This lesson is directly for the practitioners of the ancient Japanese koryu martial arts of the ninja and samurai, such as ninjutsu (ninpo) and bujutsu (budo).
Images above were taken at a place near the Budo Ryu Hombu Dojo where I go to meditate & reflect.
There are five actions in life that you cannot recover from. Each of these five actions is relative towards the negative aspects of the Godai called Inpo (陰法).
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The Godai (五大) which is the embodiment of the 5 sacred elements of the universe are: Earth (地), Wind (風), Water (水), Fire (火) and Void (空) and are comprised of 2 main sections of understanding; Hipo (陽法; also called Youpo) which are the positive and heavenly methods and understandings and Inpo (陰法) which are the negative or dark methods and understandings. There are five actions in life that you cannot recover from taken from the Inpo teachings of the Godai :
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1) A word after it is said. (Earth; 地)
2) A moment after it is missed. (Wind; 風)
3) The brush once you place it on the paper. (Water; 水)
4) The sword once it is drawn. (Fire; 火)
5) Time after it is gone. (Void; 空)
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Understand this lesson that is giving to us from the Godai and hold yourself as any shinobi samurai would with honor and respect.
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Do not fall victim to mental frustration and say things that you will regret.
Do not push those away that are the most meaningful in your life.
Have a plan and understand what you are doing before you do it.
Do not act out of anger or hate, both lead to internal suffering.
Do not take your last breath and wish that you would done something else with it.
“Cultivate your happiness within the hard work of your daily passion and illuminate this positive emotional light through the dark fog that surrounds us all.
This will foster happiness within, and inspires others to follow. Remember; Budo is about polishing your training to make yourself and the others around you better, this can only be done through refining action.”
“Just as the ninja operated in the shadows centuries ago in Japan, a new master of the art again comes from the darkness. Training you has been my greatest accomplishment, and it is clear the student has surpassed her master.”
“Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first, and is waiting for it.”
– Sir Terence David John “Terry” Pratchett
(“Terry” Pratchett – English Novelist)
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Art is the desire of a person express them self, to display and share the reactions of their personality to the world.
In this photo I wanted to use the contrast of the room so that people would look at the arts behind me, yet keeping my body / silhouette directly of the middle of the picture, to help with the “IN / YO” of the photograph.
Just as the screen behind me shows the dramatic difference between tiger and dragon, the photo also shows the contrast between light and dark. This in itself is also a major lesson of ninjutsu.
The screen behind me was painted by Kano Tanyu in the edo period (1602-1674) The piece is called Dragon and Waves; Tiger among the Bamboo.
I hope that you all enjoyed today’s lesson.
Take Care, Be Safe and Good Luck in your Journey of Budo