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moon in the water Blog Tools Rating: Rate This Blog
Creation Date: 04-26-2010 10:46 PM
niall
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the water does not try
to reflect the moon
and the moon has no desire
to be reflected
but when the clouds clear
there is the moon in the water
Blog Info
Status: Public
Entries: 155
Comments: 1,111
Views: 1,923,213

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In Spiritual wind forest fire mountain Entry Tools Rating: 5 Stars!
  #10 New 07-09-2010 08:03 AM
wind forest fire mountain Wind Forest Fire Mountain 風林火山 (furinkazan) was the motto of Takeda Shingen.

Takeda was a Daimyo in the warring states period of Japanese history. He was also known as the Tiger of Kai. He had a legendary rivalry with Uesugi Kenshin - the Dragon of Echigo - and fought him five times in battle and once in single combat (Takeda used a tessen - an iron fan - against Uesugi's katana). Takeda Shingen is still enormously admired and popular in Japan (in fact they both are). You can still go to onsens - hot springs - where he went to recover after battles - the minerals in the water are supposed to help sword wounds to heal faster.

His motto, which was on his war banners, was: swift as the wind, silent as a forest, fierce as fire, immovable as a mountain (move as swiftly as the wind, be as silent as a forest, attack as fiercely as fire, defend as immovably as a mountain).

The phrase originally came from the Art of War by Sun Tzu. They were Takeda Shingen's principles of strategy - long-range planning - and also his principles of tactics - how to fight in a battle.

These four concepts have parallels with the elements. In Buddhism the elements were considered to be earth, water, fire and air. Surprisingly these four elements (with the addition of ether) are the same as the elements in classical Greek thought (and the same four elements were associated with the four humours or personality types: melancholic, phlegmatic, choleric and sanguine).

Japanese culture historically also used these same four elements, earth, water, fire and air, and similarly included one more subtle element - or lack of element: void or emptiness. For example Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings - Go Rin No Sho - is divided into these five books.

We use that idea of void or emptiness in budo in advanced concepts like mushin or mushin no shin, the mind of no mind, munen, no thought, muso, no reflection, and mugamae, a free stance - or lack of stance - quite different from a formal stance. So freedom is important - our minds should never be fixed or stuck.

In Takeda Shingen's phrase immovable as a mountain there are echoes of fudoshin - immovable mind or calm determination. It is not a contradiction of mushin. The zen monk Takuan discussed these concepts in his letter to the sword master Yagyu Tajima no kami (Yagyu Munenori) on zen and swordsmanship (The Unfettered Mind by Takuan Soho). The mind has to be free and fluid but at the same time for ever centred. Incidentally Takuan in another letter about zen and tea (cha-no-yu) talks about the five Chinese elements (wu xing): fire, earth, metal, water and wood, and living in harmony with nature (mountains, rivers, rocks and trees).

Silent as a forest is perhaps less relevant to budo. And for fierce as fire, in a lyrical and elemental mood, here is a twentieth century poet's vision of two elements at the end of the world:

Fire and ice by Robert Frost

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.

Finally, many samurai wrote death poems and Uesugi Kenshin's death poem is particularly impressive and cool:

「四十九年一睡の夢 一期の栄華一盃の酒」yonjukyu nen issui no yume ichigo no eiga ippai no saké

forty-nine years - one night's dream
a life of glory - a cup of saké

In the end what has all this got to do with budo? Simple. We always have to go back to Takeda Shingen's first principle: LIKE THE WIND

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/r...ousenkyou.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeda_Shingen
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uesugi_Kenshin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fudoshin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Five_Rings

photo used by kind permisson of kaeru (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaeru/501750/) under creative commons licence

© niall matthews 2010
Views: 15142 | Comments: 20 (1 Private)


RSS Feed 20 Responses to "wind forest fire mountain"
#20 01-16-2011 05:10 AM
niall Says:
Thanks, Carina. I finally found this. Looking for it I found a couple of comments I hadn't replied to. Great doka. One day you won't need a guide any more. You'll follow your own path.
#19 01-16-2011 02:20 AM
guest1234567 Says:
The time is now! Make straight the bonds that link Heaven, Fire, Water and Earth. Let me stand as your guide. - Morihei Ueshiba
#18 11-30-2010 06:10 AM
niall Says:
Yes, that's good. In The Book of Five Rings Miyamoto Musashi also talks about the five Japanese elements and swordsmanship.
#17 11-29-2010 08:15 AM
guest1234567 Says:
Thanks Niall.. Maybe the doka of today 30th nov. does fit in this post too.. Takemusu comes to be Through Aiki with fire and Water of the Holy Parent. The workings of this union are The superlative beauty of the works of the Kami.
#16 11-29-2010 07:59 AM
niall Says:
It's usually taken for a political meaning. In the play the King seems to accept Pericles but secretly tries to have him killed. A tyrant is a person who abuses power - and a kiss/sign of friendship from one might not be real...
#14 11-29-2010 06:14 AM
niall Says:
There is another famous and very cool quote from Pericles: 'Tis time to fear when tyrants seem to kiss.
#13 11-28-2010 12:06 PM
guest1234567 Says:
Thanks for continuing to read the story
#12 11-14-2010 07:52 AM
niall Says:
That wasn't the end of the story, though. His wife didn't die - her coffin was washed ashore and she was revived(!), and years later he found his daughter and his wife again...
#11 11-14-2010 04:20 AM
guest1234567 Says:
About the musketeers your're right.. About Pericles thanks Niall, really sad..
#10 11-13-2010 09:22 PM
niall Says:
Thanks for those quotes, Carina. About Pericles: Pericles is talking to his baby girl on board a ship in a storm after his wife died giving birth: All the elements combined to give you a troubled birth
#9 11-13-2010 07:31 PM
niall Says:
Yes, there were 3, Aramis, Athos and Portos. And d'Artagnan made 4.
#8 11-13-2010 09:36 AM
guest1234567 Says:
I have heard The cock, that is the trumpet to the morn, Doth with his lofty and shrill-sounding throat Awake the god of day, and at his warning, Whether in sea or fire, in earth or air, Th' extravagant and erring spirit hies To his confine. Horacio, of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, of Shakespeare
#7 11-13-2010 09:35 AM
guest1234567 Says:
4 musketeers? I think they were only 3? But I found something for you maybe you can explain me Thou hast as chiding a nativity As fire, air, water, earth, and heaven can make, To herald thee from the womb Pericles, in Pericles Prince of Tyre,of Shakespeare
#6 11-13-2010 12:47 AM
niall Says:
Good idea, Carina, thanks - I'll think about that. 4 gospels, 4 horsemen of the apocalypse, 4 musketeers...
#5 11-11-2010 11:52 AM
guest1234567 Says:
Thanks Niall, here you have more examples beside the 4 elements:and 4 directions of your post about shihonage:.4 seasons, the 4 phases of the moon, four aspects of human personality--the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual,The Signs of the zodiac are also divided BTW the four elements. II think there is much material for one or two posts more, I'd like you would explain your thoughts, it is very interesting
 




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