Commonly translated as “meditation”, mokuso (黙想) literally means “silent/still” (moku-) + “thoughts/thinking” (-so). In other words, mokuso is the act of silencing our minds.
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Your mind is the most powerful tool you have for the creation of good in your life, but if not used correctly, can also be the most destructive. To control your thoughts means to influence the way you live your life.
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“The biggest adversary in our life is ourselves. We are what we are, in a sense, because of the dominating thoughts we allow to gather in our head.” – Bruce Lee
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We can exert some power over our thoughts by directing our attention, like a spotlight, to focus on something specific. Concentrated focus is the way to control a chattering mind.
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Have you ever felt that your mind is out of control, beset by anxiety as your thoughts barrel along aimlessly at a million miles a hour? When your thoughts are on auto-pilot, the prospect of learning how to control your mind might seem impossible. Learning to meditate is one of the most natural ways to calm and center your mind.
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But if you’re already full of preconceived notions about how things should be, there isn’t much room to learn, or take in new perspectives or teachings.
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The philosophy of meditation centers on the fact that the mind can only focus on one thought at a time. When you meditate, you draw your focus to something calming like your breath, or a mantra such as; “I am calm and relaxed.”
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Meditation, like your martial arts training, requires repetition to master, and as you build it into a routine, you’ll find that the ability to control your thoughts becomes more natural.
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“Meditation is concentrating the front of the mind with a mundane task so the rest of the mind can find peace.” – J.J. Connolly
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Our thoughts are our own creation. They are part of us. The French philosopher René Descartes connected our thoughts with our existence when he said, “Cogito ergo sum” (I think, therefore I am).
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Once you understand that you and your thoughts are not different, but one, the battle to control them is easier to comprehend.
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You can change your thoughts according to your will. You have the freedom to focus your thoughts on any subject of your choice. But that focus is limited if it is not disciplined properly, and your thoughts will shift back to an uncontrolled state.
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We can compare thoughts with breathing. We breathe without our conscious knowledge. Yet as soon as we desire, we can naturally control our breathing.
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There is a connection between breathing and thoughts. One of the most ignored and least often practices in the martial arts, is controlling your breathing.
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When you control your breathing, you also control your thoughts. This is the fundamental principle of meditation.
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A person having an undisciplined mind is at the mercy of his (or her) thoughts, as his thoughts control him. A person, whose mind is disciplined by meditation, controls his thoughts and is a master of them. 
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“You have two choices, to control your mind or to let your mind control you.” – Paulo Coelho
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 Photo Credit: Morio Higaonna 10th dan Goju Ryu
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