A Meditation
The following I found to be worth meditating upon: they are the Self-Precepts and Nine Articles by the celebrated swordsman and Zen artist, Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645) who also wrote The Book of Five Rings.
Զ Do not violate the laws of society.
Զ Do not seek comfort for your person.
Զ Do not play favourites (be free of bias).
Զ Think lightly of yourself and deeply about worldly affairs.
Զ Do not have many desires throughout your life.
Զ Have no regrets regarding personal affairs.
Զ Do not be jealous or envious of others’ affairs.
Զ Do not grieve when you have to separate yourself from something or someone.
Զ Do not begrudge yourself or others
Զ Do not think about falling in love.
Զ Do not become infatuated with physical objects.
Զ Do not wish to settle down.
Զ Do not take fine food for yourself.
Զ Do not pile up possessions.
Զ Do not overvalue the things you have.
Զ Do not become obsessed with having splendid weapons.
Զ When following the Way, do not be afraid of dying.
Զ Do not hoard money for your old age.
Զ Venerate buddhas and gods but do not rely on them.
Զ Abandon self-interest, and do not seek fame or fortune.
Զ Never separate yourself from the Way of a Warrior.
The following I found to be worth meditating upon: they are the Self-Precepts and Nine Articles by the celebrated swordsman and Zen artist, Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645) who also wrote The Book of Five Rings.
Զ Do not violate the laws of society.
Զ Do not seek comfort for your person.
Զ Do not play favourites (be free of bias).
Զ Think lightly of yourself and deeply about worldly affairs.
Զ Do not have many desires throughout your life.
Զ Have no regrets regarding personal affairs.
Զ Do not be jealous or envious of others’ affairs.
Զ Do not grieve when you have to separate yourself from something or someone.
Զ Do not begrudge yourself or others
Զ Do not think about falling in love.
Զ Do not become infatuated with physical objects.
Զ Do not wish to settle down.
Զ Do not take fine food for yourself.
Զ Do not pile up possessions.
Զ Do not overvalue the things you have.
Զ Do not become obsessed with having splendid weapons.
Զ When following the Way, do not be afraid of dying.
Զ Do not hoard money for your old age.
Զ Venerate buddhas and gods but do not rely on them.
Զ Abandon self-interest, and do not seek fame or fortune.
Զ Never separate yourself from the Way of a Warrior.
posted by Ed Meers @ 2/14/2006 04:49:00 p.m.
6 Comments:
At 9:47 a.m. ,
Anonymous said...
Thanks.
I find that change often comes from violating #1, however. #4 Demands it.
Is "Self Precepts and the Nine Articles" a book title?
At 5:58 p.m. ,
Ed Meers said...
It's more a scroll translation, often found in various anthologies of Martial Arts. The "Book of Five Rings" is an actual book/treatise like Sun Tzu's "Art of War", etc.
If I could make a couple recommendations to anyone interested in getting a fairly decent basic-non-new-age approach to Buddhism, I'd recommend "Hardcore Zen" by Brent Warner or "The Heart of The Buddha's Teaching" by Thich Nhat Hahn.
At 12:28 p.m. ,
Anonymous said...
Took a simple bit of Christian faith an complicated it. Somehwere these must meet if Truth is Absolute! nodrog after noon.
At 8:17 p.m. ,
Firedawg said...
Have you listened to any of Ram Dass's tapes?
At 8:32 p.m. ,
Ed Meers said...
No, but I've seen his books and tapes in the shop. I've heard pretty good things about his writings and ideas. My fav writer/poet of the Buddhist genre is Thich Nhat Hahn. Incidentally, one of his students is the junior monk at the Truc Lam Temple that I sometimes go to for meditation.
At 10:27 a.m. ,
"Jet" said...
I really liked this post... thanks.
~JTL
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