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Bushido

Lark

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Jun 21, 2009
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Any fans of Bushido? I've got and I'm currently reading one of the primary texts on the concept, its called Bushido: The Soul of Japan, despite a couple of qualms, like the talk about race, I like it a lot and it seems really congruent with my own ideals and thinking.

I'm not sure if it is perfectly analogous with codes of chivalry or courtly manners in the West, I also think that its more than simply the tempering of Samuari violence by Shinto Buddhism, although I do think those things are important and sources of Bushido.

I love the importance of the development of individual character and equanimity of temper, perhaps its because its something I feel is lacking in the world or my life and experience.
 

Biaxident

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I love the importance of the development of individual character and equanimity of temper, perhaps its because its something I feel is lacking in the world or my life and experience.

Oh, you are correct.

A majority of people in the world seem to have no individual character, other than what they pick up from the media. And then we have the 'I want it NOW!' mentality, which is a whole other thread unto itself.

Equanimity? Not even on here, where discussions and debates are allowed if not encouraged. And a majority even have a degree of anonymity. No one wants to admit they may be wrong, and be open minded enough to listen and consider other viewpoints. That could ruin their comfortable view of the world.

Many people won't change their views, even with hard facts slapping them in the face. And you can't make people change, they have to want to.

Yes, I am painting with a broad brush, get over it. If none of this applies to you, ignore it. You will anyway.
 

miss fortune

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dammit... I thought we were talking about Dubbya again! :laugh:
 

miss fortune

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^ :laugh:

excellent, my good sir!

of course, I fear that he's on my mind since I saw him on tv this morning :doh:
 

miss fortune

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oh dear... that would probably knock the television off the mantel! :horor:

and shouldn't a circle of salt or something keep Cheney away?
 

kelric

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and shouldn't a circle of salt or something keep Cheney away?

No, I think that would just keep slugs away... and let's face it, they're probably welcome companions when compared to Cheney. You'd probably need something like a group of happy children or cute puppies to repel him.
 

matmos

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No, I think that would just keep slugs away...

There's very differing schools of thought with keeping slugs at bay. A morning routine of chopping them in two with scissors works well: the birdies are grateful for breakfast. So it's win-win.

Result.
 

miss fortune

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we have a cute doggy! :holy:

I was thinking that it was a superstition that a circle of salt kept demons out... and slugs ;)
 

matmos

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And of course the circle of salt is famously used in the rituals of Bushido. Or Sumo.

Slugs can carry parasites that cause meningitis - so don't eat them. I'm not sure whether dogs can get meningitis from slug consumption, though. :(
 
S

Sniffles

Guest
You might also want to try reading Hagakure, which is a text from the 18th century concerning Bushido.

I'm not sure if it is perfectly analogous with codes of chivalry or courtly manners in the West, I also think that its more than simply the tempering of Samuari violence by Shinto Buddhism, although I do think those things are important and sources of Bushido.

Well as warrior codes they do share considerable similarities, but at the same time they also reflect the specific religious-cultural contexts in which they arose. For example the Samurai practice of honorable suicide(hagakiri) would not be compatible with the Christian undertones of chivalry. Although Im sure the two traditions came together in the case of those samurai who did convert to Christianity.
 

Mole

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Any fans of Bushido? I've got and I'm currently reading one of the primary texts on the concept, its called Bushido: The Soul of Japan, despite a couple of qualms, like the talk about race, I like it a lot and it seems really congruent with my own ideals and thinking.

To learn about Bushido you might talk to Australian prisoners of war of the Japanese Emperor.

You might find Bushido is devoted to racial purity.

And you might find Bushido is devoted to unimaginable cruelty towards those who make the mistake of surrendering.

Or you might find yourself moved to follow the example of the President of the United States of America and bow to the Emperor of Japan from the waist.
 
S

Sniffles

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Uh huh Victor:
TOKYO - In a move very likely to alarm China,Japan and Australia have signed a historic joint security declaration calling for closer cooperation on terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, disaster relief, and peacekeeping.

This is Japan's second bilateral security deal, the other being the Japan-US Security Treaty dating back about half a century. The Japan-Australia pact is seen by many observers as underscoring a looming US-Australia-Japan axis of democracy, primarily aimed at keeping in check China, a rapidly ascending military as well as economic power in the Asia-Pacific region.

Asia Times Online :: Japan News - The emerging axis of democracy

Yeah yeah I know.....contretemps are off limits.
awesome-face.png
 

Moiety

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I never read much about it, but like any philosophy written down at all, I take its usefulness with a grain of salt.
 
S

Sniffles

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Here's something I found concerning Christian samurai that I referenced to earlier in the thread in regards to Bushido vs chivalry:
The Portuguese brought Christianity to Japan in 1549 but 100 years later, when the Shogun started to fear that Christianity was a precursor to European imperialism, Japan began wiping out Christianity. They instituted a sort of Buddhist Inquisition, ferreting out Christians and making them renounce their faith by having them step on the cross or defile other Christian iconography. If they refused to renounce their faith, they were tortured or killed. This went on until 1637, when a rebellion of 37,000 Christians led by the most famous Christian in Japanese history, the samurai swordsman turned ronin, Amakusa Shiro, took on the Shogun's army at Harajo castle...

...The Tokugawa Shogunate had one Christian lord, daimyo Konishi Yukinaga. When Yukinaga was stripped of his title, his samurai became ronins and were exiled to become farmers in Southern Japan. The brutal daimyo Matsukura Shigeharu, who replaced Yukinaga, was ordered to wipe out Christianity. To make a long story short, during what was known as the Shimbara Rebellion, Shigeharu marched on these farmers with a vast army of samurai warriors and were met with great resistance by an army of peasants and ronins who were under the leadership of Jinbei's son Amakusa. Amakusa's battle cry was, "We would rather die one swift death than a thousand slow ones."

When asked how a samurai could become a Christian knowing full well that he could only serve one master the Shogun Shimahara says, "The priests were effective and exemplified many of the bushido traits of self-sacrifice and serving a master, their master being Christ. The Portuguese were passionate people able to make an arduous journey, and were focused and dedicated, traits that inspired the samurai. Also, there is evidence that many of the Christian samurai class or above took advantage of the situation because of trade knowing if they were Christian they would have an in with traders from Spain, Portugal and other European countries, so it was a motivating factor. There were earnest Christians, it was a new frontier and a new kind of thinking."

Kungfu Magazine: E-Zine Feature Article

The Portuguese missionaries who travelled to Japan were Jesuits I believe, who followed a rigourous spirituality developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola, who himself was a knight in the Spanish army before becoming a priest. Not very surprising such a form of spirituality would appeal to members of the Samurai class.
 

wolfy

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It's funny how some people here in Japan are more into knights and people in western countries are more interested in Bushido. Both for the same reasons too. I've heard a few people say, Bushido served a master, Ronin were just unemployed samurai but knights were the ones that did it for themselves. To develop themselves as individuals.
 

Scott N Denver

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yes and no. I find martial arts very interesting, japanese chinese and other, and have much respect for bushido and allied concepts. I don't know if I generally agree, am yes and no about things, or generally disagree. For example, I think my attitudes are far more chinese/taoist, which shares similarities with bushido, but differences as well. I don't feel all that "samurai-like" myself, but more "shaolin monk" or "wudang monk"-like.

I like much of Dave Lowry's writing, Persimmon Wind for example, yet also find it kinda dry and "not spiritual enough"??? Personally, I'm very comfortable having the taoism or the buddhism side by side with the other stuff, but not everyone feels that way.

Has anyone read Glenn Morris's "Pathnotes of a ninja master" or whatever??? I've not, but had it recommended to me many times.

One "dynamic" that I've seen amongst martial arts practitioners is how "spiritual" such arts/training should be or not be. For example, I think the above book talks about malicious alien races trying to take over the universe, kundalini and reading auras and what not. I've definitely seen a variety of the spectrum of personal attitudes towards "spiritual stuff" amongst martial arts students.
 

Mole

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L'amour or armour?

I find martial arts very interesting

Just as we were saying, "Make love, not war", they were discovering martial arts.

And just as the arts of peace were becoming a threat to their armoured personalities, they armed themselves with the martial arts.

And just as we were pursuing l'amour, they were pursuing amour propre armed with the neurotic shield of martial arts.
 
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