21 March 2021

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)

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