Hagakure: Hidden Fury (II)
Furyan Selections from the 2nd Chapter
I BECOME MORE AND MORE EXTREME IN MY FANATICISM
There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. A man's whole life is a succession of moment after moment. There will be nothing else to do, and nothing else to pursue. Live being true to the single purpose of the moment.
Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it as though he thought it were somewhere else. No one seems to have noticed this fact. But grasping this firmly, one must pile experience upon experience. And once one has come to this understanding he will be a different person from that point on, though he may not always bear it in mind.
When one understands this settling into single-mindedness well, his affairs will thin out. Loyalty is also contained within this single-mindedness.
The Spirit of an Age
It is said that what is called "the spirit of an age" is something to which one cannot return. That this spirit gradually dissipates is due to the world's coming to an end. In the same way, a single does not have just spring or summer. A single day, too, is the same.1
For this reason, although one would like to change today's world back to the spirit of one hundred years or more ago, it cannot be done. Thus it is important to make the best out of every generation. This is the mistake of people who are attached to past generations. They have no understanding of this point.
On the other hands, people who only know the disposition of the present day and dislike the way of the past are too lax.
Be true to the thought of the moment and avoid distraction. Other than continuing to exert yourself, enter into nothing else, but go to the extent of living single thought by single thought.
Of his retainers who died in battle, not one of them died with his back turned. They all died facing the enemy lines.
Since a warrior’s daily frame of mind is manifested even after death, it is something that can bring shame to him.
The Dreamscape
Dreams are truthful manifestations. When I occasionally have dreams of dying in battle or committing seppuku, if I brace myself with courage, my frame of mind within the dream gradually changes.
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The content of the dream changed gradually to the extent that I strengthened my will. The condition of a person is revealed by his dreams. It would be good to make companions of your dreams and to put forth effort.
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It is a good viewpoint to see the world as a dream. When you have something like a nightmare, you will wake up and tell yourself that it was only a dream. It is said that the world we live in is not a bit different from this.
Something like fifteen years is the space of a dream.
It is written that the priest Shungaku said,
“In just refusing to retreat from something one gains the strength of two men.”
This is interesting. Something that is not done at that time and at that place will remain unfinished for a lifetime. At a time when it is difficult to complete matters with the strength of a single man, one will bring it to a conclusion with the strength of two. Of one thinks about it later, he will be negligent.
“Stamp quickly and pass through a wall of iron” is another interesting phrase.
When the world is sliding into a decline, to excel is easy. 2
Within the tedious talk of old folks are their meritorious deeds.
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When your own heart asks,
How will you respond?
Further reading; Hagakure Hidden Fury Selections:
“Not the sun or summer alone, but every hour and season yields its tribute of delight.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature and Selected Essays.
There will be much more to discuss about this Emersonian way of life; which, if applied, and applied CORRECTLY in a miniature on a microcosm, on a day to day basis—can be as close to perfect living as a human being can get. A post for the future.
