Who wouldn’t want to learn ancient wisdom from a bad-ass sword-fighter?
Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645) was a Japanese samurai, later in life becoming a rōnin (a samurai without a master). He is known as one of the greatest swordsmen who has ever lived, allegedly winning 60 duels in his lifetime… beginning with his first duel at age 13!
Yes, at age 13, while many of us were still being coddled by our parents, sweating nervously before a group presentation in English class, or being driven to soccer practice in a mini-van, Musashi was slicing an opponent with a sword.
And that’s not all Musashi did. This samurai stands out from the rest because not only was he deadly in combat, he was also a writer, philosopher, strategist, artist, and teacher.
How’s that for having a balanced life?
Musashi’s Writings
Nearly four hundred years later, Musashi’s works are still studied and frequently quoted, especially by members of the martial arts community, as well as athletes of various sports, and business people alike.
In truth, studying Musashi will teach you as much about life as it will about combat. This is aptly demonstrated through his most famous quote, which seems to serve as a neat summary of his philosophy towards life:
“If you know the way broadly, you will see it in all things.”
As with most of Musashi’s writings, there is a lot left up to the reader’s interpretation.
For the above quote, most agree that Musashi is referring to the underlying essence of mastery.
Once you understand how to be successful in one activity, you will see the same patterns in other activities. A similar mixture of planning, effort, luck, patience, and persistence are needed to master any task, skill, or art.
Likewise, this demonstrates how many activities in the world are in fact connected, stressing holism and balance.
In short, Musashi is an amazing source for learning about combat tactics, strategies, and philosophies. But much like The Art of War by Sun Tzu, reading deeper and reading between the lines can teach a person a lot about life.
Selected Musashi Quotes
Here are some selected quotes from Musashi’s writings that will teach you as much about life as they will about combat.
“The true science of martial arts means practicing them in such a way that they will be useful at any time, and to teach them in such a way that they will be useful in all things.”
“Both in fighting and in everyday life you should be determined though calm. Meet the situation without tenseness yet not recklessly, your spirit settled yet unbiased. Even when your spirit is calm do not let your body relax, and when your body is relaxed do not let your spirit slacken. Do not let your spirit be influenced by your body, or your body be influenced by your spirit.”
“You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain.”
“Think highly of yourself and deeply of the world.”
“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.”
In All Things
Understanding the way broadly means seeing the applicable lessons in all parts of life.
Balance is about using the same energy and approach to engage in a variety of activities. This is made much easier when you understand that, deep down, they’re all the same activity. Success in one domain breeds success in other domains.
You may not need to brush up on your sword skills, but you will gain some quality wisdom by reading Musashi’s The Book of Five Rings.
This idea of transferring wisdom from one area of life to another isn’t specific to Musashi.
Think of all the great people throughout history, from warriors to scientists to artists to businesspeople and beyond. Think of all the greats who have recorded their wisdom and shared with you their failures and successes through writing.
You may not want to be an artist, or an athlete, or a businessperson, just as you may not want to be a sword-fighter – but with the right frame of mind, there is something to learn from everyone and everything.
And there is a lot of great knowledge out there waiting to be consumed, and a lot of lessons waiting to be learned.
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