Mushin

Mindfulness is an English synonym for the Oriental term, Mushin. Mushin is a shortened version of the Zen expression mushin no shin (), meaning ‘mind without mind’ or, simply, ‘No Mind’. Mushin or Mindfulness is a state where we become empty of all desires, thoughts, and assumptions, but remain alert, attentive, open and receptive to all that is. In Mindfulness our minds and hearts are free of anger, fear, or ego. In Mindfulness there is an absence of discursive thinking and deliberative judgment, but a fullness of intuitive knowing. In mindfulness we are free to act and respond without disturbance from our thoughts. In Mindfulness we intuitively know how to handle situations which previously baffled us.

This book is a continuation of my previous writings on the Mystery of Presence. Mindfulness and Presence are terms pointing to the same ineffable, but immediately accessible encounter with what some people call God. I offer this book as a fruit of Presence, i.e. of my fledgling attempts to practice Mindfulness in every present moment. I have found that only words flowing from Presence, only books written in Mindfulness, have the power to communicate the Mystery of Mindfulness and Presence. I pray this book serves as a sacrament of God’s Presence for you and encourages you to begin or deepen your own practice of Mindfulness.