Revisiting "Mizu no Ko-Koro"

As I progressed into the senior belts portion of my karate training, I started to learn about this concept of “mind like water” (in Japanese, “Mizu no Ko-Koro”). Like most ancient Zen proverbs, the true meaning behind this concept did not come easy in the beginning. I immediately picked up the “calm” attribute of still water where the mind remain in perfect harmony with its surrounding and is reflective (like a mirror) of those around it.

However, it was not until earlier this year that I came to realization of the “dynamic” attribute of water – it reacts to disturbance or provocation but return to still immediately after. This came to me one class as I had to fend off seemingly never-ending series of classmates in continuous sparring and self-defence drills. I had to go from calm and relax (so I could quickly identify and respond to an attack) to performing proper techniques with the appropriate level of intensity and conviction to counter the attack (i.e. the ripple and/or the waves of the water as it is disturbed/provoked) and return to the original state of calm. I then realized that water is both the most yielding thing in natural (it remains still when undisturbed and go around those in its way) and the most ferocious force in natural (it can cut through rocks and destroy anything in its way) and it switches between the two almost instantaneously.

The understanding of "Mizu no Ko-Koro" led to my new understanding of self control. Self control is more than just self restraint, it is restraining oneself always and respond with absolute conviction when it is the only way to preserve what is valuable – the well-being of oneself and/or those it endears. And just like water returns to its original stillness after the storm passed through, self control also demand the same level of restraint when the threat ceases.