Learn from Dokkpdo, The “Dokkodo” (“The way of solitude,” “The way of walking alone”) is a short work written by Miyamoto Musashi a week before his death. In 1645. It consists of 21 prescriptions. “Dokkodo” was mostly composed on the occasion of Musashi giving away his belongings in preparation for death, and was dedicated to his favorite student, Terao Magonojō (to whom the earlier Go rin no sho [The Book of Five Rings]), took seriously. “Dokkodo” expresses a strict, honest and ascetic view of life.
In the last days of his life, the mythical Japanese retired to a cave called Reigandō. (Spirit Rock Cave) In that cave, he spent the last months of his life meditating and writing his vision of the world. While secluded in the cave, he wrote two works: the Go Rin No Sho (Book of the Five Rings) and the Dokkōdō. The Go Rin No Sho taught all of his samurai martial arts. The Dokkōdō contains its own soul. Each of these books is the result of years of his life as a samurai and ronin(samurai dokkodo). While the works themselves speak of Japanese culture and sophistication, especially in the warrior class, they also speak of strategy, combat, and art.
Both works are dedicated to his favorite student Terao Magonojo.
Table of Contents
Wisdom lines
The Dokkōdō means “The way of solitude” or “The way of going alone.” Musashi wrote this work a week before his death. It’s 21 lines long. Each line contains a different idea that one would live with.
1. Accept everything as it is
Nice advice. Instead of worrying or worrying about what’s going on around you, accept it. The time spent on it is best spent by improving yourself.
In a less philosophical mind, if you can accept the reality of things, you will adapt to the world instead of wishing in vain for the world to adapt to your wishes.
Being realistic is the easiest way to success.
2. Don’t seek pleasure in itself
I have seen many men who ignore this warning; You have to go to the MGM lobby. Anyone who has lived for a few years understands the pain of losing friends to addictions and observing the problems that come with it. If it makes you happy; Go for it. When the feeling goes away, make sure you are a few steps ahead.
It’s a fleeting sensation, as fleeting as cotton candy on a warm tongue. Therefore, if you make the pursuit of pleasure the sole purpose of your existence, you will always be pursuing a fleeting high. This causes tremendous fear and is the cause of much of the suffering in the First World.
3.Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.
No, by no means dependent on a partial feeling.
You must be sure where to put your foot before taking a step. The purpose of this is to avoid confusion, to keep your mind clear, and to act only when you are safe.
Follow this feeling to find your life purpose
4.Think lightly about yourself and deeply about the world.
Be humble. How can you listen to wisdom if you only listen to yourself? If you only walk with your eyes to yourself, you miss the details of the world around you. By paying attention to the world, you can better appreciate the results of your actions and gain insight into things that you would otherwise miss.
5.Be detached from desire your whole life long.
Stay separate from desire throughout your life.
If you’ve been chasing a dream all your life, you may run forever. Live your life to be content, pursue goals, but don’t let yourself be controlled. Don’t worry about what others have if you can make yours.
6.Do Not Regret What You Have Done
Understand your actions. If he refutes your way of being, don’t continually regret the past or become bitter. Work on understanding yourself, leave it behind, and live your life the way it should.
7.Never be jealous.
It’s a waste of time. Spend your energy productively. Planning all that time could accomplish many other things.
8.Never Let Yourself Be Saddened By A Separation
Just by living, people will come and go. It’s not the distance that counts. It’s how you remember them. Keep them close to your heart, and they will always live in your footsteps.
9.Resentment And Complaint Are Appropriate Neither For Oneself Nor Others.
Resentment and complaining are not appropriate for themselves or others. Better to focus your energy on improving yourself or them and then causing useless pain. The world is peeing, and moaning doesn’t make him spin any faster.
10.Do Not Let Yourself Be Guided By The Feeling Of Lust Or Love.
Don’t let the feeling of lust or love guide you. Act with respect for yourself. Love comes and goes, don’t do something for someone you wouldn’t do for yourself. Don’t burn down a bridge you’ve been building for years.
11.In All Things Have No Preferences.
In all things, they have no preferences. Be open, willing to try all things, and wish nothing. If you always behave in a certain way, you will never experience anything new.
12.Be Indifferent To Where You Live.
Be indifferent to where you live. Life is life. If you are not satisfied with where you are, move on, but in time you will realize that it is not where you live but how you live. A palace or a parking lot; rejoice in the shelter and the heat.
13.Do Not Pursue The Taste Of Good Food.
Don’t hunt for the taste of good food. You can see this as proof today. Eat to be fed and eat to be full. Live the life of a Ronin Mushashi learned to appreciate the value of a full stomach. The taste of good food can be just as harmful as any addiction.
14. Do Not Hold On To Possessions You No Longer Need.
Don’t hold on to belongings that you no longer need. If you no longer benefit from it, then go free. Give it to someone who can appreciate it. It’s easy to get a bunch of crap that will just overwhelm you. Have a garage sale, and hit the beach. It will make you feel better.
15.Do Not Act Following Customary Beliefs.
Don’t act out of habit. Think and act for yourself. Act as you think you should, not as others say you should. You only get one chance to decide for yourself.
16. Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful.
Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful. Musashi wrote in the Book of Five Rings, “Don’t do anything that is useless.”
The primary purpose of a sword is to cut. In the same sense, the purpose of a pen is for writing, and the goal of a mug is for drinking. Everything else is frivolous.
Do not assign arbitrary or ritual meanings to everyday objects. Tools are meant to be used, and people are meant to be loved.
Not the other way around.
17.Do Not Fear Death.
This can be the hardest for some to do. Easier as the years have passed for some, more difficult than for others. Everyone dies; everyone comes to terms differently. The best way to do this is to identify what scares you the most and work from there.
18.Do does not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age
Do not seek to own property or fiefdoms for your old age. This is undoubtedly difficult for me to accept.
Many of us work hard in a capitalist society to retire and have something to show for it. A gold watch, a plot of land, and maybe some kids were running across your manicured green lawn.
Musashi argues vehemently against this logic.
For him, the process is the journey, and the journey is the reward itself. All external rewards are wind.
19.Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.
Hopes and wishes are great, but you can only count on yourself at the end of the day.
Offer your daily prayers, but don’t count on divine intervention. Speak for yourself. Develop the skill and wisdom to get out of difficult situations.
Using every drop of your God-given talent is the best way to honor your Creator.
- God helps those who can help themselves.
- Never depend on luck. People who rely on luck fail because they have no plan.
20.You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honor.
The quote from a real samurai, if ever there was one.
In the first chapter of The Book of the Five Rings, Musashi states that “in general terms, the Way of the Warrior means the resolute acceptance of death.”
Fight, and it will go wrong, give your life for a greater purpose, be it for family, faith, clan, or nation. That is the real purpose of a warrior’s life.
21.Never stray from the Way.
Finally, Musashi reminds us of the importance of diligently sticking to the path.
These regulations are intended to be put into practice. They are meant to be put into action, to be lived, not just to scroll through in seconds and forget just as quickly. There is a quote from Bruce Lee that says