My Life in Two States and Some Ways to Return Home

I reflect on my experiences on the “way” (道) and summarize in this article:  my life which seems to toggle between two (cognitive) states and some ways that I have found helpful in finding my way home back to the second state.

Where is My Attention?

Jacarandas in bloom in San Diego, CA, May 2020.

Life and the mind seems to be in one of two states.  Being under water mostly for me and periodically coming up, out of the water, for air.  Or being asleep mostly and waking-up

Really Seeing the Opponent and the Opportunities to Strike – Part 2: Reflections

Along a road in St. Remy de Provence

This is a follow-up of “Part 1: ‘O’ Sensei“.  Since writing that article, I have experimented with some of the tips spelled out in it and pen some reflections of the experience below.

Really Seeing the Opponent and Opportunities to Strike – Part 1: “O” Sensei

A young Kyoshi 7 dan  from Japan visited the dojo that I practice at this week.  I’ll refer to him as “O” sensei as he preferred not having his name mentioned.  He had once placed

“Soft Eyes,” A Way of Seeing and Being – Quotes and Resources

I believe that “Soft Eyes” is an extremely important part of kendo and many areas of life.  It is a natural, tension-free way of seeing and being – which goes by many other names: Whole or Effortless Seeing, Soft or Open Focus, Wide-Angled, Peripheral or Panoramic Vision and “Enzan no Metsuke (a distant mountain gaze).”

Quotes on Mushin, Flow and Open-Focus – Part 1

Quotes on Mushin, Flow and Open-Focus – Overview

Here’s an overview of quotes on the related topics of Mushin-no-shin 無心の心 (Mind of No Mind), the flow-state, Open-Focus, and the related area of Open Monitoring Meditation.  This is a companion article to a compilation of “Resources on Mushin-no-shin (the Mind of No Mind)”.  The quotes are organized in three parts as follows: 

Ways to Calm the Mind and Body for Shinsa and Shiai (Part 1)

Many members of the dojo where I practice are preparing for shinsa.  A common challenge for them, myself and perhaps many on the day of a shinsa or shiai is the

Open-Focus, Mushin and Kendo

Enzan-no-metsuke:  A view of Mt. Sainte Victoire from a park near l’atelier Cezanne in Aix-en-Provence, France.

Several years ago, I came across an insightful book: The Open-Focus Brain by Dr. Les Fehmi and Jim Robbins [Fehmi].  The possibility that the “Open-Focus” state could