“You may abandon your own body, but you must preserve your honor”
– Miyamoto Musashi
The Dokkodo, or “The Way of Walking Alone,” is more than a testament to the formidable intellect and spirit of Miyamoto Musashi. It is a standard for the solitary warrior in pursuit of individual excellence. Days before his death, instead of contemplating his life’s regrets, or the falling of the cherry blossoms, the undefeated duelist instead wrote the Dokkodo by hand for his closest pupil.
Musashi was writing the first self-help guide for high achievers.
Its 21 short precepts guide us toward and along the path to discipline and self-mastery, to a unique approach to sharp living. They range from the profundity of, “Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling”, to the simplicity of, “Do not fear death.”
The vital importance of honor in particular is stressed when faced with the most fearsome of questions. In warrior culture, where the flesh is merely a vessel for Will, the body may fall in battle but honor, once lost, is a citadel forever breached.
The Dokkodo – a Metamodern Reading:
- Life is not a cherry-pickers’ buffet
- Pleasure is fleeting; chase something better, like victory
- Half-hearted efforts lead to half-baked results; go big, or go home
- It’s not about you
- Desires are like quicksand; stand firm on solid ground
- Regrets are for people who won’t level up
- Jealousy is a zero-sum game; focus on your own game
- Nothing lasts; adapt and move on
- Whining is not a strategy; winning is
- Emotions are wild horses; learn to ride or be trampled
- Preferences are cages; be free
- A true warrior can thrive anywhere
- Hunger for success, not for snacks
- Dump the dead weight
- Question everything; blind faith blinds
- Travel light; hoarding is for losers
- Do not over-train
- Fear is a worse enemy than death
- Self-reliance is your true deity
- Your word is your coin
- Above all, serve your purpose
The Dokkodo is an intriguing masterclass in strategy, life, and art that, like William Blake’s “Proverbs of Hell” is as open to interpretation as there is time for reflection. It will not spoon-feed any wisdom to you, and instead demand that you bring your own genuine experience in order to rise to its challenge.
SACRIFICE
The body is but a pawn, a piece inevitably to be surrendered. Honor, however, is the king on the chessboard of virtue.
IMPECCABILITY
Honor guides like the North Star, a constant beacon amidst life’s tumultuous seas, a steadfast companion through the darkest of nights.
LEGACY
History remembers not the details of one’s demise but the legacy left behind. A warrior’s true immortality is etched not in stone, but in the annals of virtue.
INNER STRUGGLE
The greatest battle is fought silently in the valley between your ribs, and in the desert between the ears. Will you stand guard over your honor, even when the enemy is within?
SELF-REFLECTION
To preserve your honor is a testament to Will, a portrait you paint with the brushstrokes of choice and action. In the mirror of life, what do you see — a visage marred by compromise or one radiant with integrity?
SERVICE
Life is a brief quest in pursuit of the highest virtues; outgrow the physical realm, and into the that of Spirit.
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