(独行道 Dokkōdō; "The Path of Aloneness" or "The Way to be Followed Alone" or "The Way of Walking Alone") was a work written by Miyamoto Musashi (宮本 武蔵) a week before he died in 1645. It is a short work, consisting of either nineteen or twenty-one precepts; precepts 4 and 20 are omitted from the former version. It was largely composed on the occasion of Musashi giving away his possessions in preparation for death, and was dedicated to his favorite disciple, Terao Magonojo (to whom the earlier Go rin no sho had also been dedicated), who took them to heart. It expresses a stringent, honest, and ascetic view of life.
The precepts
Accept everything just the way it is.
Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.
Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.
Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.
Be detached from desire your whole life long.
Do not regret what you have done.
Never be jealous.
Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.
Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself nor others.
Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.
In all things have no preferences.
Be indifferent to where you live.
Do not pursue the taste of good food.
Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need.
Do not act following customary beliefs.
Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful.
Do not fear death.
Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age.
Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.
You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honour.
Never stray from the way.
Magic players have probably at some point or those into military and/or Asian history have come across the Book of Five Rings. This is another piece that he wrote, and it is incredibly short. Does this short list qualify as a philosophy or more of an advice column?
Does this work pertain to anything in the 21st century on how to live?
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Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.
Individualities may form communities, but it is institutions alone that can create a nation.
Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success.
Here is my principle: Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay. That is the only American principle.
It seems more like a list of quick quotes to checklist against a more complete philosophy. This is because without context, a lot of the things are meaningless, but within context they could be useful.
For instance, aphorism #1. Accept everything the way it is. Does that mean if the building I am in catches fire I should accept burning to death? Or does it mean that I must accept that it is a fire? I cannot argue with it or threaten it. Unless I exit or extinguish the fire, it will burn me. Either interpretation makes sense. A more complete philosophy could explain what is meant, and within that context I could ask myself "Am I accepting this thing the way it is?" as a quick check on my thoughts or behavior.
I wish I had the fortitude to follow all of these. There are many that I strive towards daily, but living perfect is about the journey, not the destination, right? If everyone could follow them, the world would be a much better place.
I think understanding how people view the world is helpful, in general. But I wouldn't choose to live by (all) of these.
Things like "Do not seek pleasure for its own sake", "Be detached from desire your whole life long, "In all things have no preferences" strike me as more like death than life. We're going to spend the vast majority of eternity with no preferences, no pleasure, and perfect detachment - in not existing. I think I'd rather enjoy the time I have alive. And sure, these things can lead to pain - but even that's unique to being alive.
That's not really the meaning of those things. It's that pleasure should be a natural consequence of living a right life. Your life shouldn't be wasted seeking pleasure in itself. but enjoying the pleasures that naturally come from living a good life. Also, we shouldn't act on our personal desires, but act in accordance with the universe, because our desires are imperfect, selfish and do not take into account the big picture. The universe know us, because we are connected to it, and if you do your best to live in line with the will of creation, you will find all that you desire at your feet at the right moment. When you strive to live in harmony with the all, the all will make sure you have all that is important. It's very Tao in that sense.
Well, it's not necessarily harmony in the traditional sense. Say you strive to live in harmony with Chaos. Your harmony will look much different with someone who tries to live in harmony with Buddha. Even giving yourself up to chaos or death or any other supreme force can similar dramatic effects that aligning yourself with the Universe does. It's about letting go of your ego and tapping into the forces that are bigger than ourselves.
Well, it's not necessarily harmony in the traditional sense. Say you strive to live in harmony with Chaos. Your harmony will look much different with someone who tries to live in harmony with Buddha. Even giving yourself up to chaos or death or any other supreme force can similar dramatic effects that aligning yourself with the Universe does. It's about letting go of your ego and tapping into the forces that are bigger than ourselves.
The precepts
Accept everything just the way it is.
Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.
Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.
Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.
Be detached from desire your whole life long.
Do not regret what you have done.
Never be jealous.
Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.
Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself nor others.
Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.
In all things have no preferences.
Be indifferent to where you live.
Do not pursue the taste of good food.
Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need.
Do not act following customary beliefs.
Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful.
Do not fear death.
Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age.
Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.
You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honour.
Never stray from the way.
Magic players have probably at some point or those into military and/or Asian history have come across the Book of Five Rings. This is another piece that he wrote, and it is incredibly short. Does this short list qualify as a philosophy or more of an advice column?
Does this work pertain to anything in the 21st century on how to live?
Ambition must be made to counteract ambition.
Individualities may form communities, but it is institutions alone that can create a nation.
Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success.
Here is my principle: Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay. That is the only American principle.
Art is life itself.
For instance, aphorism #1. Accept everything the way it is. Does that mean if the building I am in catches fire I should accept burning to death? Or does it mean that I must accept that it is a fire? I cannot argue with it or threaten it. Unless I exit or extinguish the fire, it will burn me. Either interpretation makes sense. A more complete philosophy could explain what is meant, and within that context I could ask myself "Am I accepting this thing the way it is?" as a quick check on my thoughts or behavior.
[Clan Flamingo]
Things like "Do not seek pleasure for its own sake", "Be detached from desire your whole life long, "In all things have no preferences" strike me as more like death than life. We're going to spend the vast majority of eternity with no preferences, no pleasure, and perfect detachment - in not existing. I think I'd rather enjoy the time I have alive. And sure, these things can lead to pain - but even that's unique to being alive.
[Clan Flamingo]
[Clan Flamingo]
I'm familiar with Taoism, I promise.
[Clan Flamingo]
I think some of these are a bit vague and thus hard to actually follow.
I would never follow these, but to each their own I suppose.
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