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Yamamoto Tsunetomo

Yamamoto Tsunetomo Quotes

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Famous Yamamoto Tsunetomo Quotes

“If a warrior is not unattached to life and death, he will be of no use whatsoever. The saying that “All abilities come from one mind” sounds as though it has to do with sentient matters, but it is in fact a matter of being unattached to life and death. With such non-attachment one can accomplish any feat.”

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Book:Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai
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“When something out of the ordinary happens, it is ridiculous to say that it is a mystery or a portent of something to come... the mystery is created in (their) minds, and by waiting for disaster, it is from their very minds that it occurs.”

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Book:Honor: Samurai Philosophy of Life - The Essential Samurai Collection; The Book of Five Rings, Hagakure: The Way of the Samurai, Bushido: The Soul of Japan.
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“Meditation on inevitable death should be performed daily. Every day when one’s body and mind are at peace, one should meditate upon being ripped apart by arrows, rifles, spears and swords, being carried away by surging waves, being thrown into the midst of a great fire, being struck by lightning, being shaken to death by a great earthquake, falling from thousand-foot cliffs, dying of disease or committing seppuku at the death of one’s master. And every day without fail one should consider himself as dead”

ShouldMindBodyFallFireMeditationFailingFeetDyingMastersThousandDiseaseWaveInevitableThrownMidstLightningArrowsMind And BodyCliffsEarthquakesRippedRiflesSpearsCarried AwayInevitable Death
Book:Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai
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“One must know the so-called 'lesson of a downpour. A man, caught in a sudden rain en route, dashes along the road not to get wet or drenched. Once one takes it for granted that in rain he naturally gets wet, he can be in a tranquil frame of mind even when soaked to the skin. This lesson applies to everything.”

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Book:The Hagakure - The Way of the Samurai
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“Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it as though he thought it was somewhere else. No one seems to have noticed this fact. But grasping this firmly, one must pile experience upon experience. And once one has come to this understanding he will be a different person from that point on, though he may not always bare it in mind. When one understands this settling into single-mindedness well, his affairs will thin out.”

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Author:Yamamoto Tsunetomo
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“Calculating people are contemptable. The reason for this is that calculation deals with loss and gain, and the loss and gain mind never stops. Death is considered loss and life is considered gain. Thus, death is something that such a person does not care for, and he is contemptable. Furthermore, scholars and their like are men who with wit and speech hide their own true cowardice and greed. People often misjudge this.”

PeopleMenMindPersonsDoeReasonTruthCareLife IsLossDealsSpeechGainsGreedWitCowardiceScholarCalculationsCalculating
Book:Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai
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