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The Book of Five Rings Summary
About The Book of Five Rings Book
The Book of Five Rings By Musashi Miyamoto
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4.6/5 (3581 reviews)
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As I strive to push my boundaries to become a better person, I believe that it's crucial for a person to learn how to be calm amidst the chaos but at the same time, know what there is to know when conflict arises. This book is for me to learn more about the craft of combat and alter the techniques of discipline outlined here to fit into my own craft.
Emptiness
The concept of emptiness in The Book of 5 Rings refers to a state of mind that is free from distractions and allows for complete focus on the task at hand.
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Timing
Timing is a crucial element in any endeavor, and Musashi emphasizes the importance of being able to read the situation and act accordingly.
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Adaptability
Musashi stresses the need to be adaptable and flexible in the face of changing circumstances. This requires an openness to new ideas and the willingness to adjust one's approach as needed.
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The book of the five rings is a manuscript about war, strategy and sword fighting written by miyamoto mushashi. It mostly deals with sword fighting but beneath that there is a strong structure for mastery and for life. Below you'll find an attempt to distill the philosophy of the way as elaborated by mushashi.
know your path, walk it. Also observe and understand the path of others.
Notice that every path and every man has his own way. Observe and respect the ways of other men and paths.
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The way to mastery
To achieve mastery one must think about that which one wishes to master in all it's facets both broadly and deeply. Through this action, one must find the optimal means of performing each movement and each minute element of that which one wishes to master. And thus one must find one's way. After one finds one's way, one must next practice it without fail until it becomes involuntary as breathing.
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The essence of focus
The moment of combat requires only one thing that is to cut the enemy, thus the warrior must in this moment think only of cutting the enemy. That must be one's sole focus. Do not needlessly fret about all the details in doing a thing, focus only on the single goal. All actions in all other moment must be in pursuit of perfecting the art of achieving this single goal. All ways in the end have only one goal, one must know it, understand it and perfect it.
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"There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself."
Miyamoto Musashi
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