no mind

[taijiphoenix]

I am trying to translate "way of no mind" or "method of no mind" . Would I be correct in thinking wu2 xin1 dao4 (毋 心 道)?

The 'no mind' refers to the no mindedness of martial artists in combat. I think it comes from the japanese word 'mushin'

Thanks,

Taijiphoenix

[Hofmann]

“No mind" is definitely 無心. As for the method or way, I don't know if there's a conventional translation, but an arbitrary one can be 無心之道.

By the way, it's a Buddhist term, which may find its way into Buddhist-influenced martial arts.

[imron]

In a martial arts context, especially Taiji, 无极 (無極 in traditional) is almost certainly the word you are looking for. I doubt it comes from the Japanese.

Edited September 25, 2009 at 12:20 AM by imron
added traditional characters.

[leeyah]

"Method of no mind" refers to Japanese karate and is written 無心道 (Mushin Do):

[imron]

And in Taiji (which given the OPs username seems the appropriate context), 无极 refers specifically to the concept of "no mindedness", and is an integral part of its philosophy.

[taijiphoenix]

thanks guys. imron, what does 无极 translate to ? Also whats the difference between 无 and 毋? according nciku they are both pronounced wu2 and mean something similar. I am new to learning chinese, so I hope you guys don't get annoyed with my questions. And yes I am very into taiji.

Thanks again,

Taijiphoenix

[imron]

My dictionary defines 无极 as "a mind completely devoid of worries, thought or desires", which is probably about as accurate a translation as you're likely to get without delving into Daoist philosophy.

[taijiphoenix]

Thanks Imron!