The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi

Thursday, April 8. 2010

The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi

According to the chronicles of our past (i.e. "history"), Miyamoto Musashi was without a doubt a very successful Samurai warrior with a distinct style.

Whether or not he considered himself successful in the sense that he didn't die a warrior's death is up for discussion, but his book, The Book of Five Rings, and his teachings in the swordsmanship style The Art of War, many aspects of the Book of Five Rings can be applied in everyday life, in business, in your personal life, etc. Some of the writings aren't entirely clear in their meaning, in fact they sometimes sound like a fortune cookie (this may be a translation issue), but if you go back to them once or twice, it's somewhat easier to get a grasp of the meaning.

The thin red line throughout the entire book (my own interpretation) is "Stay focused and dedicated and you will develop and evolve, and possibly reach your goals, if they are true goals". The book is, however, much broader in the subjects covered than those in my personal reflection.

Read it!

Some other links:
musashi.altervista.org/pages_eng/
samuraiconsulting.ca/5rings/
feedbooks.com/book/3953.pdf (PDF)