The Way of The Samurai

Have you ever heard of the 21 Principals of the Dokkodo? It is a short work written by Miyamoto Musashi a week before he died in 1645. He was a Japanese swordsman/philosopher that changed my life.

I'll list them below.

The 21 principles of Dokkodo:

1. Accept everything just the way it is.

2. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.

3. Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.

4. Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.

5. Be detached from desire your whole life long.

6. Do not regret what you have done.

7. Never be jealous.

8. Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.

9. Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself nor others.

10. Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.

11. In all things have no preferences.

12. Be indifferent to where you live.

13. Do not pursue the taste of good food.

14. Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need.

15. Do not act following customary beliefs.

16. Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful.

17. Do not fear death.

18. Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age.

19. Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.

20. You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honor.

21. Never stray from the Way.

I took a course that explained these principals and how it can relate to love. It truly inspired me so I thought that I would write out some of the key points of the course in my own words. It really is such a good course-especially if you're on a journey of healing like I am.

If you're interested in the course, please view it down below.

We are constantly on a journey of finding who we are.

The Way of the Samurai allows us to look within ourselves to heal ourselves, to live a balanced life, to have values and implement them in our homes, as well as teaching us to have empathy and compassion for others.

Our greatest contribution to the universe, is meant to be uplifting other people. Love yourself for who you are and allow that love to overflow from your pores. And just remember, that love is always our goal in being human.

Accept everything for what is is and don't add your expectations to it. This leads to conflict in your relationships. Control can drive a person crazy, learn to let go.

Be detached from things-especially in love. Letting go of attachments from things such as titles and desires. Our egos tend to get caught up with pur desires. Do not allow attachment to ruin things for you. Allow yourself to detach from the expectations of other people- to lead the way to inner peace.

Do not regret what you have done. You cannot change the past. Learn and grow from the mistakes you have made. You can overthink what you have done to death but the real power is choosing to have wisdom and insight. Allow yourself to learn from your experiences and grow from that. Change the path you're on. You're never stuck, your mindset is.

Be content with where you are. You have to make choices that are for the balanced version of yourself. Newness in a relationship can wear off. Be happy with where you are at. Happiness is found within you. Start making choices based on your happiness. As long as it's not at the expense of other people, happiness can be found anywhere.

Allow the universe to have some input in your life. As Sufani Garza says, "I am leaving the story of my life open for some blessings to come through."

She also says, "The way we collect wounds is like a weapon." The armor that we put on everyday is meant to protect us. As an adult, you cannot walk around the world expecting that you won't get hurt. It's like the way I feel about my mother, I expect to be hurt by her because I have expectations of our relationship. Turn your wounds into wisdom. Don't collect your wounds and keep them forever as a piece of who you are. Turn them into something powerful. Don't place yourself above other people. Don't place your story of pain above someone else's- remember to leave your ego behind. Make someone else feel important by listening.

As the samurai have put it, don't stray away from the path. But the path is love and how we can love ourselves so we can love other people.

I hope you enjoyed this post.

Please please check out Sufani Garza's courses. This woman has changed my life in such a profound way that I cannot come back from.

Chloe Rose Violet🌹