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 ...
Essays on Old-School Strength Training, Classic Bodybuilding, Traditional Martial Arts, and Budo Philosophy