Making-Original-Products-presentationzen

The Mind That Is No Mind
When a swordsman is in the moment and his mind is empty (mushin no shin
or the “mind that is no mind”), there are no emotions stemming from fear
and no thoughts of winning, losing, or even using the sword. In this way, says
Daisetz T. Suzuki in Zen and Japanese Culture (Princeton University Press),
“both man and sword turn into instruments in the hands of the unconscious,
and it is the unconscious that achieves wonders of creativity. It is here that
swordplay becomes an art.”
Beyond mastering technique, the secret to swordsmanship rests in obtaining
a proper mental state of “no mind” where the mind is “abandoned and yet not
abandoned.” Frankly, if you are engaged in any art or even a sports match,
you must get rid of the obtruding self-consciousness or ego-consciousness and
apply yourself completely. As Suzuki says, it must be “as if nothing particular
were taking place at the moment.” When you perform in a state of “no mind,”
you are free from the burdens of inhibitions and doubt and can contribute fully
and fluidly in the moment. Artists know this state of mind, as do musicians
and highly trained athletes.
The highly anticipated presentations that Steve Jobs did came with a lot of
pressure to get it right. A lot was riding on each presentation and expectations
were high inside and outside of Apple. Yet what made Steve so effective in
these situations was his ability to seemingly forget the seriousness of the
situation and just perform. In this way, he was like the artful swordsman who,
through his “immovable mind,” has no thought of life or death. The mind has
been quieted, and the man is free to be fully present. As Suzuki puts it: “The
waters are in motion all the time, but the moon retains its serenity. The mind
moves in response to ten thousand situations but remains ever the same.”
Technical training is important, but technical training is something acquired
and will always have the feel of artificiality unless one has the proper state
of mind. “Unless the mind which avails itself of the technical skill somehow
attunes itself to a state of the utmost fluidity or mobility,” says Suzuki,
“anything acquired or superimposed lacks spontaneity of natural growth.”
In this sense, I think instructors and books can help us become better at
presenting, but ultimately, like many other performance arts, it must grow
within us.
218 Presentation Zen