The MOON

The blood circulating is similar to the Sun and Moon: Moon

In karate we attempt to train ourselves so that our minds are free from distractions that would interrupt swift action. The Japanese call this a Zen practice of being like the moon and water. We should notice that this is also represented by symbolism in the Isshinryu-no-megami, i.e. the troubled waters at night, etc.

The Zen Buddhist use two terms, i.e. "tsuki-no-kokoro and mizu-no-kokoro" which mean "mind like the moon and mind like water" which is explained by Dr. Schmeisser in his book as, "The mind should be placid and calm, but quick as light, just as the moon loses no time producing its reflection in still water." (page 122, chapter 13 on "Psychological Balance."

The end result intended for karate practitioners is the ability to quiet the mind so that the brain can retrieve appropriate responses from both RAM and Main storage memory. This means the more rapid memory provides the initial response while it spends a moment to retrieve the appropriate response/action from main memory where your practice and training hopefully stored it for use. The quiet mind allows the process to be quick, almost instantaneous while if the brain/mind is polluted by thoughts of the past, future, or self talking to yourself if you are not totally frozen which consumes needed processing to both instant and long term stored memory. Much like a computer CPU being absorbed by junk processing slowing the access to both RAM and the Hard drive, stored memory, etc.

How you train for this is also a very difficult answer to provide. The FMA methods of practice and training, hopefully and if done correctly, i.e. taught adequately, should provide a means to experience and thus train the mind to short-circuit the ego driven monkey brain chatter and access the side of the mind/brain that experiences the non-verbal, non-ego way of thinking which is referred to as no-mind or non-thinking, etc. This is referred to as the internal feeling of two ways of "seeing."

Upon more understanding of the references to this phenomena in Dr. Schmeisser's book on page 124 it infers, to me anyway, that training must achieve a balance of both "sights" so that the monkey brain chatter is controlled by the passive and verbally silent side to achieve appropriate access and action.

It is tantamount to the left brain causing the body to move its individual parts and the right brain takes over a bit more in this inference to achieve movement without the centralized left brain controller. It makes the left side an impartial and relatively silent witness that seems to stand apart from the action but in reality is controlled by both in lieu of the normal left brain dominance, etc.

I quote, "In karate-do, the actual learning of the new technique is handled by the left brain; the practice or performance of the art is under right brain control."

Bibliography: Schmeisser, Elmar T., Ph.D. "Advanced Karate-Do: Concepts, Techniques, and Training Methods." St. Louis: Tamashii Press, 2007.