The Way of the Modern Ronin, Part 20

 
Essays and Thoughts on The Dokkodo
Part 20
Respect Buddha and the Gods Without Relying on Their Help

Statue of Fudo Myoo - deity of Shingon Buddhism - at To-Ji Monastary in Kyoto (courtesy Wikimedia)

I have a small confession before we begin this particular maxim of the great sword-saint Musashi: this is my favorite by far of all of his precepts in The Dokkodo.  I "confess" this, of course, because - as you should well know if this isn't your first piece in the series - the Budo Zen of Musashi means that we must learn to "not pick and choose" and that the key to the success of the warrior is to "have no preferences."  All that aside, it's still my favorite.  But I hope you understand why exactly that is so as you continue to read, for there is so much to "mine" from this, especially when you consider the number of "religious" people that may be offended by this maxim.  But I'm sure Musashi offended more than his fair share of people in his time, not just ours.

One thing that fascinates me - perhaps its my main fascination - with this precept is that I don't exactly agree with it.  So let's unpack this thing a little bit more.

Most of the translations of this one are essentially the same, however, the emphasis placed can be a little different.  Roshi Richard Collins translates this as, "Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help."  William Scott Wilson, who typically has the most "accurate" (but not always the most aesthetic) translations, has this as, "Respect the gods and Buddhas, but do not depend on them."  And, lastly, David K. Groff translates it thus: "Buddha and the gods are to be revered, but do not make requests of them."

If you take all of the translations into account, then we are to not count upon, depend, rely upon, or make requests to the gods or the Buddha(s).

This is a very Zen Buddhist approach.  It's commonly thought that Zen Buddhism was the religion of the samurai.  But it's simply not true.  Most samurai, being Japanese, of course, would have practiced Shinto as their primary religion.  Along with Shintoism, samurai of Musashi's time practiced Taoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism - and, typically, made some sort of amalgam of two, three, or four of the religions.  And when it came to Buddhism, most samurai were not of the Zen sect, but practiced Tendai or Shingon Buddhism (often referred to as Mikkyo Buddhism).  So even when Musashi wasn't countering other religions of differing samurai, he had to counter others who practiced his own religion, but didn't agree to the how of his practice.  I think this means that the first thing we need to take into account here is that Musashi didn't believe in "courting" the gods or other divine beings (Buddhas) because he didn't think it worked.  Whether you agreed with him or not, he didn't care.  Musashi's primary allegiance, if you will, was to the truth of things, and he could have cared less if his precept hurt your feelings.  Even when the truth may be a hard thing for others to swallow, Musashi still believed that it should be said.  To do anything less would not be the way of the warrior.  Of course, this doesn't mean that Musashi was correct.  You can believe something with the entirety of your being, and it might not be the "truth."  But the important thing for us, and I think Musashi would agree with this, is that you are true to YOUR beliefs.  You shouldn't do anything because your sensei tells you to, or because fellow budoka believe it is the right thing to do - you must do it because you believe with all your heart and instincts that it is the right thing for you.

Musashi believed in the non-theism of Zen because he thought it was the truth.  It also makes sense that he would revere - or even worship - Divinity without recourse to asking or relying upon help.  Zen is non-theistic, but it's NOT atheistic.  Musashi believed there was something more, but he didn't think this meant one had to rely upon the Divine Ground, and it's possible that he didn't think one could rely upon an external Deity for help, salvation, etc.

As with the whole of The Dokkodo, Musashi also has the very practical in mind.  He wants the samurai to rely upon himself without the aid - or what Musashi was more likely to see as a "crux" - of counting upon some sort of divine help in battle.  And although he exonerated those under him to have "no fear of death" he didn't expect this fear to be "overcome" by relying on a god or some sort of "Infinite Buddha" (such as Amida) to save one upon death.  He preferred for his samurai to die a good death through overcoming the notion of life-and-death, through the samadhi of zazen (and therefore the practice of Zen), rather than through a salvific deity.

However, and I think this is important for us in today's world, this precept can still "work" for theists.  For instance, I'm a Christian, and I have no problem being an admirer of Musashi - and a lot of other historical historic figures of Budo Zen - despite the fact that I may not agree with everything that is said by him (or others).  I think this actually goes with samurai thought and practice down through the ages, not against it.  As mentioned here, and elsewhere in this series, most samurai were not even Buddhists, but they would take a Buddhist practice and use it if they believed it would aid in their martial skills.  But, and here is where Musashi probably saw things that he didn't like, there were plenty of samurai (because they weren't all Buddhists) who practiced superstition because they thought it would aid them in battle.  And many of these superstitions came down to appeasing a kami or other divine being, and hoping that they would come to your aid on the battlefield. But the "flip side" to this is that there were also samurai who would use other "techniques" that did work, such as various breathing techniques, and meditations to focus the samurai's mind so that his body and mind moved of one accord.

I have never personally seen my love and reliance upon God as a crux, but I also see how it could be a crux if the warrior allows it to be.  And for me this comes down to one of the other lessons that Musashi is constantly extolling: let go!  If you are in the military, for instance, and are about to wage into the thick of battle, it's only natural to say a prayer, even if that prayer is asking nothing more than the will of God to be done.  The key is to say the prayer, or prayers, and then to let go and let the will of God be done!  This is the kind of "reliance upon gods" that is different from what Musashi had in mind, I believe.  It's a trust and a surrender to what is, not a superstition that if you just "say the right prayer" or "pray the right words" God will aid you.  For the theist who is a warrior, He may or may not help you, but that is none of your business.  Your business is to just be the best warrior that you can be, and don't worry about what is beyond your control.

This is not the first time in The Dokkodo that Musashi reminds me of the great Stoic philosophers, particularly Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca, who often spoke in much the same way as reference to "the gods" as does the Japanese sword-saint.  In his most famous work, The Enchiridion, Epictetus says this:

     "Remember that you are an actor in a drama, of such a kind as the author pleases to make it. If short, of a short one; if long, of a long one. If it is his pleasure you should act a poor man, a cripple, a governor, or a private person, see that you act it naturally. For this is your business, to act well the char-actor assigned you; to choose it is another’s."

You are “an actor in a drama, of such a kind as the author pleases to make it.” The author is God – he gives us our role to play. We should not complain about what role we are given – the same way that an actor in a play doesn’t complain if he is given the lead role or a minor character. Whatever role he is given, he simply performs it to the best of his ability.
What God decides to give to me or take away from me, what He decides to do to others whether they are my family or whether they are strangers, that is His business, not mine. Mine is simply to live my life to the best of my ability.

Love God, worship God, trust in Him, but do not rely on what you think He should do.