Essays and Thoughts on The Dokkodo Part Five Think Lightly of Yourself, and Deeply of the World A scroll depicting kami Hachiman dressed as a Buddhist monk (courtesy of Wikimedia). The Bodhisattva Hachiman was well-loved by Taisen Deshimaru, the author of The Zen Way to the Martial Arts (quoted below). As with most of Musashi's musings, this one is another that seems at odds with modern sensibilities. This is, of course, because the modern person's values are almost always the opposite of the sayings in The Dokkodo . Yet - and here is where "modern man" gets the most confused - when you think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world you actually become much happier, more joyful, and more in love with life. As the Dalai Lama says (and this is a paraphrase), "the purpose of our lives is to be happy." But he adds that "happiness is not something ready-made, but comes from your own actions." And how do you achieve this elusive happin...
Essays on Old-School Strength Training, Classic Bodybuilding, Traditional Martial Arts, and Budo Philosophy