The term ping chang xin is comprised of three characters which, when put together, refer roughly to "peace of mind" or "spiritual stability.“   Ping has numerous meanings, but the closest English equivalent is "level" or "even" as we would use it in saying that someone is "level-headed.”       Chang is more precise and means "always," "constant," or "continually.”       Xin is the character which means "heart" both figuratively and literally.  It refers not only to the actual organs which pumps blood, but to the emotions and character; the whole inner essence of the person. 

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PING CHANG XIN

2. Introduction
 The term ping chang xin is comprised of three
characters which, when put together, refer roughly to
"peace of mind" or "spiritual stability.“
 Ping has numerous meanings, but the closest
English equivalent is "level" or "even" as we would
use it in saying that someone is "level-headed.”
 Chang is more precise and means "always,"
"constant," or "continually.”
 Xin is the character which means "heart" both
figuratively and literally.
 It refers not only to the actual organs which pumps
blood, but to the emotions and character; the whole
inner essence of the person.

3. The story of sword-saint Miyamoto Musashiand his
friend and mentor, the priest Soho Takuan.
 The famous sword-saint of feudal Japan, Miyamoto Musashi, was once
engaged in meditation with his long-time friend and mentor, the priest
Soho Takuan.
 In the mountains, they had seated themselves near a small stream
which was fed by a little waterfall.
 As they meditated, Musashi's sharp sense of impending danger put him
on full alert and he opened his eyes just enough to see that a poisonous
viper was slithering out of the nearby grass and moving towards Takuan.
 Musashi feared that if he moved quickly, the snake might strike his
friend and he noticed a faint smile on Takuan's face which indicated
that he, too, was aware of the serpent's presence.
 The snake crawled across the priest's lap as Musashi sat, mortified.
 Oddly, the serpent paid no attention to Takuan and seemed to accept him
as a natural part of it's surroundings.
 When the snake slithered to within several feet of Musashi, it
recoiled and sensed the menace of Musashi's strong spirit.
 The snake fled back into the tall grass and vanished.
 Musashi was deeply troubled.
 Takuan asked what was bothering his friend.
 "All my life I have trained myself to develop such skill that no one
would ever dare to attack me, but now that I have achieved my goal,
every living thing fears me!”

4. The story of sword-saint Miyamoto Musashiand his
friend and mentor, the priest Soho Takuan.
 Takuan acknowledged the incident. "Yes, you
defeated the snake without having to strike a blow and
now both of you are alive. Why does that trouble
you?"
 "Because I have become so strong that no one can
grow close to me," Musashi said. "I can never find
true peace. You didn't fear the snake and it didn't fear
you, either. Your spirit is so calm and natural that the
snake treated you no differently than the rocks and
trees. People accept you in that same way."
 Takuan smiled and was pleased that his friend had
made such a valuable discovery.
 Musashi spent the rest of his life trying to perfect his
spirit like that of Takuan. This mental state is what we
call ping chang xin.

5. Ping chang xin
 Ping chang xin is actually the culmination of several character traits.
 Each of its aspects can take years to develop, making it the product of a
lifetime of training.
 It requires the development of three key areas;
 Intellect,
 Emotions, and
 Character/integrity.
 And these qualities must all be developed in balance.
 Whereas today's society looks for the "quick fix" to people's problems,
ping chang xin is something that requires
 A lifestyle change;
 A life of
o Discipline,
o Effort,
o Sacrifice, and
o Commitment.
 No wonder drug or three/five/twelve-step program can bring it about.
 The willingness to achieve this state of mind through the
commitment to developing excellence of character is one of the things
that sets it apart from most people in a confused and unhappy society.

6. How to develop Ping Chang Xin ?
 There is no single, easy way to develop ping chang
xin.
 Each person's path will be different because of our
different
 Personalities,
 Experiences, and
 Circumstances.
 It can be a very confusing part of the martial path. It
is the product of diligent training and yet, it must
ultimately be natural and unforced.
 So how can we practice something which is supposed
to occur spontaneously?
 Ping chang xin is actually achieved as a by-product
of training.
 It is not an "art" in which you can train.
 You train in the elements which lead to it's
development.
 And it can only be achieved if the intellect, emotions,

7. Why are martial arts the best way to develop this
attribute?
 When a person realizes the true nature of martial arts training and
practices correctly, it leads to a fuller understanding of the nature of life
itself.
 Martial arts are concerned primarily with life and death.
 This is probably most apparent in the practice of iaijutsu and other such
disciplines because the ultimate outcome of a swordfight is that at least
one of the combatants will certainly perish.
 This is not necessarily the case with empty-handed arts because the
loser might be neutralized but survive the battle.
 In fighting with swords, this is not likely.
 Some people will argue that this kind of training is unrealistic in
modern society but the truth is that most people fail to understand how
tenuous life really is.
 The warriors of ancient China and Japan understood this very well as
did the settlers of the American West.
 But nowadays, with many of our mortal enemies such as hunger,
disease, and violent people all but vanquished, people seem to have
become blind to the precariousness of earthly existance.
 The life-or-death awareness developed through our training helps us
to clearly see that death is, quite literally, only one heartbeat away and
that death will ultimately claim all of us.
 No one is immune to it.

8. Why are martial arts the best way to develop this
attribute?
 Once we understand how fragile life is, we have to make an important
choice.
 We can live in seclusion and paranoia,
 In constant fear of disease, accidents, or violence, or
 We can determine to live our lives fully.
 Yet, this brings about some difficult choices.
 We must come to grips with what brings true and lasting fulfillment to our
lives.
 If you were given only one week to live what would you do?
 Would you head out to throw yourself into a wild, uninhibited party of
sensual pleasure? Many people would.
 Would you sell off your belongings and spend your last week donating
everything to every worthy cause you could find? Very admirable.
 Would you work hard to tie up all the loose ends to ensure that your
estate will be secure and your family will be provided for after your
demise? That would demonstrate a high degree of responsibility.
 Would you spend your last days in the company of family and
friends? That would probably give you the greatest comfort.
 Or would you do nothing different than you had done the previous
week or the week before that?
 If so, that would indicate that you have achieved ping chang xin!

9. How do we ensure environment does not control us?
 To live your life in accordance with the principles of ping chang xin,
you must not allow your environment to control you.
 For instance, if your happiness is based mainly upon your financial
condition, then you will be comfortable only when things are going well.
 If something should happen to upset that delicate condition; if you should
lose your job or whatever, you will be unhappy and scramble to find a way
to pay your bills.
 You will find yourself heavily stressed and you might end up taking on a
job that isn't right for you.
 This is an example of your circumstances controlling your environment
and your emotions controlling you.
 But if your contentment is derived from knowing the type of person
that you are inside, you will understand that life has its ups and down.
 The sun rises on the good and evil alike and rain falls upon each of us in
our turn.
 Everyone is subject to times of hardship and it is pointless to allow
these things to dictate your emotional state.
 You also must understand that you are a part of your environment.
 What you are and what you do affects other people.
 Even your emotions affect other people.
 If you are discouraged, you will drop a little cloud of gloom over
everyone with whom you come in contact.
 If you are joyous, you will gladden their hearts whenever they see you.

10. How do we ensure environment does not control us?
 You may wonder how we are to remain unaffected by our environment if
we are a part of it?
 Certainly, our environment is bound to affect us to some degree.
 The economy, our health, and the actions of our family or friends all
affect us.
 Ping chang xin does not mean that we insulate ourselves from our
surroundings, deny that problems exist, or numb our feelings.
 It is not a means of escape from the reality of life.
 But it allows us to prevent ourselves from being controlled by our
emotions so that our actions are not governed by fleeting impulses.
 Instead, they are produced by a balanced, focused mind.
 Once ping chang xin is rooted within you, it is always there.
 It isn't something you turn off and on like a light switch.
 It becomes your natural condition.
 It helps lift us above the roller-coaster of emotional control so that we
are no longer puppets to circumstance.
 It allows us to live with greater purpose and meaning and hopefully,
inspire others.