Five Rings
Most of the observations here are taken from the concepts in “The Book of the Five Rings”, written by Miyamoto Musashi in the mid-1600′s. It is amazing how some simple representations can stand the test of time, and his heiho, or way of fighting that allowed him to survive into his sixties are the core of this book. I will transfer these principles into current settings, and I will also be taking from many Taoist and Zen writings in exploring the more subtle yet intractable nuances of life and living. Think of it as a “cleansing breath”, or your own personal koan of the day.
Thirty spokes will converge
In the hub of a wheel;
But the use of the cart
Will depend on the part
Of the hub that is void.
With a wall all around
A clay bowl is molded;
But the use of the bowl
Will depend on the part
Of the bowl that is void.
Cut out windows and doors
In the house as you build;
But the use of the house
Will depend on the space
In the walls that is void.
So advantage is had
From whatever is there;
But usefulness arises
From whatever is not.
It is fullness that gives our thinking and our principles structure, but it is the emptiness in them that makes them useful. This above poem from Tao Te Ching leads into a story related in The Book of Five Rings:
Nan-In, a Zen master, was visited by a university professor who wished to know all about Zen,
Nan-In served the professor some tea. He poured the cup full, and then continued to pour. The professor watched the overflow until he could no longer restrain himself. “Stop it!! No more will go in!!”
“Like this cup,” said the Zen master, “you are full of your own ideas and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”
In learning new behaviors and taking on new challenges, very often we will find ourselves needing to empty our cup before we can take on the new things we need. What tea are you refusing to pour out, preventing you from receiving fresh?
In the path of Heiho in particular, speed is bad. The reason is that some places such as swamps, do not allow swift body and foot movements. Since a long sword cannot be wielded like a fan or a small sword, you will find that you cannot cut at all if you try to cut swiftly under such circumstances.
It is also not good to make haste in Heiho as it pertains to large numbers. Making as if holding a pillow down will help you so that you will not be in the least too slow.
Also, if the opponent is hastening, it is important to resist this tendency and to remain calm so as to avoid being manipulated by the other side. One should train in how to make use of this spirit.
Current business etiquette weighs heavily against swordplay [pity, sometimes] but the principles endure. Speed should always be deliberate: not too fast, nor too slow, but dependent upon conditions. The speed with which you must act also depends on the speed with which the opponent is acting, not allowing oneself to be drawn into improperly hasty actions.
How well do you modulate your approach? Is your “speed” always appropriate to the “terrain”, or do you find yourself being hurried along by the speed of others?
In the matters which pertain to Heiho, all things are outer and nothing is inner. In some of the arts, people sometimes speak of that which is top secret, which is only for the insiders, and that which is for novices, but in actual combat situations, no one fights with an outer technique or cuts with an inner technique.
When I teach my Heiho to a beginner, I get him to practice and learn those techniques which he can learn quickly, and as for those points which are difficult, I ascertain his readiness and then teach the deeper principles gradually. Nevertheless, since most of my teaching is concerned with knowledge which is acquired from actual experience, the differentiation between beginning techniques and advanced techniques is not stressed.
Thus, if one goes deeper and deeper into a mountain, one will eventually find oneself at the entrance. In all paths there are some things which can be learned only as one delves deeper and deeper. And there are things which can be understood by a novice. That is why I do not present certain principles of combat as being secret and others as being open. Thus, in my way, I do not like the idea of oaths and penalties. The path for teaching my Heiho is to judge the intelligence of the students of the path, and based on that, to teach the true path, to get them to rid themselves of the shortcomings of the various other schools of Heiho, to help them perceive on their own the true path of the Way of one of the warrior class, and to make their hearts above suspicion. One should train well in this.
Do you reserve “special knowledge” for “insiders”? Does this limit the performance of the advancing up-and-comer? Why should a student not be given all the training that can be accommodated and employed? Which part of your Heiho is secret?
“In Heiho, speed is not the true way. Speed is the fastness or the slowness which occurs when the rhythm is out of synchronization.
“The movements of a master of a path do not appear to be unduly fast. For example, there are runner couriers who run as much as ten or twelve miles in a day. They do not run at such speeds from morning til night.
“An unskilled courier may run all day, but he will not cover a great distance. In the path of song and dance, when an inexperienced singer is teamed with an experienced one, the inexperienced one feels that he is lagging behind. When an inexperienced drummer tries to beat out the tune to a slow song such as ‘Romatsu’ on a drum, he finds himself feeling that he is too slow. There are fast songs, such as ‘Takasago’, but these too should not be played too quickly. As the saying goes, ‘Haste makes waste’, and the timing is upset when one proceeds too quickly. Of course, too slow is also bad.
“What a master does seems to be done with ease and without any loss of timing. Anything which is performed by someone who has experience does not look busy. Learn about the principles of the path from these examples.”
I have an entire chapter devoted to this concept in my upcoming book. In it, using the fighter pilot metaphor, I remind the reader of the scene with Goose and Maverick in “Top Gun”, high-fiving each other on the ramp, exclaiming “I feel the need… the need for speed.” Even in fighters, speed is not always good. There is a time to go fast, and there is a time to slow down, and the sign of the master is knowing which is when.
Do YOU master your pacing, or does your timing drive you? Are you asked to complete things too hurriedly? How can YOU take control and achieve the “correct” timing, so that everything seems done with ease?
“When we look at the world, we see various arts offered as items for sale. Men think of themselves as commodities for sale. There is a trend for men to invent various tools and to sell those rather than their faculties. This thinking is like separating the seed from a flower and valuing the seed less than the flower.
Actually this way of thinking causes them to color their technique and “show it off”. Advocating this school’s or that school’s sword technique training hall, they try to gain profit by teaching or learning techniques. The result, to use a common phrase, is that ‘a little knowledge can be dangerous.’”
It is difficult for me to imagine that these words were written over 450 years ago. We have very few “sword technique training halls” these days, but we have so many consultants espousing our own “schools”, such as Six Sigma, SPIN Selling, One Minute Manager, and so many others.
Often, companies engage a consultant based on the flower that they display and not on the seed that created it. We need to get beyond this, which means returning to the past in order to prepare for the future. What can YOU do to hire someone for their faculties instead of their tools?? What WILL you do?
Two monks were traveling in the the rain, the mud sloshing under their feet. As they passed a river crossing, they saw a beautiful woman, finely dressed, unable to cross because of the mud. Without a word, the older monk picked up the woman and carried her to the other side.
The younger monk, seemingly agitated for the remainder of the journey, could not contain himself once they reached their destination. He exploded at the older monk: “How could you, a monk, even consider holding a woman in your arms, much less a very young and beautiful one. It is against our teaching. It is dangerous.”
“I put her down on the far side of the river,” said the older monk. “Are you still carrying her?”