possible to keep this up during a fight...?"

"As this is a technique which is designed to be used in battle we need to find a way to teach ourselves to stay in this state regardless of what is happening around us"

Satoru continued to listen. "Genjutsu... and sparring... both require a partner, or at least, a good understanding of illusionary techniques," both of which Satoru usually lacked. He'd want to take full advantage of the opportunity then presented to him.

"Well, you got me hooked," he spoke calmly. "I'd really want to try this in a spar." He then hastily rephrased, "I mean... I'd be up to for trying any of those two methods...," and looked away.