Week 2021-12: Myōan Eisai [Myōan Yōsai] - Collected Quotes

"Any practitioner who wants to cultivate the teaching of the Zen school amounts to a bodhisattva studying prajna. They should [...] be devoted to the cultivation of samadhi [and] maintain the wondrous purifying precepts of great bodhisattvas." (Myōan Eisai, "Kōzen gokokuron" ["The Promotion of Zen for the Protection of the Country"], cca 12th century)

"It is most urgent that one rely on the power of meditation [in all activities], whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. If one wants to realize [the power of] meditation, one must carry out the practice of the vinaya [precepts]. Those who carry out zen meditation practice in the absence of the stipulated provisions of the vinaya precepts have no basis for their practice. [...] Therefore, if one wants to realize the method for Zen meditation described here, one will uphold the vinaya purely so that one is free of any blemish." (Myōan Eisai, "Kōzen gokokuron" ["The Promotion of Zen for the Protection of the Country"], cca 12th century)

"The destruction of evil depends on the purification of wisdom. The purification of wisdom depends on the purification of meditation. The purification of meditation depends on the purification of the monastic precepts. The Buddha possesses four kinds of positive methods for winning enlightenment. The first is the monastic precepts. The second is meditation. The third is wisdom. The fourth is a mind free of impurities." (Myōan Eisai, "Kōzen gokokuron" ["The Promotion of Zen for the Protection of the Country"], cca 12th century)

"The heart is the sovereign of the five organs, tea is the chief of the bitter foods, and bitter is the chief of the tastes. For this reason the heart loves bitter things, and when it is doing well all the other organs are properly regulated. [...] When, however, the whole body feels weak, devitalized, and depressed, it is a sign that the heart is ailing. Drink lots of tea, and one 's energy and spirits ww be restored to full strength." (Myōan Eisai, "Drink Tea and Prolong Life", cca 12th century)

"Thus the Truth it [Zen] teaches, both in substance and appearance, perfects the relationships of master and disciple. In its rules of action and discipline, there is no confusion of right and wrong. [...] Studying it, one discovers the key to all forms of Buddhism; practicing it, one's life is brought to fulfillment in the attainment of enlightenment. Outwardly it favors discipline over doctrine, inwardly it brings the Highest Inner Wisdom. This is what the Zen sect stands for." (Myōan Eisai, "Kōzen gokokuron" ["The Promotion of Zen for the Protection of the Country"], cca 12th century)

"With the elimination of mental activity, one transcends [the need for] the vinaya. [...] Originally, there are no vinaya rules to practice, much less the cultivation of good deeds." (Myōan Eisai, "Kōzen gokokuron" ["The Promotion of Zen for the Protection of the Country"], cca 12th century)

"The [teaching of the] Zen school is independent of what is articulated in names and words, independent of mental deliberations and distinctions, incapable of comprehension, and ultimately unobtainable. The so-called 'Law of the Buddha' is not a law that can be articulated and is only [provisionally] named the Law of the Buddha. What is currently referred to as Zen marks this as a conspicuous feature of its teaching. Since the above three methods are all [articulated in terms of] provisional names, anyone who claims that Buddhist Zen teaching depends on words and letters and is articulated verbally is actually slandering the Buddha and slandering the Law. Because of this, the patriarch-master [Bodhidharma] referred to the Zen approach [in terms of] 'do not rely on words and letters, directly point to the human mind, and see one’s nature and become a Buddha'. Anyone who [tries to understand Buddhism] by grasping names and words is ignorant of the Law, and anyone who [tries to understand Buddhism] by grasping at the appearances [of names and forms] is even more deluded. [The state that] is inherently immovable, where there is nothing to be obtained, is what is referredto as seeing the Law of the Buddha [in the true Zen approach]."  (Myōan Eisai)

Week 2021-11: Matsumi Masaaki - Collected Quotes

"Forget your sadness, anger, grudges and hatred. Let them pass like smoke caught in a breeze. Do not indulge yourself in such feelings." (Masaaki Hatsumi, "Essence of Ninjutsu", 1988)

"Ninja should have the benevolence to protect men of justice since there are lots of good and respectable people in the world." (Masaaki Hatsumi, "Essence of Ninjutsu", 1988)

"What I want you to do is just take it as it is. Don't think too much. If you get involved with thinking about it, the whole thing gets lost or loses its purity. Don't think during practice - DO! The more you think, the further from the truth of budo you get: Budo is NOT an academic subject!" (Masaaki Hatsumi, "The Grandmaster's Book of Ninja Training", 1988)

"Learning a technique is not an end in itself, it merely indicates where you need to start." (Masaaki Hatsumi, "The Way of the Ninja", 2004)

"A shinobi must be aware that violence is self-destructive, and realize the finality of the gates of Heaven and gates of Earth. The base of the shinobi beliefs lies in an obedience to the laws of nature." (Matsumi Masaaki)

"A single mind may lead one to a wrong judgement. In contrast, an attempt at enlightenment with three minds will be one of the surest ways of attaining it." (Hatsunu Masaaki)

"Accept sorrows, sadness or hared as they are and consider them a chance for trial from Heaven. It is the most noble spirit in ninpö to take everything as a blessing from nature." (Hatsumi Matsaaki)

"Act as intuition dictates and you will see the secrets of ninjutsu there." (Matsumi Masaaki)

"Do not deviate from the path of lighteousness. Lead a life worthy of man." (Hatsumi Matsaaki)

"Don't be possessed by greed, luxury or your own ego. They destroy not just maltial alts but humanity itself."(Hatsumi Matsaaki)

"Forget your sadness, anger, grudges and hatred. Let them pass like smoke in a breeze. Do not indulge yourself in such feelings."(Hatsumi Matsaaki)

"Have both your time and mind fully engaged in budö and have your mind deeply set in bujutsu." (Hatsumi Matsaaki)

"If one mistakes spiritual enlightenment for self-satisfaction, one unconsciously starts adhering to one's desires, playing by turns the parts of a beast and human being in life." (Matsumi Masaaki)

"If you have endurance and carefully plan your defense, the path to victory will naturally appear before you." (Masaaki Hatsumi)

"Move like wind into the opponent's space." (Masaaki Hatsumi)

"Ninja live in a protected wind. The wind runs directly into the flames, fans them, climbs to the heavens, and gathers great skills. The wind kami bestows honor and good fortune." (Matsumi Masaaki)

"Nothing is so uncertain as one 's own common sense or knowledge. Regardless of one's fragile knowledge one must single-mindedly devote oneself to training, especially in times of doubt." (Matsumi Masaaki)

"Only those who can correctly tell right from wrong can develop strong spirits." (Matsumi Masaaki)

"[...] the black color of the ninja 's [shojoku] really represents forbearance and the concealed righteousness of man. Forbearance means being able to maintain concealment no matter what insults and oppression exist."  (Masaaki Hatsumi)

"The ninja [uses] his skills to avoid being hit by the bullets fired from guns but also to avoid confrontation if that was the wisest decision." (Masaaki Hatsumi)

"The rules of the ninja are not cruel or overly demanding. They are merely rules for the expert of stealth to follow in order to discover and protect the truth." (Hatsunu Masaaki)

"The winds of shinobi mold me. They disappear after shaping my body and leave me like a wreck on a wild ocean." (Matsumi Masaaki)

"There are few ties between friends that are closer than those of brothers in martial arts." (Masaaki Hatsumi)

"[...] we cannot understand the essence of ninjutsu without talking through body and mind." (Masaaki Hatsumi)

"When facing death, there are two ways of doing so: joy, in a heavenly sense, and suffering. Once this stage in life is reached, one will know one's real mission in life." (Masaaki Hatsumi)

"When you have bad people around you, your attitude should be that Heaven has sent them to you for as trial [...] to give you a chance to prove yourself." (Masaaki Hatsumi)

Week 2021-10: Martial Arts Maxims, Sayings & Maxims

"A man who has attained mastery of an art reveals it in his every action." (Samurai maxim)

"If sensation is considered to be perception through one's senses, then intuition can be considered perception through the unconscious." (Ninpö saying)

"Only a heart unburdened by temporal loyalties can see what is right and what is wrong. All else is conceit." (Shinobi proverb)

"Take arrows in your forehead, but never in your back." (Samurai maxim)

"The angry man will defeat himself in battle as well as in life." (Samurai maxim)

"The base of the shinobi's beliefs lies within an obedience to the laws of nature." (Shinobi saying)

"The shinobi's legacy is one of service to those in need, protection to those in distress, and strength to those who are overpowered." (Shinobi proverb)

"The tree that cannot bend in a fierce wind breaks." (Shinobi proverb)

"'The true essence of ninjutsu and the secrets contained within can only be realized when one studies between the words of the teaching scroll." (Ninpö proverb)

"To know and to act are one and the same." (Samurai maxim)

"Tomorrow's battle is won during today's practice." (Samurai maxim)

"What the cherry blossom is among flowers, bushi warriors are among men." (Japanese saying)

Week 2021-09: Japanese Maxims. Sayings & Proverbs

"A dog will remember a three days’ kindness for three years; while a cat will forget three years’ kindness in three days." (Japanese saying)

"Because there are fools, wise men look well." (Japanese saying)

"Better than a 1000 days of diligent study by oneself, is one day with a great mentor." (Japanese proverb)

"Don’t rub salt on a sore." (Japanese saying)

"Drink and sing: an inch before us is black night." (Japanese saying)

"Flowers will bloom on widows; maggots will be hatched on widowers." (Japanese saying)

"He is poor who does not feel content." (Japanese proverb)

"He who hunts two hares leaves one and loses the other." (Japanese proverb)

"He who smiles rather than rages is always the stronger." (Japanese saying)

"If you hate a man, let him live." (Japanese saying)

"If you throw cakes at a man, he will throw cakes at you." (Japanese saying)

"In the eyes of the lover, pockmarks are dimples." (Japanese saying)

"It is no use applying eye-medicine from a two-storey window." (Japanese saying)

"It is the melancholy face that gets stung by the bee." (Japanese saying)

"It is the tortoise that discounts the value of a pair of fast legs." (Japanese saying)

"Let the past drift away with the water." (Japanese saying)

"Look the other way when the girl in the teahouse smiles." (Japanese saying)

"The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists." (Japanese saying)

"The doctor cures the sick man who does not die." (Japanese saying)

"The focused mind can pierce through stone." (Japanese maxim)

"The string of a man’s sack of patience is generally tied with a slipknot." (Japanese saying)

"The village that shines in the moonlight leaves a different impression in the souls of different people." (Japanese saying)

"There are some gods that abandon men - they are the gods that know men." (Japanese saying)

"Time spent laughing is time spent with the gods."  (Japanese proverb)

"To endure the unendurable is true endurance." (Japanese saying)

"To teach is to learn." (Japanese saying)

"Unless you enter the tiger’s den, you cannot take the cubs." (Japanese proverb)

"When something falls into the hands of the painter or the lawyer, white becomes black." (Japanese saying)

"When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends." (Japanese proverb)

"You learn more from getting used to things than from studying." (Japanese saying)