Ming the Mechanic:
A Samurai’s Creed
The NewsLog of Flemming Funch
 A Samurai’s Creed2008-02-21 13:04
16 comments
picture by Flemming Funch

Cool. The creed of a samurai, written around 1300 by an unnamed author. Via Chris Corrigan
I have no parents; I make the heaven and earth my mother and father.
I have no home; I make awareness my dwelling.
I have no life and death; I make the tides of breathing my life and death.
I have no divine power; I make honesty my divine power.
I have no means; I make understanding my means.
I have no magic secrets; I make character my magic secret.
I have no body; I make endurance my body.
I have no eyes; I make the flash of lightning my eyes.
I have no ears; I make sensibility my ears.
I have no limbs; I make promptness my limbs.
I have no strategy; I make “unshadowed by thought” my strategy
I have no designs; I make “seizing opportunity by the forelock” my design.
I have no miracles; I make right action my miracle.
I have no principles; I make adaptability to all circumstances my principles.
I have no tactics; I make emptiness and fullness my tactics.
I have no talents; I make ready wit my talent.
I have no friends; I make my mind my friend.
I have no enemy; I make carelessness my enemy.
I have no armor; I make benevolence and righteousness my armor.
I have no castle; I make immovable mind my castle.
I have no sword; I make absence of self my sword.



[< Back] [Ming the Mechanic]

Category:  

16 comments

21 Feb 2008 @ 20:43 by bushman : Hmm,
works for me. :}  

29 Feb 2008 @ 07:35 by Roan Carratu @98.202.63.219 : Zen Influence
Definitely a zen student Samurai. Richly adapted as a response to some other Samurai creed, much like the No mind, No mirror poem of the ancient zen master in China. I would bet it dates from the time Zen was introduced into Japan. Just a thought.  

18 Mar 2008 @ 03:18 by democritus : addition
i have no gods, i make myself aware of my own divinity  

12 Feb 2009 @ 19:43 by Virginia Hoyt @67.72.98.46 : Samurai Creed
I think it is wonderful, thank you  

24 Mar 2009 @ 15:48 by Buddy @199.106.52.17 : .
I have no shoes. I make socks with flip-flops my shoes.  

28 Mar 2009 @ 23:15 by Jack Mehoff @75.134.58.179 : far out!!
Duuuuuuuuuude!  

29 Mar 2009 @ 05:32 by Dan Wong @99.226.25.87 : Samurai's Creed
I have no voice, I make righteousness and truth my voice.  

2 Apr 2009 @ 11:39 by Yamamoto Tsunetomo @85.160.90.18 : FAKE
this has nothing to do with bushido.. read Yamamoto  

13 Apr 2009 @ 04:01 by nic @98.230.2.132 : add-ons
this creed is complete. it doesn't need anyone's help. try not to make jokes about a serious thing, especially if they aren't even funny.  

14 Apr 2009 @ 04:48 by Organic Boy @68.96.86.99 : Samurai
I have no jokes, I laugh at thoes who take things to seriously (sometimes myself)  

6 May 2009 @ 17:44 by Tokugawa Ieyasu @90.229.199.115 : Read the creeds again.
Those who add their own rules of conduit, like "I am god" and "I am truth" should read the creeds again. That kind of thinking is not the way of the samurai at all.  

31 May 2010 @ 18:57 by olivia @24.22.68.78 : samurais creed
i dont under stand the creed fully  

15 Jun 2010 @ 05:46 by Blue @201.138.109.86 : Explanation
The creed is intended to make the student conscient of the illusion of the world around us, by stating that we lack things we take as granted, it takes us to the mind state of the void, it doesn't mean they don't exist, but that they exists in an illusion, they are empty shells that mean nothing by themselves, let's take for example the following line "I have no body; I make endurance my body." ask yourself, What is my body?... a tricky question indeed but worthy of an answer. Having answered the question with whatever opinion you might have, ask now the next question, What is my body, without endurance?, guessing some of the answers that might arise from this question, I guess the most common of all would be "nothing" am I wrong?... if you have a weak body, which is the opposite of an enduring body, your body will fail sooner than later, thus you discard your weak body in exange for the ultimate body... Endurance. Of course you will need to obtain it first, how?... hehe I'll let you figure that one out.
Every line has its own meaning, just ask yourself what is the meaning of that which I possess without the proper concept, and you shall figure it out sooner or later.  

1 Jul 2010 @ 22:11 by Orientale @87.7.136.39 : HELP
Does anyone know where I can find the japanese original text for this creed? thank you  

31 Aug 2010 @ 01:35 by joshu Ry'an @71.238.172.206 : mike the mechanic
I have no mike the mechanic: I make it to auto store in time to buy chiltons guide,then take the wrong part, put it on backwards, break car much worse, then look up mike even though i still owe him 60$ and my repair now costs twice.  

11 Aug 2015 @ 06:37 by Rachel @203.10.59.12 : Creed
When you say it like that, we really do come complete and there is nothing we cannot achieve living with a few rules of life.  

Other stories in
2012-01-01 00:20: New year wish
2009-10-27 23:59: Compassion Exercise
2009-10-26 23:48: The power of appreciation
2008-02-20 15:38: Experiencing
2007-11-07 00:50: Say what you feel
2007-11-06 23:38: Steve Habib Rose
2007-06-21 19:16: How does one have a blogversation?
2007-06-20 21:53: Self-portraits
2007-06-15 16:26: Life instructions
2007-06-07 21:16: Creativity 100


[< Back] [Ming the Mechanic] [PermaLink]? 


Link to this article as: http://ming.tv/flemming2.php/__show_article/_a000010-001914.htm
Main Page: ming.tv