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The Way of Walking Alone

July 6, 2022 by Greg Molyneux

100mm macro photo of a dutiful bumblebee collecting pollen atop a fresh daisy blossom. The image is cross processed to give it a more moody tone.

The Way of Walking Alone — 100mm | f/3.5 | ISO 100 | EXP 1/1000

Or The Way of Self-Reliance (Dokkōdō).

I’ve started listening William Scott Wilson’s translation of Miyamoto Musashi’s The Book of Five Rings on Audible. As something of a budding Japanophile, and a person long into all things history, the study of The Way and Samurai culture rings true to my soul as a monk’s bell meditatively struck in morning. In the forward, Wilson translates the final lesson handed down from Mushashi to his disciples: 21 precepts outlining The Way of Walking Alone. The teachings of Japan’s sword-saint are open to us all, and I thought I’d share a bit here.

  • Do not turn your back on the various Ways of this world.
  • Do not scheme for physical pleasure.
  • Do not intend to rely on anything.
  • Consider yourself lightly; consider the world deeply.
  • Do not ever think in acquisitive terms.
  • Do not regret things about your own personal life.
  • Do not envy another’s good or evil.
  • Do not lament parting on any road whatsoever.
  • Do not complain or feel bitterly about yourself or others.
  • Have no heart for approaching the path of love.
  • Do not have preferences.
  • Do not harbor hopes for your own personal home.
  • Do not have a liking for delicious food for yourself.
  • Do not carry antiques handed down from generation to generation.
  • Do not fast so that it affects you physically.
  • While it’s different with military equipment, do not be fond of material things.
  • While on the Way, do not begrudge death.
  • Do not be intent on possessing valuables or a fief in old age.
  • Respect the gods and Buddhas, but do not depend on them.
  • Though you give up your life, do not give up your honor.
  • Never depart from the Way of the Martial Arts.

Second Day of the Fifth Month, Second Year of Shoho [1645]
—Shinmen Musashi

Shout-out to Digital Dao for providing the online text as I did not transcribe this from the audio text.

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Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: 100mm bumblebee cross processing daisy flowers insects japan literary inspired macro miyamoto musashi pollinators samurai the way

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