Miyamoto Musashi - Musashi’s Dokkodo (The Way of Walking Alone): Half Crazy, Half Genius?Finding Modern Meaning in the Sword Saint’s Last Words

Musashis Dokkodo

(The Way of Walking Alone)

Half Crazy, Half GeniusFinding Modern Meaning in the Sword Saints Last Words

By Miyamoto Musashi

Edited by Lawrence A. Kane and Kris Wilder

With Alain Burrese, Lisa A. Christensen, and Wallace Smedley

Foreword by Dan Anderson

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Copyright

Copyright 2015 by Lawrence Kane and Kris Wilder

Cover photo by Lawrence Kane

Cover design and interior layout by Kami Miller

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

Stickman Publications, Inc.
Burien, WA 98146
www.stickmanpublications.com

ISBN-13: 978-0692563496
ISBN-10: 0692563490

Disclaimer

Information in this book is distributed As Is, without warranty. Nothing in this document constitutes a legal opinion nor should any of its contents be treated as such. Neither the authors nor the publisher shall have any liability with respect to information contained herein. Further, neither the authors nor the publisher have any control over or assume any responsibility for websites or external resources referenced in this book.

Praise for Musashis Dokkodo

Heres something you dont see every day: A detailed analysis of a short list of life-principles offered by a sword-saint just before he died. The authors divide themselves into five archetypesmonk, warrior, teacher, insurance executive, and businessman, and reflect in extensive detail upon the meaning of Miyamoto Musashis final written words. Its fascinating stuff. Not a meal to be consumed and digested in a hurry, but one that needs to be addressed more leisurely to make the most of the varied flavors in it. Steve Perry , New York Times bestselling author

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The writings of the Japanese sword-saint Miyamoto Musashi have guided martial artists for hundreds of years. This modern examination of his 21 precepts shines new light on his teachings. The authors begin with the startling assertion that Musashi was, by modern standards, a psychopath. It doesnt take much argument on their part to see theyre right. Musashi pursued a life of killing without any apparent conscience and many of his precepts seem impossibly harsh in the modern world. And yet if we can look beyond their apparent inhumanity, we get an invaluable guide for the modern martial artist.

I would recommend this book, along with Musashis Book of Five Rings , to those facing a big test or simply wishing to enter more deeply into the martial way. The five contributorsall high-level martial artistsmake a fine job of examining the precepts and deriving the messages that apply today. They offer perspectives from backgrounds as diverse as a monk, a warrior, a teacher, an insurance executive and a businessman. Theres difference of opinion that provides scope and depth in each assessment, allowing the reader, in the end, to infer his or her own meaning from Musashis words.

Congratulations to the authorstheyve made classic samurai wisdom accessible to the modern martial artist like never before. Goran Powell , award winning author of Chojun , A Sudden Dawn , Matryoshka , and Waking Dragons

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I am not familiar with martial arts so I had never heard of Miyamoto Musashi. However, I do like books that promote self-improvement and philosophy. When I first saw this book I initially thought it would not be something I was interested in. However, I was intrigued by the approach that the authors had taken to do such a unique and personal interpretation of Musashis 21 precepts. The precepts themselves offer priceless advice to anyone, not just those in martial arts. And the authors approach make this a fresh and fun read. Well done! Kate Vitasek , Faculty, Graduate and Executive Education, University of Tennessee

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"Reading Musashis Dokkodo was like convening around a warm fire with a hot mug of cappuccino and a wizened group of philosophical mentors. It was akin to talking to five therapists. The unique viewpoints, examples and stories were cleverly wrought, causing me to laugh out loud and experience a-ha moments. I could read this multiple times and get to deeper levels of awareness. The five point perspective inspired deep introspection. I have been elevated to higher and deeper levels of personal and professional growth by reading this book. Laela Erickson , Senior Business Development Executive

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Musashis Dokkodo is a very unique book which critically and creatively analyzes the precepts of a two sword psycho-killer and seeks to learn positive lessons even from such a mind. Anyone who has read The Book of Five Rings will agree that Musashi is one of the most influential martial artists of all time. If he was indeed a psychopath, the question should be, What does that say about those of us who choose to follow his precepts, or at least consider them? This is a question I rarely thought about until reading this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Book of Five Rings in the way I enjoyed Sun Tzus Art of War . I had always thought that these were warriors, and for those of us who are training to be warriors of a sort, this was line of thinking was perfectly acceptable. Except, the battles most of us fight are within ourselves. We are not living in feudal Japan. Musashi fought his 60 famous duels to the death in order to better his skills and sharpen his warriors mind. That is what was necessary. And, he only fought, sword to sword, against proven warriors as well (or so the stories go).

This book about Miyamotos preceptsbased on 5 different points of viewanalyzes the thinking that made Miyamoto successful, allowing him to conquer his inner demons along with his combative foes. What is most fascinating about this approach is that although these authors are martial artists, they also live in and work in different fields. If this were merely a book by and for martial artists, it would still be interesting, but arguably not as important or even as provocative. It is from deeper analysis that these precepts become internalized, and therefore, most usable.

The authors of Musashis Dokkodo should be commended for opening a door to new paths, allowing us to understand the thinking of a psycho killer, and yet appreciate how much we have evolved in the martial artsby fighting our inner demons instead of our human enemies. After all, most of us train for peace. Ron Breines , Associate Professor, University of Maryland; martial arts instructor ( Kakuto Ryu Jujutsu /Karate- Jutsu , Okinawa Meibukan Goju Ryu ); certified firearms/self-defense tactical instructor

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I was never sure if Musashi was a genius, or had one oar out of the water, or was like a guy on the loading docks pontificating about how the company should be run. One thing is for sure, he was a killerand he was good at it. Now the question is, How well do those attributes translate into modern life? There are a lot of modern wannabe warriors running around who like to claim they understand ol Miyamoto. As there are corporate types who pretend The Book of Five Rings is a business model. Thing is theres a lot of stuff he said that is off the deep end and, yet, theres some solid advice there too. The questions are: One, which one is which? Two, what advice can you apply to modern life and what do you need to drop faster than an annoyed scorpion. Musashis Dokkodo takes the refreshing approach of five modern people, from different backgrounds, offering you insights into what advice can help you versus which advice will sting you. Marc MacYoung ( www.nononsenseselfdefense.com )