Monday, June 20, 2011

A Samurai Warrior's Creed



A Samurai Warrior's Creed

I have no parents--I make the heavens and earth my parents.
I have no home--I make awareness my home.
I have no life or death--I make the tides of breathing my life and death.
I have no divine power--I make honesty my divine power.
I have no means--I make understanding my means.
I have no magic secrets--I make character my magic secret.
I have no body--I make endurance my body.
I have no eyes--I make the flash of lightening my eyes.
I have no ears--I make sensibility my ears.
I have no limbs--I make promptness my limbs.
I have no strategy--I make "unshadowed by thought" my strategy.
I have no designs--I make "seizing opportunity by the forelock" my design.
I have no miracles--I make right-action my miracles.
I have no principles--I make adaptability to all circumstances my principles.
I have no tactics--I make emptiness and fullness my tactics.
I have no talents--I make ready wit my talent.
I have no friends--I make my mind my friend.
I have no enemy--I make carelessness my enemy.
I have no armor--I make benevolence and righteousness my armor.
I have no castle--I make immovable-mind my castle.
I have no sword--I make absence of self my sword.

Anonymous Samurai, fourteenth century
Found in The Book of Runes. Ralph H. Blum, St. Martin's Press, NY, 1993 



Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

2 comments:

  1. I have no words--I make silence my -Oops!

    Very nice, there is so much to take from this post, thanks for sharing Shinzen :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. very nice post....thanx 4 sharing..

    ReplyDelete