Miyamoto Musashi | The Path of the Loner
At the age of fifteen, Miyamoto Musashi went on ‘musha shugyō’, which means ‘warrior’s pilgrimage’. During this time of his life, he traveled the land practicing his skills independently and engaged in a series of duels. After he received ronin status, he encountered the most challenging opponent he ever faced - Sasaki Kojiro - and killed him. After this event, he renounced doing lethal duels. He eventually retired to a cave where he wrote down his knowledge and wisdom for later generations.
Musashi’s written works expand on the ‘path of the warrior’, which is the samurai way of discipline, focus, restraint, and honor. The path of the warrior is governed by moral and ethical codes that are commonly referred to as Bushidō. Shortly before he died, Musashi compiled twenty-one principles on how a warrior should live. These timeless principles known as Dokkōdō can inspire us today to live well. This three-part series elaborates on the twenty-one principles from Musashi’s Dokkōdō. The first part and second part explored the first fourteen principles. This third and final part further explores the path of the warrior, based on the last seven principles. Please note, the elaborations in this video are based on existing philosophies, the author’s interpretations, and reasoning, and are intended to be an inspiration for present-day life.
- Do not act following customary beliefs. When we look at human behavior, we see the characteristics of a herd animal. Many people slavishly follow the norm, not necessarily because it’s the best thing to do, but because everyone does it. Musashi was aware of the dangers of blind obedience, and probably experienced the unskillfulness of leaders in his time. These could be the leaders of a so-called Ko-ryū, which is a Japanese school of traditional arts, but also politicians and even the emperor himself.
When we carelessly follow customary beliefs, we throw away our common sense, rational thinking capacity, and in some cases our morality in the process. Something being the norm doesn’t mean that it isn’t evil. We can find countless examples of this in history, in which people collectively engage in evil, convinced that what they do is, somehow, justifiable. The events during the second world war illustrate that people who blindly follow the dominant narrative are capable of doing horrifying things.
Another example is the general attitude towards drinking in Western culture. While the use of narcotics is frowned upon, drinking alcohol is institutionalized and considered acceptable, fun, and social, even though its effects can be as destructive (if not, even more) as using narcotics. It’s so normalized, that it’s the only drug that we have to justify not taking, even when alcohol consumption contributes to approximately three million deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization. Hence, customary beliefs aren’t always the best guidelines.
Musashi, who has lived as a ronin, as well as a hermit, spent significant amounts of time separated from society and its norms. One of the benefits of such solitude is that it shields us from outside influences and lets us watch the world from a distance. This makes it easier to independently decide what’s beneficial to our lives and what isn’t.
- Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful. Miyamoto Musashi carried a long and a short sword; not because he wanted to show off his weaponry, but because he was skilled in fighting with two swords, and carrying two swords was the ‘way of the warrior’. In The Book of Five Rings, Musashi explains that every weapon has unique characteristics. The companion sword, for example, is preferable in confined spaces or when you’re close to your opponent, as opposed to spears and halberds that are best used on the battlefield.
So, even though there’s a wide range of choices and functionalities when it comes to weaponry, Musashi advises us not to collect or practice with weapons beyond what’s useful. We can see this as a metaphor for every...