To distinguish mind from brain in a meaningful way, we would need to be able to interact with non-corporeal and non-imaginary entities, e.g. spirits. More on that at a later date, maybe.

It’s true, taking unorthodox tactics is one way to achieve victory, so developing body sensitivity as you’ve done, or learning a new skill set that opponents would not be familiar with (such as the rising popularity of karate-ka in MMA), is very beneficial, no question. When I was studying iaido, I would say that the development of sen sen no sen would be one form of body cultivation (or mind cultivation, if you prefer; honestly I can’t see one without the other) which allows the use of unorthodox tactics (like striking someone behind you).

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I agree with you on hte points of body cultivation, but that we shouldn’t limit our thinking of body cultivation to JUST be the unorthodox methods. Learning the timing and precision to do a 720-degree crescent kick is key body cultivation to use it properly, and without it the technique is almost useless.

General endurance and strength training, etc, are body cultivation, sure. My point is that the cultivation should fall in line with both the (non-trivial) theory and the application.

That you would benefit, as a fighter, from becoming faster and stronger goes without saying. That is what I’d call a trivial martial theory. You can’t gain strategic advantage by relying on what everybody already knows.

Sun Tzu said that one should engage the enemy with ordinary tactics, and seize victory with extraordinary tactics. To apply this in personal combat requires something other than marginal improvements to well-known attack vectors, e.g. a 20% stronger straight punch.

As I see it, most traditional martial arts consist of a mixture of orthodox and unorthodox techniques, where the latter are completely useless without the proper cultivation method(s). Take away these methods, or try to replace them with general “physical fitness”, and you’ve transformed a once-respectable martial art into a pretentious and incoherent form of kickboxing.

Now…does that sound like any martial arts you’ve seen?

There is no distinction between the two, and cultivating both is necessary to be both a good person or a good martial artist. Judo, wrestling, wing chun, taiji, aikido, and every other martial arts system involves body cultivation, the gap between theory and application. Endurance and strength conditioning, momentum sensitivity, reaction speed; I feel all of these fit under the embodiment of theory with applicability in live situations.