THE AFFLICTION OF ABIDING IN IGNORANCE

The term ignorance means the absence of enlightenment. Which is to say, delusion.

Abiding place means the place where the mind stops.

In the practice of Buddhism, there are said to be fifty-two stages, and within these fifty-two, the place where the mind stops at one thing is called the abiding place. Abiding signifies stopping, and stopping means the mind is being detained by some matter, which may be any matter at all.

To speak in terms of your own martial art, when you first notice the sword that is moving to strike you, if you think of meeting that sword just as it is, your mind will stop at the sword in just that position, your own movements will be undone, and you will be cut down by your opponent. This is what stopping means.

Although you see the sword that moves to strike you, if your mind is not detained by it and you meet the rhythm of the advancing sword; if you do not think of striking your opponent and no thoughts or judgments remain; if the instant you see the swinging sword your mind is not the least bit detained and you move straight in and wrench the sword away from him; the sword that was going to cut you down will become your own, and, contrarily, will be the sword that cuts down your opponent.

In Zen this is called "Grabbing the spear and, contrariwise, piercing the man who had come to pierce you." The spear is a weapon. The heart of this is that the sword you wrest from your adversary becomes the sword that cuts him down. This is what you, in your style, call "No-Sword."

Whether by the strike of the enemy or your own thrust, whether by the man who strikes or the sword that strikes, whether by position or rhythm, if your mind is diverted in any way, your actions will falter, and this can mean that you will be cut down.

If you place yourself before your opponent, your mind will be taken by him. You should not place your mind within yourself. Bracing the mind in the body is something done only at the inception of training, when one is a beginner.

The mind can be taken by the sword. If you put your mind in the rhythm of the contest, your mind can be taken by that as well. If you place your mind in your own sword, your mind can be taken by your own sword. Your mind stopping at any of these places, you become an empty shell. You surely recall such situations yourself. They can be said to apply to Buddhism.

In Buddhism, we call this stopping of the mind delusion. Thus we say, "The affliction of abiding in ignorance."

THE IMMOVABLE WISDOM OF ALL BUDDHAS

Immovable means unmoving.

Wisdom means the wisdom of intelligence.

Although wisdom is called immovable, this does not signify any insentient thing, like wood or stone. It moves as the mind is wont to move: forward or back, to the left, to the right, in the ten directions and to the eight points; and the mind that does not stop at all is called immovable wisdom.

Fudo Myoo grasps a sword in his right hand and holds a rope in his left hand. He bares his teeth and his eyes flash with anger. His form stands firmly, ready to defeat the evil spirits that would obstruct the Buddhist Law. This is not hidden in any country anywhere. His form is made in the shape of a protector of Buddhism, while his embodiment is that of immovable wisdom. This is what is shown to living things.

Seeing this form, the ordinary man becomes afraid and has no thoughts of becoming an enemy of Buddhism. The man who is close to enlightenment understands that this manifests immovable wisdom and clears away all delusion. For the man who can make his immovable wisdom apparent and who is able to physically practice this mental dharma as well as Fudo Myoo, the evil spirits will no longer proliferate. This is the purpose of Fudo Myoo's tidings.

What is called Fudo Myoo is said to be one's unmoving mind and an unvacillating body. Unvacillating means not being detained by anything.

Glancing at something and not stopping the mind is called immovable. This is because when the mind stops at something, as the breast is filled with various judgments, there are various movements within it. When its movements cease the stopping mind moves, but does not move at all.

If ten men, each with a sword, come at you with swords slashing, if you parry each sword without stopping the mind at each action, and go from one to the next, you will not be lacking in a proper action for every one of the ten.

Although the mind act ten times against ten men, if it does not halt at even one of them and you react to one after another, will proper action be lacking.

But if the mind stops before one of these men, though you parry his striking sword, when the next man comes, the right action will have slipped away.

Considering that the Thousand-Armed Kannon has one thousand arms on its one body, if the mind stops at the one holding a bow, the other nine hundred and ninety-nine will be useless.2 It is because the mind is not detained at one place that all the arms are useful.

As for Kannon, to what purpose would it have a thousand arms attached to one body? This form is made with the intent of pointing out to men that if their immovable wisdom is let go, even if a body have a thousand arms, every one will be of use.

When facing a single tree, if you look at a single one of I its red leaves, you will not see all the others. When the eye I is not set on any one leaf, and you face the tree with nothing at all in mind, any number of leaves are visible to the eye without limit. But if a single leaf holds the eye, it will be as if the remaining leaves were not there.

One who has understood this is no different from the Kannon with a thousand arms and a thousand eyes.

The ordinary man simply believes that it is blessed because of its thousand arms and its thousand eyes. The man of half baked wisdom, wondering how anybody could have a thousand eyes, calls it a lie and gives in to slander. But if now one understands a little better, he will have a respectful belief based on principle and will not need the simple faith of the ordinary man or the slander of the other, and he will understand that Buddhism, with this one thing, manifests its principle well.

All religions are like this. I have seen that Shinto especially is like this.

The ordinary man thinks only on the surface. The man who attacks Buddhism is even worse.

This religion, that religion, there are various kinds but at their deepest points they are all settled in one conclusion.

At any rate, when one practices discipline and moves from [the beginner's territory to immovable wisdom, he makes a return and falls back to the level of the beginning, the abiding place.

There is a reason for this.

Again, we can speak with reference to your own martial art. As the beginner knows nothing about either his body posture or the positioning of his sword, neither does his mind stop anywhere within him. If a man strikes at him with the sword, he simply meets the attack without anything in mind.

As he studies various things and is taught the diverse ways of how to take a stance, the manner of grasping his sword and where to put his mind, his mind stops in many places. Now if he wants to strike at an opponent, he is extraordinarily discomforted. Later, as days pass and time piles up, in accordance with his practice, neither the postures of his body nor the ways of grasping the sword are weighed in his mind. His mind simply becomes as it was in the beginning when he knew nothing and had yet to be taught anything at all.

In this one sees the sense of the beginning being the same as the end, as when one counts from one to ten, and the first and last numbers become adjacent.

In other things-musical pitch, for example, when one moves from the beginning lowest pitch to the final highest pitch the lowest and the highest become adjacent.

We say that the highest and the lowest come to resemble each other. Buddhism, when you reach its very depths, is like the man who knows nothing of either the Buddha or the Buddhist Law. It has neither adornment nor anything else that would draw men's attention to it.

The ignorance and afflictions of the beginning, abiding place and the immovable wisdom that comes later become one. The function of the intellect disappears, and one ends in a state of No-Mind-No-Thought. If one reaches the deepest point, arms, legs and body remember what to do, but the mind does not enter into this at all.

The Buddhist priest Bukkoku wrote:

Although it does not mindfully keep guard,
In the small mountain fields the scarecrow does not stand in vain.

Everything is like this.

To make a scarecrow for the mountain fields, one fashions a human figure and puts in its hands a bow and arrow. The birds and beasts see this and flee. Although this figure has absolutely no mind, if the deer become frightened and run away, insofar as it has fulfilled its function, it has not been created in vain.

This is an example of the behavior of the people who have reached the depths of any Way. While hands, feet and body may move, the mind does not stop anyplace at all, and one does not know where it is. Being in a state of No-Thought No-Mind, one has come to the level of the scarecrow of the mountain fields.

Of the common man who has not found his path, we can say that from the very beginning he has had no wisdom and it will never come forth, whatever the circumstances. The wisdom that is highest of all, being in the most remote of all places, will absolutely not come forth. Finally, the half baked know-it-all lets his wisdom come right off the top of his head, and this is ridiculous. The decorum of the priests of today can surely be thought of in such a light. This is a matter of shame.

There is such a thing as training in principle, and such a thing as training in technique.

Principle is as I have already explained above: when you arrive, nothing is noticed. It is simply as though you had discarded all concentration. I have written at length about this above.

If you do not train in technique, but only fill your breast with principle, your body and your hands will not function. Training in technique, if put into terms of your own martial art, is in the training that if practiced over and over again makes the five body postures one.

Even though you know principle, you must make yourself perfectly free in the use of technique. And even though you may wield the sword that you carry with you well, if you are unclear on the deepest aspects of principle, you will likely fall short of proficiency.

Technique and principle are just like the two wheels of a cart .

THE INTERVAL INTO WHICH NOT EVEN A HAIR CAN BE ENTERED

There is such a thing as an interval into which not even a hair can be put. We can speak about this in terms of your own martial art.

"Interval" is when two things come one upon another, and not even a hairsbreadth can be slipped in between them.

When you clap your hands and, just at that instant, let out a yell, the interval between clapping your hands and letting out a yell will not allow the entrance of a hairsbreadth. This is not a matter of clapping your hands, thinking about yelling, and then doing so, which would result in there being an interval in between. You clap your hands and, just at that instant, let out a sound.

In just the same way, if the mind stops with the sword with which a man is going to strike you, there will be an interval, and your own action will be lost. But if in the interval between your opponent's striking sword and your own action you cannot introduce even the breadth of a hair, your opponent's sword should become your own.

In Zen discussions we have the same thing. In Buddhism we abhor this stopping and the mind remaining with one thing or another. We call this stopping affliction.

It is like a ball riding a swift-moving current: we respect the mind that flows on like this and does not stop for an instant in any place.

THE ACTION OF SPARK AND STONE

There is such a thing as the action of spark and stone. This is the same as the foregoing. No sooner have you struck the stone than the light appears. Since the light appears just as you strike the stone, there is neither interval nor interstice. This also signifies the absence of the interval that would stop the mind.

It would be a mistake to understand this simply as celerity. Rather, it underscores the point that the mind should not 1 be detained by things; it says that even with speed it is essential in that the mind does not stop. When the mind stops, it will be' grasped by the opponent. On the other hand, if the mind contemplates being fast and goes into quick action, it will be captured by its own contemplation.

Among the poems of Saigyo is the following:

One hears of you solely as a man who abhors the world.
I can only hope your mind be not detained by this transient lodging.

He attributes this poem to the courtesan of Eguchi.

If you took the latter part of this verse, "I can only hope / your mind be not detained . . ." it could be cited as hitting the very essence of the martial arts. It is essential that the mind not be detained.

In Zen, if asked, "What is the Buddha?" one should raise a clenched fist. If asked, "What is the ultimate meaning of the Buddhist Law?" before the words have died away, one should respond, "A single branch of the flowering plum" or "The cypress in the garden."

It is not a matter of selecting an answer either good or bad. We respect the mind that does not stop. The non-stopping mind is moved by neither color nor smell.

Although the form of this unmoving mind is revered as a god, respected as a Buddha, and called the Mind of Zen or the Ultimate Meaning, if one thinks things through and afterwards speaks, even though he utter golden words and mysterious verses, it will be merely the affliction of the abiding place.

Can it not be said that the action of stone and spark has the speed of a lightning flash?

It is immovable wisdom when one is called and answers 'Yes?" immediately. When one is called, to hesitate over the why and wherefore of the request is the affliction of the abiding place.

The mind that stops or is moved by something and sent into confusion, this is the affliction of the abiding place, and this is the common man. To be called, to respond without interval, is the wisdom of all Buddhas.

The Buddha and all sentient beings are not two. Such a mind is called a god or a Buddha.

Although there are many Ways - the Way of the Gods, the Way of Poetry, the Way of Confucius - they all share the clarity of this one mind.

When explaining the mind with words, we say such things as "All people possess this mind" or "Good and bad events morning and evening are according to Karma" or "Whether one leaves his house or brings his country to ruin is a reflection of one's character, for both good and evil depend on one's mind." If people are to know what this mind is like, they will only be confused by it if there is no truly enlightened person to show them.

In this world, there are surely people who do not know the mind. It is also clear that people exist who do understand, rare as this may be. Although there occasionally art people who do understand, it does not often happen that the, act accordingly; then, although they explain the mind well, it is doubtful that they understand it in depth.

One may explain water, but the mouth will not become wet. One may expound fully on the nature of fire, but the mouth will not become hot.

Without touching real water and real fire, one will not know these things. Even explaining a book will not make it understood. Food may be concisely defined, but that alone will not relieve one's hunger.

One is not likely to achieve understanding from the explanation of another.

In this world, there are Buddhists and there are Confucianists who explain the mind, but their actions are not like their explanations. The minds of such people are not truly enlightened. If people are not thoroughly enlightened about their own particular minds, they will have no understanding.

Many who study do not understand the mind, but it is not , a matter of numbers. There is not one of them with a good frame of mind. It must be said that the enlightening of one's mind depends on the depths of one's efforts.

WHERE ONE PUTS THE MIND

We say that:

If one puts his mind in the action of his opponent's body, his mind will be taken by the action of his opponent's body.

If he puts his mind in his opponent's sword, his mind will be taken by that sword.

If he puts his mind in thoughts of his opponent's intention to strike him, his mind will be taken by thoughts of his opponent's intention to strike him.

If he puts his mind in his own sword, his mind will be taken by his own sword.

If he puts his mind in his own intention of not being struck, his mind will be taken by his intention of not being struck.

If he puts his mind in the other man's stance, his mind will be taken by the other man's stance.

What this means is that there is no place to put the mind.

A certain person once said, "No matter where I put my mind, my intentions are held in check in the place where my mind goes, and I lose to my opponent. Because of that, I place my mind just below my navel and do not let it wander. Then am I able to change according to the actions of my opponent."

This is reasonable. But viewed from the highest standpoint of Buddhism, putting the mind just below the navel and not allowing it to wander is a low level of understanding, no l a high one. It is at the level of discipline and training. It is t the level of seriousness. Or of Mencius' saying, "Seek after the lost mind." This is not the highest level either. It has the sense of seriousness. As for the "lost mind," I have written about this elsewhere, and you can take a look at it there.

If you consider putting your mind below your navel an not letting it wander, your mind will be taken by the mind that thinks of this plan. You will have no ability to move ahead and will be exceptionally unfree.

This leads to the next question, "If putting my mind below my navel leaves me unable to function and without freedom, it is of no use. In what part of my body, then, should I put my mind?"

I answered, "If you put it in your right hand, it will be taken by the right hand and your body will lack its functioning. If you put your mind in the eye, it will be taken by the eye, and your body will lack its functioning. If you put your mind in your right foot, your mind will be taken by the right foot and your body will lack its functioning.

"No matter where you put it, if you put the mind in on place, the rest of your body will lack its functioning."

"Well, then, where does one put his mind."

I answered, "If you don't put it anywhere, it will go to all parts of your body and extend throughout its entirety. In this way, when it enters your hand, it will realize the hand's function. When it enters your foot, it will realize the foot's function. When it enters your eye, it will realize the eye's function.

"If you should decide on one place and put the mind there, it will be taken by that place and lose its function. If one thinks, he will be taken by his thoughts.

"Because this is so, leave aside thoughts and discrimination, throw the mind away from the entire body, do not stop it here and there, and when it does visit these various places, it will realize function and act without error."

Putting the mind in one place is called falling into onesidedness. One-sidedness is said to be bias in one place. Correctness is in moving about anywhere. The Correct Mind shows itself by extending the mind throughout the body. It not biased in any one place.

When the mind is biased in one place and lacking in another, it is called a one-sided mind. One-sidedness is despicable. To be arrested by anything, no matter what, is falling into one-sidedness and is despised by those travelling the Way.

When a person does not think, "Where shall I put it?" the mind will extend throughout the entire body and move about to any place at all.

Not putting the mind anywhere, can't one use the mind, having it go from place to place, responding to the opponent's movements.

If the mind moves about the entire body, when the hand is called into action, one should use the mind that is in the hand. When the foot is called for, one should use the mind that is in the foot. But if you determine one place in which to put it, when you try to draw it out of that place, there it will stay. It will be without function.

Keeping the mind like a tied-up cat and not allowing it to wander, when you keep it in check within yourself, within yourself will it be detained. Forsaking it within your body, it will go nowhere.

The effort not to stop the mind in just one place-this is discipline. Not stopping the mind is object and essence. Put nowhere, it will be everywhere. Even in moving the mind outside the body, if it is sent in one direction, it will be lacking in nine others. If the mind is not restricted to just one~ direction, it will be in all ten.

THE RIGHT MIND AND THE CONFUSED MIND

The Right Mind is the mind that does not remain in one place. It is the mind that stretches throughout the entire body and self.

The Confused Mind is the mind that, thinking something over, congeals in one place.

When the Right Mind congeals and settles in one place, it becomes what is called the Confused Mind. When the Right Mind is lost, it is lacking in function here and there. For this reason, it is important not to lose it.

In not remaining in one place, the Right Mind is like water. The Confused Mind is like ice, and ice is unable to wash hands or head. When ice is melted, it becomes water and flows everywhere, and it can wash the hands, the feet or anything else.

If the mind congeals in one place and remains with one thing, it is like frozen water and is unable to be used freely: ice that can wash neither hands nor feet. When the mind is I melted and is used like water, extending throughout the body, it can be sent wherever one wants to send it.

This is the Right Mind.

THE MIND OF THE EXISTENT MIND AND THE MIND OF NO-MIND

The Existent Mind is the same as the Confused Mind and is literally read as the "mind that exists." It is the mind that thinks in one direction, regardless of subject. When there is an object of thought in the mind, discrimination and thoughts will arise. Thus it is known as the Existent Mind.

The No-Mind is the same as the Right Mind. It neither congeals nor fixes itself in one place. It is called No-Mind when the mind has neither discrimination nor thought but wanders about the entire body and extends throughout the entire self.

The No-Mind is placed nowhere. Yet it is not like wood or stone. Where there is no stopping place, it is called No-Mind. When it stops, there is something in the mind. When I there is nothing in the mind, it is called the mind of No-Mind. I It is also called No-Mind-No-Thought.

When this No-Mind has been well developed, the mind does not stop with one thing nor does it lack any one thing. It is I like water overflowing and exists within itself. It appears appropriately when facing a time of need.

The mind that becomes fixed and stops in one place does not function freely. Similarly, the wheels of a cart go around because they are not rigidly in place. If they were to stick tight, they would not go around. The mind is also something that does not function if it becomes attached to a single situation.

If there is some thought within the mind, though you listen to the words spoken by another, you will not really be able to hear him. This is because your mind has stopped with your own thoughts.

If your mind leans in the directions of these thoughts, though you listen, you will not hear; and though you look, you will not see. This is because there is something in your mind. What is there is thought. If you are able to remove this thing that is there, your mind will become No-Mind, it will function when needed, and it will be appropriate to its use.

The mind that thinks about removing what is within it will by the very act be occupied. If one will not think about it, the mind will remove these thoughts by itself and of itself become No-Mind.

If one always approaches his mind in this way, at a later date it will suddenly come to this condition by itself. If one tries to achieve this suddenly, it will never get there.

An old poem says:

To think, "I will not think"-
This, too, is something in one's thoughts.
Simply do not think
About not thinking at all.

THROW THE GOURD INTO THE WATER PUSH IT DOWN AND IT WILL SPIN

Pushing down a gourd means to do it with your hand. When a gourd is thrown into the water and pressed down, it will suddenly pop up to one side. No matter what, it is a thing that will not stop in one place.

The mind of the man who has arrived does not stop at one thing even for a bit. It is like pushing down the gourd in the water.

ENGENDER THE MIND WITH NO PLACE TO ABIDE

In our Sino-Japanese way of writing, this is pronounced omushojü jijogoshin.

Regardless of what a person does, when he engenders the mind that thinks about doing something, the mind stops in that thing. Therefore, one should engender the mind without a place for it to stop.

If the mind is not engendered, the hand will not move forward. Those who when moving engender the mind that ordinarily stops in that movement, but do not stop at all in the course of the action-these are called the accomplished men of all Ways.

The mind of attachment arises from the stopping mind. So does the cycle of transmigration. This stopping becomes the bonds of life and death.

One looks at cherry blossoms or autumn leaves, and while engendering the mind that is looking at them, it is essential not to stop with them.

Jien's poem goes:

The flower that would surrender its fragrance       before my brushwood door Does so regardless.       I, however, sit and stare-       How rueful, this world.

This means that the flower gives off its fragrance with No-Mind, while I stare at it, my mind going no further. How regrettable, that the mind has so impaled me.

Make it a secret principle in either seeing or hearing not to detain the mind in one place.

The word seriousness is elaborated on by the saying, "One aim with no distractions.'' The mind is settled in one place and is not allowed elsewhere. Later, even if you unsheathe your sword to strike, it is considered essential not to allow the mind movement in the direction of the strike. Especially in such matters as receiving commands from your lord, one should keep the word seriousness in the mind's eye.

In Buddhism, we also have the mentality of seriousness. When a bell called the Bell of Reverence is rung three times, we place our hands together and do obeisance. This attitude of reverence, in which one first intones the name of the Buddha, is synonymous with having "one aim with no distractions" or "one mind without confusion."

In Buddhism the mentality of seriousness is not the deepest level. Grasping one's mind and not letting it become confused is the discipline of the novice just beginning to learn.

This practice, when applied for a long period of time, leads, to advancement to the level of freedom in which one can let the mind go in any direction. The level mentioned above of "engendering the mind with no place to abide" is the highest level of all.

The meaning of the word seriousness is in holding the mind in check and not sending it off somewhere, thinking that one did let it go, it would become confused. At this level there is a tightening up of the mind and not an iota of negligenceis allowed.

This is like a baby sparrow being caught by a cat. To prevent a recurrence, a string is then always tightened around the cat, and it is never let go.

If my mind is treated like a tied-up cat, it will not be free and will likely not be able to function as it should. If the cat is well trained, the string is untied, and it is allowed to go wherever it pleases. Then, even if the two are together, the cat will not seize the sparrow. Acting along these lines is the meaning of the phrase "engendering the mind with no place for it to abide."

Letting go of my mind and ignoring it like the cat, though it may go where it pleases, this will be using the mind in the way of not having it stop.

If we put this in terms of your own martial art, the mind is not detained by the hand that brandishes the sword. Completely oblivious to the hand that wields the sword, one strikes and cuts his opponent down. He does not put his mind in his adversary. The opponent is Emptiness. I am Emptiness. The hand that holds the sword, the sword itself, is Emptiness. Understand this, but do not let your mind be taken by Emptiness.

When the Zen priest at Kamakura, Mugaku, was captured during the disturbances in China and was at the point of being cut down, he quoted the gatha, "With the speed of a flash of lightning, / Cut through the spring breeze," and the soldier threw down his sword and fled.

Mugaku meant that in wielding the sword, in the infinitesimal time it takes lightning to strike, there is neither mind nor thought. For the striking sword, there is no mind. For myself, who is about to be struck, there is no mind. The attacker is Emptiness. His sword is Emptiness. I, who am about to be struck, am Emptiness.

If this is so, the man who strikes is not a man at all. The striking sword is not a sword. And for myself, the person who is about to be cut, in a flash of lightning, it will be like cutting through the breeze that blows across the spring sky. It is the mind that absolutely does not stop. And it is not likely that the sword will react to cutting through the wind.

Completely forget about the mind and you will do all things well.

When you dance, the hand holds the fan and the foot takes a step. When you do not forget everything, when you go on thinking about performing with the hands and the feet well and dancing accurately, you cannot be said to be skillful. When the mind stops in the hands and the feet, none of your acts will be singular. If you do not completely discard the mind, everything you do will be done poorly.

SEEK THE LOST MIND

This is a saying of Mencius. It means that one should seek out the lost mind and return it to himself.

If a dog, cat or cock has escaped and run off to some other place, one will look for it and return it to his house. Likewise, when the mind, the master of the body, has gone off on a wicked path, why do we not seek after it and restore it to ourselves? This is certainly most reasonable.

But there is also a saying of Shao K'ang-chieh's that goes, "It is essential to lose the mind.''l2 This is quite different. The general drift is that when the mind is tied down, it tires, and like the cat, is unable to function as it should. If the mind does not stop with things, it will not be stained by them and will be used well. Let it alone to run off wherever it will.

Because the mind is stained and stopped by things, we are warned against letting this happen, and are urged to seek after it and to return it to ourselves. This is the very first stage of training. We should be like the lotus which is unstained by the mud from which it rises. Even though the mud exists, we are not to be distressed by this. One makes his mind like the well-polished crystal which remains unstained even if put in the mud. He lets it go where it wishes.

The effect of tightening up on the mind is to make it unfree. Bringing the mind under control is a thing done only in the beginning. If one remains this way all through life, in the end he will never reach the highest level. In fact, he will not rise above the lowest.

When one is in training, it is good to keep Mencius' saying, "Seek the lost mind," in mind. The ultimate, however, is within Shao K'ang-chieh's, "It is essential to lose the mind."

Among the sayings of the priest Chung-feng was, "Be in possession of a mind that has been let go of.'' The meaning of this is exactly the same as Shao K'ang-chieh's dictum saying we should let go of the mind. Its significance is in warning us not to search for the lost mind or to tie it down in one place.

Chung-feng also said, "Make no provision for retreat." This means to have a mind that will not be altered. It means that a man should be mindful that, although he advance well once or twice, he should not retreat when tired or in unusual circumstances.

THROW A BALL INTO A SWIFT CURRENT AND IT WILL NEVER STOP

There is a saying, "Throw a ball into a swift current and it will never stop.''

This means that if you throw a ball into rapidly flowing water, it will ride the waves and never stop dead.

SEVER THE EDGE BETWEEN BEFORE AND AFTER

There is a saying, "Sever the edge between before and after." Not ridding the mind of previous moments, allowing traces of the present mind to remain-both are bad. This means one should cut right through the interval between previous and present. Its significance is in cutting off the edge between before and after, between now and then. It means not detaining the mind.

WATER SCORCHES HEAVEN FIRE CLEANSES CLOUDS

Today, burn not the fields of Musashino.
Both spouse and I lie hidden
      in the grasses of spring.

Someone has expressed the meaning of this poem in this way:

As the white clouds come together,
The morning glories already fade.

There is something I have thought about only to myself of which I should advise you. And, while I know that it is only my own questionable and humble opinion, I feel that this is the right moment, and so will write down that which I perceive.

Since you are a master in the martial arts without equal In past or present, you are most resplendent in rank, stipend and reputation. Waking or sleeping, you should not forget this great boon and in order to return this favor by day and by night, you should think only of fulfilling your loyalty.

Total loyalty is first in making your mind correct, disciplining your body, not splitting your thoughts concerning your lord by even a hairsbreadth, and in neither resenting or blaming others. Do not be neglectful of your daily work. At home, be filial, let nothing indecent occur between husband and wife, be correct in formality, do not love mistresses, sever yourself from the path of sensuality, be austere as a parent, and act according to the Way. In employing underlings, do not make distinctions on the basis of personal feelings. Employ men who are good and bind them to you, reflect on your own deficiencies, conduct the government of your province correctly, and put men who are not good at a distance.

In this way, good men will advance daily, and those who are not will naturally be influenced when they see their lord loving the good. Thus they will leave off evil and turn toward the good themselves.

In this way, both lord and retainer, upper and lower, will be good men, and when personal desire becomes thin and pride is abandoned, the province's wealth will be plenty, the people will be well ruled, children will commune with their parents, and superior and menial will work together as hands and feet. The province should then become peaceful on its own. This is the beginning of loyalty.

Such an absolutely single-minded soldier would probably be your predilection in whatever situation should arise, even if you had the command of hundreds of thousands of men. When the whole mind of the Thousand-Armed Kannon is correct, each of the thousand arms will be of use; in the same way, if the mind of your martial art is correct, the function of your whole mind will be free, and even a thousand foes would be at the mercy of your single sword. Is this not great loyalty?

Whether the mind is correct or not is indiscernible by other people. When any single thought arises, both good and evil are there. If one will think about the foundation of good and evil, and do good and refrain from evil, his mind will become correct of itself.

Knowing what is evil but not refraining from it is a sickness of one's own desires. Whether it be from a love of sensuality or self-indulgence, it is a matter of the mind desiring something. Then, even if a good man were present, his good would not be put to use if it didn't strike one's fancy. To be pleased once with an ignorant man, to take a liking to him, and to give him an appointment while not using the good man that is there, is the same as having no good men at all.

Even if one employed several thousand men, there is unlikely to be one who would stand in good stead to his lord in a time of emergency. As for the ignorant young evil men who were once so attractive, their hearts not being correct from the beginning, they would on no account be able to think of sacrificing their own lives when facing a real situation. I have never once heard, even in times past, of men whose minds were not correct standing in good stead to their lords.

The appearance that such a thing may happen when your lordship chooses apprentices is a bitter shame indeed.

This is something that nobody knows: from some offbeat inclination, one may be pulled along into bad habits and fall into evil. While you may think that no one knows about these faults, as "there is nothing as clear as that which is dimly seen," if they are known in your own mind, they will also be known by heaven, earth, the gods and the people.'6 If such is the case, is the protection of the province not truly in danger? You should recognize this as great disloyalty.

For example, no matter how ardently you yourself proffer loyalty to your lord, if the people in your clan are not in harmony and the population of Yagyu Valley turn their backs on you, everything you do will come to naught.

It is said that, in all things, if you would know a man's good and evil points, you should know the retainers and underlings he loves and employs, and the friends with whom he mixes intimately. If the lord is not correct, none of his retainers and friends will be correct. If this is the case, he will be despised by all and the neighboring provinces will hold him in contempt. But if the lord and his retainers are good they will be regarded fondly by all.

It is said that a good man is regarded as a jewel by the province. You should make this your own personal experience.

When in a place where people recognize you, if you will quickly avoid unrighteousness, put characterless people at a distance, and love the wise, the provincial government will become all the more correct and you will be the best of all loyal retainers.

Above all, concerning your honored son's behavior, it is going at things backwards to attack a child's wrongdoings if the parent himself is incorrect. If you will first make your own conduct correct and then voice your opinions, not only will he naturally correct himself, but his younger brother, Master Naizen, will learn from his conduct and become correct as well. Thus will father and sons become good men. This would be a happy outcome.

It is said that one takes men on or casts them off according to right-mindedness. At this time, as you are a favored retainer, it is absolutely unthinkable that bribes may be handsomely received from all the provincial lords, or that right-mindedness may be forgotten because of avarice.

That you enjoy ranbu, that you are prideful of your own ability in NÖ, and that you push yourself in among the provincial lords showing off this ability, I earnestly believe to be a sickness.

Shouldn't you reflect over and over again on the facts that the emperor's recitation is given like Sarugaku, and that the provincial daimyo first in courtesy are the ones most often brought before the shogun.