More Quotes by Yamamoto Tsunetomo
Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily. Every day when one’s body and mind are at peace, one should meditate upon being ripped apart by arrows, rifles, spears and swords, being carried away by surging waves, being thrown into the midst of a great fire, being struck by lightning, being shaken to death by a great earthquake, falling from thousand-foot cliffs, dying of disease or committing seppuku at the death of one’s master. And every day without fail one should consider himself as dead
A real man does not think of victory or defeat. He plunges recklessly towards an irrational death.
There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. A man's whole life is a succession of moment after moment. There will be nothing else to do, and nothing else to pursue. Live being true to the single purpose of the moment.
It is a principle of the art of war that one should simply lay down his life and strike. If one's opponent also does the same, it is a even match. Defeating one's opponent is then a matter of faith and destiny.
If you are slain in battle, you should be resolved to have your corpse facing the enemy.
If you are slain in battle, you should be resolved to have your corpse facing the enemy.
Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it as though he thought it were somewhere else.
There is nothing we should be quite so grateful for as the last line of the poem that goes, 'When your own heart asks.
Light matters should be dealt with seriously. Serious matters should be dealt with lightly.
Even if it seems certain that you will lose, retaliate. Neither wisdom nor technique has a place in this. A real man does not think of victory or defeat. He plunges recklessly towards an irrational death. By doing this, you will awaken from your dreams.
