Miyamoto Musashi’s philosophy for 21st century
Wisdom of the elders
Here is a short story. A young man heard some cracking noise in his car which was unexpected for him as he had taken good care of this car. After doing everything possible, visiting many of his mechanic friends, running tests, the problem was not getting solved completely. The noise would again start after some time. One of his friends suggested a senior mechanic to solve this problem. The senior mechanic came, asked the young man to start the car, listened to the noise for some time and tightened just a single screw on the drive mechanism and the noise disappeared. The problem was solved within few minutes and senior mechanic made sure that it will not happen again by revving to the extremes of the car with a test drive. The young man was happy seeing that the problem was solved instantly.
He asked, “How much for the job?”
The senior mechanic said, “that will be $200”.
The young man was shocked, “Who pays $200 for tightening single screw?”
Senior Mechanic, “$200 are for knowing exactly which screw to tighten which required the whole experience of my profession, tightening any screw is still free!”
The young man realized the value of the service from the senior mechanic, paid him accordingly and apologized for questioning his intent.
The story is contrived, but no one will disagree that we have faced such similar moments in our lives, especially in the times of youth. Some problems become unsolvable at a given moment. People try to implement the most modern of modern techniques to tackle this challenge but the efforts are futile, worthless. Then one “seasoned” senior and (obviously) old person enters the discussion and solves problem within few steps, rendering all the young and modern efforts useless. When the solution becomes visible to everyone, it becomes apparent that the answer was filled with such a common sense that any fool would have guessed that and still nobody could solve it.
The point of all this is that, wisdom of elders although remains less relevant with the current flows and fields of knowledge, they become of ultimate importance when any unconventional problem emerges. Because this wisdom is born out of many tests of such senior person’s knowledge in his/her life where every unnecessary part of the knowledge is stripped off to reach that point of true knowledge- the wisdom.
Today we will explore the ancient philosophy of one such seasoned person which has stood the test of the times, especially the modern times where the skill he worked with is on the brink of extinction. As the wisdom goes, it is still relevant and helpful for today’s generation and the generations to come.
Miyamoto Musashi and The Book of Five Rings
Miyamoto Musashi was the greatest Japanese swordsman that the history of humanity has ever witnessed. Miyamoto Musashi was known for his swordsmanship and remaining undefeated in 61 duels. He was so great and influential in his art that people call him Kensei, a sword-saint of Japan. Along with the greatest swordsman, Miyamoto Musashi was also a great penman. His writings, philosophies, strategies remained of great value in the respective times and are still important today.
Miyamoto Musashi wrote two books in the later years of his life – The Book of Five Rings (五輪の書, Go Rin No Sho) and The Path of Aloneness (獨行道, Dokkōdō).
Miyamoto Musashi put all his wisdom of a warrior’s life into this “Book of Five Rings”. The five rings namely Ground, Water, Fire, Wind and Void represent the five aspects of his philosophy of a warrior. The books are a collection of very limited paragraphs and believe me it is intentional. They are supposed to concise reflecting the focused intention of the writer Miyamoto-san.
The Ground Book
The book starts with the philosophy of the Ground. The book seems exclusively written for warriors and martial arts practitioners.
“Each man practices as he feels inclined”
Miyamoto Musashi establishes that there are many fields of knowledge, ways of living life. Anyone can learn any way he fancies.
“The Way of the warrior is resolute acceptance of death“
Even though every person has to face death in the end, for a warrior the acceptance of death as the ultimate truth creates that urgency for discipline, virtue and intent. Miyamoto-san intends a person to realize the limitedness of the life and the urgency to overcome the ways in which a common life lives the same life. He wants the reader, the warrior to have something that many commoners don’t have that is the victory at personal level and victory at a group level, in teams. And believe me it is not just about victory in sword-fight or a huge battle.
Even though Miyamoto-san clearly discusses the techniques of sword fight one must understand that they are the techniques of living the life, handling the situations in life, creating a fighter warrior’s attitude towards the challenges in life.
The Way of strategy
In simple words, it discusses the discipline to live a warrior’s life. For that Miyamoto-san starts with the function of major professions in the society – the gentlemen a.k.a. the warrior, the farmers, the artisans, the merchants. He clearly points out that these are just people extending themselves through some objects for living the life with some benefits and thereby their survival.
“If we look at the world, we see arts for sale. Men use equipment to sell their own selves.”
Musashi’s view towards life and world is still relevant and unchanged. Our jobs, professions, occupations are extensions of our personality. Some are doing it willingly; some are doing it unwillingly. Even when some people are hating their jobs that is still representing who they are.
Miyamoto-san also explains how some masters, so called “Gurus”, trainers brag that their technique is the best and try to mislead people with that to gain profits. He highlights that how techniques, the strategies to live better life are being traded objectively for profits. In this chaos of trade of knowledge Miyamoto-san establishes how the value of true knowledge always remains superior irrespective of the show off of the immature people using it for their profit.
Even in today’s times the situation is not drastically different. The mainstream education is already destroyed by the backdated education system, degrees and diplomas are still less relevant for the actual professions, unnecessary and highly profit driven coaching add more to that. You will find every possible type of motivational trainer in every direction you throw the stone. Very few of them are actually doing the job of delivering true wisdom.
“The teacher is as a needle, the disciple is as thread”
So, Miyamoto-san tells here that a true teacher only directs to the goal, the direction a needy disciple, true student follows that with proper faith and diligence.
The Carpenter and the Warrior
Miyamoto Musashi tries to establish that the basic ideas of wisdom are consistent everywhere. As every type and size of wood has its own characteristics, it makes sense to use those types and sizes of wood where they prove the most effective. It’s a common sense! Utilize things and manage people according to their type, size, skills and abilities. Not everything is supposed to fit everywhere, actually that withdraws the specialty of that object or that person. And thus Miyamoto-san delivers one of the most important management lessons, that is still relevant today.
“The foreman carpenter allots his men work according to their ability. The foreman should take into account the abilities and limitations of his men, circulating among them and asking nothing unreasonable. He should know their morale and spirit, and encourage them when necessary. This is the same a s the principle of the strategy.“
If we try to force the object to fit in, the people to do the jobs they hate we won’t be able to utilize them to their fullest potential thereby lowering the purpose of their existence and even failing in the pursuit of our goals. A good leadership advice!
Body of the strategy
Note that Miyamoto-san uses words “the Way of Strategy” everywhere to highlight his philosophy of living an effective life.
“It is difficult to realize the true way just through sword-fencing.“
This should again make clear that the book not just about sword-fighting. The ways Miyamoto-san refers to are to understood in bigger aspects of life which is limitless.
“Know the smallest thing and the biggest things, the shallowest things and the deepest things.“
The inclusive and impartial perspective to look at life is the true way of gaining true wisdom. Only by knowing the extremes of the life one can have a grasp over what is actually happening. Only then one can bring that objectivity in their thoughts, otherwise people become followers of one side, blind worshipers of some great books and great people. The real and true way in in appreciating and understanding the whole spectrum of life. Only then one can live the life to its fullest.
“This is a truth: when you sacrifice your life, you must make fullest use of your weaponry. It is false not to do so, and to die with a weapon yet undrawn.“
One must make every possible attempt in the challenging situations in life to overcome them. In today’s world we call it as living life without any regrets of not making any attempt to achieve goals. If you are going for pass the last punch in your fight, make sure that you punch real hard, with all your focused intent!
“It will seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first.“
Miyamoto-san again is discussing about how to avoid wrong choices of weapons at wrong places. How you cannot use long sword in narrow places, how short sword is swift, the practicality of handling multiple weapons, the practicality of using the swords of different length based on the confinement, time and location. It becomes very detailed, confusing and overwhelming at a moment, but please know that it is not just about sword-fighting. It is about the common sense of knowing your tools, your behavior, your intent and using them to your full potential according top the situations, places and events.
“If you know the Way broadly you will see it in everything“
This single sentence is the gist of the whole books of the five rings (But that should not restrict us from exploring the remaining books and philosophies further and it will be an injustice with Miyamoto Musashi philosophy) This sentence is the only reason why one can say that it is not just about sword fighting. There are many ways to live a life. Even though there are infinite possibilities to our lives they make sense only when we have a broader view, a wide intent to make sense out of this chaos of possibilities. Its like changing your perspective of life opens new possibilities and new learnings, new insights from the same thing which earlier made less or no sense.
Why is the strategy only about swords even when there are some other good weapons like halberd, bow, spear and guns? Swords are extension of the warrior’s spirit both theoretically and practically. He explains that further in detail to prove why sword is the ultimate weapon.
“Weapons should be hardy rather than decorative“
The intent of tool is to get utilized effectively rest is just unnecessary baggage. Robustness of the weapon, your tool is more important than its appearance. In simple words, things, techniques should be designed for the function expected from them (I know it is common sense, but we many times we unnecessarily over-complicate our lives with many things thereby hiding the solution which was in plain sight) It is also about having only those resources which are actually required otherwise you will be spending unnecessary time, capital for managing that extra drag, which itself is a good management lesson.
“You should not have a favorite weapon. To become over-familiar with one weapon is as much a fault as not knowing it sufficiently well. You should not copy others, but use weapons which you can handle properly.“
In two words – John Wick and in single word – agility. Miyamoto expect the true life to be full of possibilities not some preferences. For that one themselves should be open to experience instead of having a narrow-minded attitude. This agility grants that specialty to the person which justifies his existence and also enables him to handle situation in novel and effective ways.
Emphasis on originality – when one copies the other and by the chance of time if they face each other the one who has copied his opponent’s technique will not have any type of advantage of creativity.
Timing
“You win battles with timing in Void born of the timing of cunning by knowing the enemies’ timing, and thus using a timing which the enemy does not expect.“
Importance of surprise attack or surprise move can be only highlighted once the person has overall understandings of the distance timing and the background timing. Distance timing is the awareness of what is happening with you and background timing means what is happening around you. By distance timing you can only handle yourselves, your moves but in order to anticipate your opponent’s attack you have to understand what is happening around you.
This may seem far stretched but Miyamoto-san is actually referring to different perceptions of times for you and your opponent- it’s always relative and there is a rhythm to it. (here, goes Albert Einstein) In today’s competitive world, it is more important to understand and anticipate the competitors moves and ways of working to defeat him. Excelling yourself won’t always work in non-zero-sum games (and here goes Game theory)
The roadmap to an effective and focused life
The Ground book is about the outline of the discipline, philosophy and the path to follow it. These are the minimum basic requirements for any warrior seeking accomplishment and wisdom. Miyamoto-san is very specific here. This set of nine strategies/rules is the most discussed portion of the Book of Five Rings. (And yes, it is still relevant today)
- Do not think dishonestly
Dishonesty removes the objectivity in the learning process. If you remove the objectivity from the learning then the comparison of the facts, object and the observations vary disproportionately with them. This creates wrong and biased observations and learnings thereby. So, if you are ready to call yourself fool when mistakes happen only then you can achieve good objectivity and real wisdom in the learning process.
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.
Richard P Feynman
- The Way is in training
Training builds the feedback loop in the learning process. Reinforcement of this feedback loop creates extraordinary outcomes
I hated every minute of training but I said don’t quit suffer now and leave the rest of your life as a champion
Muhammad Ali
- Become acquainted with every art
Don’t have preferences because in order to extract synergy from even a single skill, single tool you must know how it works with every other skill or other tool. When you will understand the rules of their working with everything possible you will be able to create something truly new and original. (And trust me it is very difficult to create some really unique and original. That internet post you thought is really personal to you has been already liked and shared by millions of people)
Learn the rules like pro so you can break them like an artist
Pablo Picasso
- Know the Ways of all professions
In order to become a true leader, one must understand the ways of working of different people and allot the resources to them accordingly to extract the highest possible extraordinary outcome.
Management is about persuading people to do things they do not want to do while leadership is about inspiring people to do things, they never thought
Steve jobs
If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings and put compensation as a carrier behind it you don’t have to manage them
Jack Welch
- Distinguish between gain and loss in worldly matters
Have a sustainable decision-making attitude. A true leader considers the consequences of even a small decision based on the broad outcome it will generate. This leader understands that even a small decision can affect the system in a big way.
It is the smallest decision that can change your life forever
Gary Goodridge
- Develop intuitive judgement and understanding for everything
Have your own perspective about the world, that is what justifies your existence in these infinite possibilities. Have an intent to connect he multiple and distant dots in your life, that is what will make you special and invincible.
Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it
Albert Einstein
- Perceive those things which cannot be seen
Understand that things are not what they always seem from their outside. This develops the sense of anticipation thereby an attitude to handle anything that is possible. It will also grant you the intellectual humility.
There are things known and there are things unknown and in between are the doors of perception
Aldous Huxley
- Pay attention even to trifles
The secret to do things differently is to understanding every detail associated with them. Seasoned artists are best examples of this. They make things look really simple but when a commoner attempt to replicate that, people instantly notice something off in that performance. The secret is that the mastery is about understanding every nitty-gritty of your skill.
The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail
Charles R Swindoll
- Do nothing which is of no use
Have absolute focus, clear intent in your efforts. (Even when you are having fun have complete fun) Learn to say No when it is of no use or value for you. It removes the drifts and deviations in your experiences.
It’s not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential
Bruce Lee
One has to understand what Miyamoto Musashi intends while writing the Ground Book. You will notice each and every important moment in his writing he suggests reader to use their own sense and experiences, he wants the reader to appreciate what he is trying to convey and not just read and follow it literally.
You will see sentences like this scattered throughout all five books
…You ought to think deeply about this.
…You must do sufficient research.
…I cannot write in detail how this is done.
…The essence of this book is that you must train day and night in order to make quick decisions.
…You must appreciate this.
So, the Ground book is not just about the plans and ideas to handle the weapons, their timings or some management lessons for a warlord or a strategist or some sword fighter. And believe me it is not a plan or roadmap to clarify his remaining four books. Actually, any superficial reader rather a fool will have the knowledge of things mentioned here.
The Ground book is the foundation of living a life of focus to its full effectiveness, full potential. When Miyamoto Musashi is saying that the Ground Book is like road mapped on ground, one has to appreciate and understand that it is actually the roadmap to our whole life. Again, it is not just about sword fighting and war strategies. The whole purpose of writing such a distilled and rather a short book is just to make the readers aware of the extreme and rewarding possibilities life provides. Exploring and experimenting them with focus and intent is all up to them and that is actually the beauty of an elder’s wisdom. One really has to try it on their own, experiment on their own, practice diligently on their own to appreciate what is actually getting conveyed by the wisdom of the elders.
There is more to such wisdom which will follow in the philosophies of the Water book, the Fire book, the Wind book, the Void book in upcoming posts.
Links for further reading:
Parts Per Billion 