Classical Martial Arts Philosophies, Part 2
Shidoshi Ken Harding

Continuing the examination of Classical Martial Arts Masters, I will point out a few more examples from Miyamoto Musashi’s Book of Five Rings. His words appear in bold print.

He writes about the rhythm of martial arts. “Rhythm is something that exists in everything, but the rhythms of martial arts in particular are difficult to master without practice... There is even rhythm in being empty... The rhythms of the martial arts are varied. First know the right rhythms and understand the wrong rhythms, and discern the appropriate rhythms from among great and small and slow and fast rhythms. Know the rhythms of spatial relations, and know the rhythms of reversal. These matters are the specialties of martial science.” This is why mastery of bujutsu is not quick. It takes a long time just to realize that there are rhythms, and then it takes a long period before one is able to attune to them.

He concludes this talk with: “Unless you understand these rhythms, your martial artistry will not be reliable. The way to win a battle according to military science is to know the rhythms of the specific opponents, and use rhythms that your opponents do not expect, producing formless rhythms from the rhythms of wisdom.”

Here are the nine rules of Musashi found in his Earth Scroll.
1. Think of what is right and true.
2. Practice and cultivate the sciences.
3. Become acquainted with the arts.
4. Know the principles of the crafts.
5. Understand the harm and benefits in everything.
6. Learn to see everything accurately.
7. Become aware of what is not obvious.
8. Be careful even in small matters.
9. Do not do anything useless.

Regarding this list of rules for the warrior mind, I could not have said it better. I had already arrived at these points through the training of the Bujinkan. Some of them seem too simple, and yet are not simple. Some seem to be unconnected with Martial Arts, and yet they are connected. You should contemplate them.

In the Water Scroll he writes: “In this way of life in particular, if you misperceive the path even slightly, if you stray from the right way, you fall into evil states.” This is easy to see when you study the kinds of things we study. Power can easily corrupt.

“The science of martial arts is not just a matter of reading these writings. Taking what is written here personally, do not think that you are reading or learning, and do not make up an imitation; taking the principles as if they were discovered from your own mind, identify with them constantly and work on them carefully.” Consider that you want to go from where you are to where you want to be. In this case, you cannot get to where you have never been if you only use what you have always had. In other words, the tools you have— your skill, insight, perception and knowledge— have gotten you to where you are now. If you wish to go further, you must learn to think a new way. This is the most difficult thing.

“In the science of martial arts, the state of mind should remain the same as normal. In ordinary circumstances as well as when practicing martial arts, let there be no change at all— with the mind open and direct, neither tense nor lax, centering on the mind so that there is no imbalance. Calmly relax your mind so that the relaxation does not stop even for an instant.” An important unspoken point here is that if your “normal” mind— your mind in ordinary circumstances— is distracted, cluttered and confused, then your martial arts will be useless. You must strive to clear and relax your mind at all times, and training in this mental technique does not cease during all your waking hours.

“Pay attention to the mind, not the body. The mind is not dragged by the body, the body is not dragged by the mind. Let there be neither insufficiency or excess in your mind.” Your body is not what needs the most training— your mind does. You should condition your body, cardio-vascular system, fists, etc., but that will not be enough. It will not save you. The body will follow what the mind does. If the mind is trained, the body will instantly respond. Knowing when to act and what to do-- and not hesitating-- is the most important point.

“It is essential for those who are physically small to know what it is like to be large, and for those who are physically large to know what it is like to be small; whether you are large or small, it is essential to keep your mind free from subjective biases.” This is very important. Try always to know when you are operating under a subjective bias— which means that your interpretation or perception is colored by your limited experience, incompleteness of knowledge, or personal wishes. It is inappropriate for the warrior to operate under subjective biases.

“It is essential to make your ordinary bearing the bearing you use in martial arts, and make the bearing you use in martial arts your ordinary bearing. This should be given careful consideration.” The calm, observant, reserve bearing that we use when training creates the impression of a dignified, patient, serene personality when carried into everyday life. It also creates a sense that you cannot be assailed, that you have no unguarded weaknesses. It is this impression that stops confrontations before they start. Predators look to attack the weakest of the herd, so you should not appear to be weak, even when doing ordinary actions.

“The long sword should be taken up with the thought that it is something for killing opponents.” This also applies to all of martial arts. It should only be undertaken with the utmost seriousness. Not a game, not a hobby, not a sport.

“Generally speaking, fixation and binding are to be avoided, in both the sword and the hand. Fixation is the way to death, fluidity is the way to life. This is something that should be well understood.” When you train, you should not be too tense and fixed in your space. Be ready to change fluidly. Keep your joints-- knees, ankles, elbows, shoulders, wrists-- relaxed, not tense.

On the sword, Musashi says: “In wielding the long sword, the thumb and forefinger grip lightly, the middle finger grips neither tightly nor loosely, while the little fingers grip tightly. There should be no slack in the hand.”

You may have not been able to read the Book of Five Rings yet, so I have read it for you. But this does not mean that you should not read it. Furthermore, I do not want to give the impression that I think Musashi’s book is the greatest book on martial thinking. There are problems in his writings, stemming from his total lack of an ethical framework, to his view that winning is everything, and that dueling is a thing of value. His work is unbalanced in these regards.

A few more words on the sword. Here are some points of Basic Etiquette.