When this No-Mind has been well developed, the mind does not stop with one thing nor does it lack any one thing. It appears appropriately when facing a time of need.
Takuan SohoRead
When a person does not think, "Where shall I put it?" the mind will extend throughout the entire body and move to any place at all. . . . The effort not to stop the mind in just one place - this is discipline. Not stopping the mind is object and essence. Put it nowhere and it will be everywhere. Even in moving the mind outside the body, if it is sent in one direction, it will be lacking in nine others. If the mind is not restricted to just one direction, it will be in all ten.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Discipline in thought allows the mind to explore infinitely rather than being confined to a single focus.
This quote by Takuan Soho emphasizes the importance of mental discipline and the freedom of thought. By not restricting the mind to a single focus, one can achieve a state of awareness that embraces multiple ideas and possibilities, fostering creativity and a deeper understanding of the world. The essence of true discipline lies in allowing the mind to flow freely, rather than forcing it into a narrow path.
Themes
MindDisciplineFreedomThoughtCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about creative thinking.
More from Takuan Soho
All quotes →Similar quotes
I never regret anything. Because every little detail of your life is what made you into who you are in the end.
Drew BarrymoreRead
The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change; until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.
R. D. LaingRead
The possible's slow fuse is lit by the Imagination.
Emily DickinsonRead
All I ask is to be held above the barren wastes of want.
Wilfred OwenRead
Stop all this weeping, swallow your pride/ You will not die, its not poison -Tombstone Blues
Bob DylanRead
But wise is the man who disdains no character, but with searching glance explores him to the root and cause of all.
Nikolai GogolRead