What is meant by ‘Living by the Sword’?

(This article was first published on Linkedin on 7 July 2018)

(Image credit from ‘Secrets of The Samurai: A survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan’)

What is really meant by ‘living by the sword’? 

I briefly received teachings from a ‘kendo’ (sword) master a while ago who then gifted me his sword (photo below) which I treasure greatly.

Image: wooden bokken kendo sword (Irena’s own)

Having worked and spent time in big cities where the energy has a particular fast-paced quality of being relentless as London, New York or Tokyo in particular, some environments are often referred to as ‘battle grounds’ or ‘war’. It’s not meant to be pejorative. Competition is fierce, change is the new norm, there is constant and fast multi-angle movement. It can feel destabilising.

Lessons from the Sword Master

You might have heard the saying ‘living by the sword, dying by the sword’. It is said to come from a Aeschylus trilogy play with Agamemnon:

“By the sword you did your work, and by the sword you die.”

— Aeschylus’s Agamemnon 

Often this is said to mean that if you live in a violent and aggressive way this is what you will get in return. In Western philosophy this might be the case. It is not quite how this is lived in the traditional martial arts of Japanese ‘Bujustsu’. This saying is often interpreted with our western lens on.

The lessons from the kendo master were brief but stayed with me for life. They can be summed up by the below:

‘whatever happens around you, whatever is thrown at you, never lose centre’.

‘Haragei:The Concepts of The Centre as ‘Our Home’and Intrinsic Energy

It is outside the scope of this short article to go into this complex and ancient art form of haragei. The philosophy is present throughout all the major doctrines, philosophical teachings and religious thoughts of Asia, and ranges from a ‘cosmic/universe’ outlook right down to ‘the human being’. So it is broad in scope and breadth of teaching.

When we practice a martial art we refer to energy a lot. The same is true of kendo fighting, when receiving energy from others or opponents, in life or if sword fighting. Allowing the force to move through, allowing others to share their piece, receiving it, going with, not against and ‘transmuting’ it ideally without violence is the aim. If we move off our centre, we lose balance and are moved off our feet, and it can be over.

Photo: ‘Secrets of The Samurai’: receiving energy, stimulus and how we react to it.

The theory used by most martial artists is thus: a human being’s reality is chaotic, bringing them confusion and sorrows. These are attributed to ignorance which in turn makes them easy prey to unreal phenomena due to erroneous interpretations of what is going on. These turn him/her against self, their fellow-man/woman and the world. To remedy this, we practice ‘returning home’, our centre.

Photo: ‘Secrets of The Samurai’: When the energy is misused it can ultimately destroy from within creating suffering (anxiety, anguish, depression).

Physically the centre or ‘the home’ is known as ‘hara’ in Japanese for men, or the pelvis/womb area for women. Psychologically the centre refers to knowing ourselves, being in control of our thoughts, emotions and feelings, and being true to ourselves with respect, kindness and dignity. In contemporary modern psychology, cultivating a practice of relaxation or being aware of and practicing the ABCD model of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is helpful. It is not the situation which creates distress but what we tell ourselves about it which in turns creates feelings and emotions. We need to train ourselves to challenge our assumptions.

From Arts of the Samurai “ Of what use is a sharp, well-balanced katana, or an intricate and technically elaborate method of using in combat, if the warrior, who had to be prepared to face death every day – had not developed a stable, inner platform of mental control from which to act or react accordingly to the circumstances of an encounter?”

Photo: ‘Secrets of The Samurai’: The Centre, Staying Centred, Hara.

Even when taking action, we don’t come out of our centre.You can see in the photos below how centred and grounded the sword masters are.

Photo Credit: The Arts of the Samurai, The grounded warrior in his centre

The same is true for many sports and many sports people will attest to this. In yoga, we refer to the practice as ultimately being (from the Bhagavad Gita): “Yoga is a journey of the self, through the self, to the self.” What we do, what happens, is that we must not leave home. 

The below is the rightful way of the ‘honourable warrior’ and it is said to come from Miyamoto Musahi a famous sixteen century swordsman:

” A man (or woman) who have thoroughly mastered the art do not use the sword, and the opponent kills himself. When a man uses his sword, he makes it serve to give life to others. When killing is the order, it kills, when giving life is the order, it gives life.

While killing, there is no thought of killing. While giving life there is no thought of giving life for in the killing or in the giving of life no self is asserted. The man/woman does not see ‘this’ or ‘that’.

Photo Credit: The Arts of the Samurai, The Samurai Woman: Onna-Bugeisha

As so much around us is changing, I find it soothing to remind myself of these teachings. 

No matter what rug gets pulled off our feet, we know we have ourselves, our centre. If we are faced with opportunities or challenges for which we do not have the skills or tools, we can seek help. Every situation becomes an opportunity for learning. 

Sources

Aeschylus’s Agamemnon from his plays ‘Oresteia’ 

The Bhagavad Gita

Ratio, O., and Westbrook, A. (1973) ‘Secrets of The Samurai: A survey of the Martial Arts of Feudal Japan’. Charles E.Tuttle Company.