MUSASHI's Precepts

Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵) (1584–1645), also known as Shinmen Takezō, Miyamoto Bennosuke, or by his Buddhist name Niten Dōraku, famous for his duels and distinctive style. He was the founder of the Niten Ichi ryū style of swordsmanship (at the origin of Yoshukai Karate Iaido moves) and the author of The Book of Five Rings (五輪書, Go Rin No Sho).

Musashi was also an artist and has left us some very powerful paintings. 

He also practiced Zen under Master Takuan Soho (see my other post on this matter) who also trained Musashi's the other famous swordsman Yagyu Munenori. 

By the end of his life Musashi formulated a series of precepts he recorded under the title "Following the Solitary Path"

These precepts are fitted to the life of Ronin devoted to forging his mind and body. 

The emphasis on not being attached to possessions, ideas and persons is evident.

It is not possible to know whether Musashi was influenced by Buddhism in his formulation of his precepts, or if Zen was simply a perfect practice for someone who lived according to these precepts.

It is easy to understand however, how Zen with its emphasis on non attachment, perfectly fitted the Samurai way of life and why it was so quickly accepted by the ruling class of Japan.

MUSASHI's Precepts

1. Do not violate the laws of Society (Accept everything just the way it is)

2. Do not seek comfort for yourself.

3. Do not have preferences (be free of bias).

4. Think lightly of yourself and deeply about the affairs of the world.

5. Be detached from your desires throughout your whole life

6. Have no regrets regarding personal matters.

7. Never be jealous or envious of others.

8. Do not grieve over a separation from something or someone.

9. Do not hold grudges over yourself or others.

10. Do not let yourself be fooled by lust or love.

11. Do not get infatuated over physical objects

12. Do not wish to settle down.

13. Do not seek the taste of good food.

14. Do not hold on to the things you have.

15. Do not act following customary beliefs.

16. Do not become obsessed with having splendid weapons.

17. Do not fear death.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Horse by Myamoto Musashi

18. Do not seek to accumulate money or possessions for your old age.

19. Venerate Buddhas and the gods but do not rely on them.

20. Abandon self interest, do not seek fame or fortune.

21. Never stray from the Way.

20 principles of Karate

Gichin Funakoshi ( 1868 – 1957)  is generally considered as the father of modern karate. He was one of the Okinawan Masters who introduced karate to the Japanese mainland at the begiining of the 20th century. He also was school teacher and one of the Karate teachers of Dr Tsuyoshi Chitose Founder of Chito Ryu Karate, himself teacher of our Grand Master Mamoru (Katsuo) Yamamoto, Founder of Yoshukai Karate.  

Here are the 20 principles of Karate per Funakoshi Sensei.

Read them. Chew on them, this may not exactly mean what you first would think...

1. Karate-do wa rei ni hajimari, rei ni owaru koto wo wasuruna.

Karate begins and ends with courtesy.

2. Karate ni sente nashi.

There is no first attack in karate.

(Please consider this one very carefully, it is poorly understood by lots of people...)

3. Karate wa gi no tasuke.

Karate is an assistance to justice.

4. Mazu jiko wo shire, shikoshite tao wo shire.

First know yourself, then others.

5. Gijutsu yori shinjutsu.

Spirit before technique.

6. Kokoro wa hanatan koto wo yosu.

Be ready to free your mind.

7. Wazawai wa getai ni shozu.

Accidents come from laziness.

8. Dojo nomino karate to omou na.

Karate training goes beyond the dojo.

9. Karate no shugyo wa issho de aru.

You'll never stop learning in karate.

10. Arai-yuru mono wo karate-ka seyo, soko ni myo-mi ari.

Karate applies to everything. Therein lies it’s beauty.

11. Karate wa yu no goto shi taezu natsudo wo ataezareba moto no mizu ni kaeru.

Karate is like boiling water. If you don't give it heat, it will cool down.

12. Katsu kangae wa motsu na makenu kangae wa hitsuyo.

Forget about winning. Instead, make sure you never lose.

13. Tekki ni yotte tenka seyo.

Adjust your techniques according to your opponent.

14. Tattakai wa kyo-jitsu no soju ikan ni ari.

The outcome of a fight depends on how you take advantage of weaknesses and strengths.

15. Hito no te ashi wo ken to omoe.

See your hands and feet as swords.

16. Danshi mon wo izureba hyakuman no tekki ari.

When you step outside your door, you face a million enemies.

17. Kamae wa shoshinsha ni ato wa shizentai.

Fixed stances are for beginners; later, one moves naturally.

18. Kata wa tadashiku jissen wa betsu mono.

Kata is practised in a perfect world, real fight is another story.

19. Chikara no kyojaku, karada no shinshuku, waza no kankyu wo wasaruna.

Hard and soft, tension and relaxation, quick and slow, all connected in the technique.

20. Tsune ni shinen kufu seyo.

Think of ways to apply these precepts every day.

Zen and George Brassens

Last Sunday I officially became a Zen Buddhist during a JUKAI or discipleship ceremony held at the Atlanta Soto Zen center

During this ceremony : I received and vowed to follow the Soto Zen Precepts - This is materialized by my receiving the RAKUSU, a garment that symbolizes the Kesa robe of the Buddhist monks, and a new Dharma name.

Not every school of Buddhism have exactly the same precepts, or express them in the same way.

Soto Zen has 16 precepts :

The Three Treasures:

1. I take refuge in the Buddha - The teacher
2. I take refuge in the Dharma - The Buddha’s teachings
3. I take refuge in the Sangha - The Buddhist community, past and present

The Three Pure Precepts are general vows to abstain from evil and to practice good, not just for one’s self but also others:

1. Avoiding all evil (actions leading to attachment) by respecting the precepts.
2. Practicing all good.(Make effort to live in enlightenment)
3. Doing good for others. (Help others live in enlightenment)

The Ten Grave Precepts

1. Do not kill
2. Do not steal
3. Do not misuse sexuality
4. Do not lie.
5. Refrain from Intoxicants (Do not cloud the mind)
6. Do not discuss others errors and faults
7. Do not praise yourself and blame others
8. Give generously: Do not withhold the teachings of Buddha
9. Refrain from anger
10. Do not defile the Three Treasures

A very nice program, and difficult to achieve. As Elliston Sensei put it during the ceremony: "Sometimes we practice the precepts by breaking them"

Some of these seem to be contradictory.

Lets take an example : I am walking in the country, all of a sudden, I see a kid running away with his pockets full of apple. A farmer runs behind him with his shotgun. The kid turns right and hides in a ditch. The farmer comes to me and asks me where he is, Should I tell him ? He is liable to shoot him after all. So I’ll lie…

Quand je croise un voleur malchanceux,
Poursuivi par un cul-terreux;
Je lance la patte et pourquoi le taire,
Le cul-terreux se retrouve par terre
Je ne fait pourtant de tort à personne,
En laissant courir les voleurs de pommes.

(Georges Brassens : La Mauvaise reputation)

Precepts are not the dictates of a God who would send us to hell if we break them, they are to be adapted. We have however to be very careful in the way we adapt them, for it would be very easy to justify horrific behaviors by broadly adapting them.

There is no clear demarcation line between “adapting” and “corrupting”, and we should be extremely careful on this matter.