Saturday, January 20, 2018

A Few Words From...Miyamoto Musashi

"Crossing at a Ford

'Crossing at a ford" means, for example, crossing the sea at a strait, or crossing over a hundred miles of broad sea at a crossing place. I believe this 'crossing at a ford' occurs often in a man's lifetime.  It means setting sail even though your friends stay in harbour, knowing the route, knowing the soundness of your ship and the favour of the day.  When all the conditions are meet, and there is perhaps a favorable wind, or a tailwind, then set sail.  If the wind changes within a few miles of your destination, you must row across the remaining distance without a sail.

If you attain this spirit, it applies to everyday life.  You must always think of crossing at a ford."

- Shinmen Musashi No Kami Fujiwara No Genshin (Miyamoto Musashi, 1584-1645)

4 comments:

  1. That's really cool TB :)

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  2. You are quite welcome, Rain. It is taken from A Book of Five Rings. I find that Musashi is the most approachable and easily applicable writers on martial arts (along with Sun Tzu's The Art of War).

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  3. Oh my gosh, Alex downloaded the movie "The Art of War" with Wesley Snipes...I have high doubts it'll be a rendition of Tzu's book!! EEEK...I think it'll be an afternoon "sleeper" movie lol!

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  4. Rain, I would assess that at best it would a fairly loose translation of the original...

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Comments are welcome (and necessary, for good conversation). If you could take the time to be kind and not practice profanity, it would be appreciated. Thanks for posting!