The Way of the Monk, Samurai, and Servant
"Do nothing which is of no use. Think lightly of yourself, deeply of the world"
Miyamoto Musashi.
Introduction
I have always been mesmerized by the life of Buddha, who was at once a noble prince with all types of materialistic possessions and unlimited social status. The Buddha was surrounded by nothing but wealth, high class and honor. Yet, he intentionally chose the life of simplicity and virtue. When we look back in the history of philosophy, we find many similar stories of philosophers such as Diogenes (who preferred the sight of sun over Alexander the Great's kingdom) and Henry David Thoreau (who spent years in a solitary cabin out in the woods). Or take Albert Einstein, who after receiving the highest intellectual award of Nobel prize, turned towards studying philosophy, uncovering Spinoza's God and cosmic religion. So it is natural to question why? Why do all these great personalities pursue simplicity and spirituality even after receiving everything one could wish for? The answer may lie in this quote:
"To the mind that is still, the whole world surrenders." - Lao Tsu.
This post is a tribute to discovering the path of the monk, the samurai and the servant. All of these personalities are housed in the ancient practice of Buddhist philosophy. We will start with the monk, who aspires to live righteously and seek Nirvana, the cessation of all suffering. Then we will transition to the samurai, whose focus is on physical training, but ultimately mental tranquility. And finally, we will end with the bodhisattva, who is a servant of the world and aims to completely annihilate the difference between self and other. The monk, samurai, and the bodhisattva (servant) all aim to achieve a peace of mind in the chaotic world. Fortunately, I have had the privilege to live as each of these personalities. I went to a silent meditation retreat for 10 days and lived as a simple monk. I also have the opportunity to learn Iaido (sword arts) and get a glimpse of the concentrated life of a samurai. Finally, I have always aspired to be like Shantideva, a Tibetan Buddhist who taught the way of the bodhisattva, a simple servant with no ego. I always write based on my experience, and never futile intellectualization. Thus, I will combine my knowledge and experience to adequately highlight how the path of the monk, the samurai and the servant bring us closer to our true nature and inner peace.
The path of the Monk
"Not to commit any sin, to do good, and to purify one's own mind, that is the teaching of all the Awakened. Even in heavenly pleasures, he finds no satisfaction, the disciple who is fully awakened delights only in the destruction of all desires."
- Buddha, Dhammapada.
The path of the monk is simple: do good, harm no one, and live in harmony with nature. It focuses on simplicity and involves living in a hut and begging for food. The modern man might laugh at the monk for living such a modest and simple life, however, the monk just smiles and reassures himself that true happiness can never be found outside of one's own mind. Hence, the monk spends each day lowering his ego, and training his mind to enjoy small things in life. Traditionally, the path of the monk is highlighted through the Noble Eightfold path, which highlights the importance of ethical conduct (doing good), meditation (being in the present at all times), and wisdom (developing true understanding of self).
The monk strives to live with righteousness, hoping that one day his good deeds will lead to progress in his spiritual journey. The monk takes joy in doing the bare necessities such as raking the leaves, cleaning the floor, cooking food, leisurely walking, and just sitting. In this way, his mind starts to become disenchanted with the grandiosity of the world, and rather starts to develop gratitude for the little moments in life. Ultimately, the monk gets to a point where he needs nothing outside of his own mind. He sits still, with back straight and palms facing up, and focuses on his breath and body. Slowly, he tranquilizes his mind and enters the transcendental state of effortless focus and contentment. Though this state is transcendental, it is nothing out of the ordinary. The monk is just sitting, doing nothing - and yet profound peace has surrounded him. He seeks nothing, yet he achieves everything. He moves nowhere, but he experiences the joy of being everywhere. His mind has no substance, yet it rejoices in pleasures beyond the material world. The key to the monk's practice is being in the present and letting his true nature shine forth effortlessly. When the monk gets out of his meditation, he walks with serenity, he talks with ease, and he lives with compassion towards all. He realizes that doing good is not for the benefit of others, but instead for the benefit of his own mind. Good deeds remove the poisons of greed, hatred and delusion, and stabilize the mind in cosmic consciousness.
Now we can understand why young Siddhartha left the pleasures of life to live as a simple monk. The luxuries of life produce greed and discontentment, and perpetuate the cycle of craving and restlessness. The simplicities of life produce abundant joy and peace and reinforce balance and harmony with nature. How foolish is it to go after wealth if it only leads to never ending dissatisfaction and how wise is it to go after self-knowledge if it leads to unlimited bliss in the mind. I bow down to the Buddha, for setting an example of virtue and compassion. Now we transition to the path of the samurai. One of the most famous martial artists in Japan is Miyamoto Musashi, who lived as a ronin, a wandering samurai with no lord or master. Legend has it that he remained undefeated in 60 duels. His famous book, The Book of Five Rings, provides an eloquent summary of the strategy he used to perfect his martial arts. But once again, just like the Buddha, ronin Musashi did not value fame or reputation. He yearned to be wild and free - to write philosophy, enjoy nature, and fight as need be.
The path of the Samurai
"The ultimate aim of martial arts is not having to use them… Under the sword lifted high, there is hell making you tremble. But go ahead, and you have the land of bliss." Miyamoto Musashi.
The path of the samurai is very similar to the monk, except ofcourse the bloodshed from his sword. It might seem paradoxical for a ruthless samurai to adhere to principles of nonviolence and peace, however there is a fine connection between the two. Whereas the monk finds joy in training his mind directly through meditation, the samurai finds honor is training his mind indirectly through martial arts. The samurai is a perfect example of someone who wants to implement mindfulness in their daily life and use it to protect and help others. Historically, the path of the samurai is highlighted by the 7 virtues of Bushido. These include: right decision, courage, right action, compassion, sincerity, honor, and loyalty. Ultimately it comes down to approaching an enemy with a warrior mentality of winning, but also the intention of protecting oneself and acting out of compassion and kindness.
The samurai's goal in sword arts is not the fight, but the practice of perfecting his art. Similar to the monk who values the journey more than the destination, the samurai values the daily ability of improving himself rather than comparing with others. The Bushido path starts with the right decision, which is analogous to rectitude or integrity. The samurai must first make a proper decision of entering or not entering the battle. The samurai stakes his life on his skill, but if he knows for certain he cannot win, then he must use wisdom and tactics rather than brute force and aggression. The samurai doesn't attack out of a mind of hatred or anger, instead he attacks with an utterly tranquil and rational mind. He uses wisdom instead of emotion to guide his movements. The emphasis on the samurai's movements is his precision and accuracy rather than his speed and flashiness. For this reason, the samurai often aims to cut the enemy with the least amount of strikes possible. The longer the battle, the greater the chance of losing for the samurai. Courage and compassion flow effortlessly due to the rigorous training the samurai went through in the past. Because the samurai is a self improving machine, at all times he is fearless yet kind. No adversity disturbs the samurai because he only focuses on improving his mind. Similarly, no enmity creates anger or frustration for the samurai, since his skill lies in mental freedom.
The samurai is very sincere in his training. He is disciplined and often seeks challenges to improve himself. He doesn't aim to be haughty or flamboyant, yet he values honor and loyalty. He serves his master, and is always humble when praise comes his way. But most importantly, he takes his training very seriously. The whole point of martial arts is to synchronize the mind and body to be utterly present in each moment. Thus, the samurai relentlessly practices focus with each strike and aims to bring full concentration in all battles. A moment of hesitation or mind wandering could cost the samurai his life, thus he must train his mind to have full awareness of his central and peripheral vision. When he pairs his mental concentration with his physical sword cuts, the samurai flows effortlessly through all battles - like water that flows through all obstacles. The samurai doesn't just win sword battles, he wins life battles as he achieves fearlessness and courage to face any adversity with a still mind. The courage and honor from his practice leads the samurai to be humble and respect those around him.
My personal training in sword arts has taught me the importance of keeping my mind stable with each cut. When my mind is empty, my body flows with ease, but as soon as my mind wanders or becomes restless, my body tenses and loses control. Long, deep breathing has helped me calm my mind and cut each strike with precision. The sword is like the wise mind, that cuts the delusion of a permanent self, and brings us closer to the present moment. I bow down to Miyamoto Musashi, who lived and taught the way of the samurai. I strive to perfect my katana strikes, while simultaneously keeping my mind devoid of distractions. Most importantly, with each strike, I aim to lower my ego and live with humility and friendship. We finally move on to the way of the servant (my favorite). Like the monk and samurai, the servant wishes for the happiness of all. But his actions are more emphasized in service and gratitude.
The path of the Servant
"May I become at all times, both now and forever, a protector for those without protection. A guide for those who have lost their way, a ship for those with oceans to cross, a bridge for those with rivers to cross, a sanctuary for those in danger, a lamp for those without light, a place of refuge for those who lack shelter, and a servant to all in need." - Shantideva.
The soothing words of Shantideva bring infinite joy to the mind who sees unity in all things. The path of the servant is one of the most difficult yet rewarding paths in the world. A main characteristic of a servant is to serve; to love unconditionally and to give with no expectation of return. The most beautiful quality of the servant is that he is available to help at all times, with no reservation for himself. His aim in life is to develop what the Buddhists call, bodhicitta- a mind of pure compassion. The poem above depicts a servant's cry to the world full of suffering. The servant doesn't discriminate between his personal family, friends and the world. He sees everyone as parts of himself- and he strives to give happiness to those that come in his vicinity. The bodhisattva, a servant of others, ultimately wishes to eliminate all suffering in the world. Practically, this is a lofty goal but having such a mindset proves beneficial as it motivates the servant to seek each opportunity to help others. Little by little, his small helpful actions trickle into other people's lives, and slowly this leads to positive change in the whole world. The bodhisattva doesn't care about recognition or praise for his deeds- he simply wishes for the benefit of all beings. At times of praise, the servant reminds himself of his teacher, and at times of blame, the servant takes full responsibility. In this way, the servant lives a modest and gentle life.
Historically, there is no specific path for the servant- however there are 4 vows that he takes:
1. All beings, one body, I vow to liberate them.
2. Endless blind passions, I vow to end them.
3. Dharma Gates, without number, I vow to penetrate.
4. The way of the Buddha, I vow to follow.
"Where would I possibly find enough leather with which to cover the surface of the earth? But wearing leather just on the soles of my shoes is equivalent to covering the earth with it." - Shantideva.
Ultimately, the servant aims not to change politics or have grand business plans. Instead the servant aims to perform little acts of generosity and develop a spontaneously giving mindset. The quote above perfectly explains the sentiment of a bodhisattva: it is impossible to save the whole world, but if we live each moment with a mindset of helping those who come our way, then we gradually seep our kindness into the wide world. Ironically, greater good happens unplanned and through smaller acts of kindness. As the servant performs service unconditionally, the people around him are moved and thus they change themselves, starting a domino effect of spreading love and compassion. Truly marvelous is the mind of him who seeks nothing, but wishes to give everything.
"To them in whom this precious jewel of mind
Is born – to them I bow.
I go to refuge to those springs of happiness,
Who bring their very enemies to perfect bliss"
Shantideva.
The monk, samurai and servant are all reflections of the Buddha. The monk seeks simplicity, the samurai seeks honor, and the servant seeks service. In all three, there is the spirit of mental tranquility and effortless compassion. The servant, though, may be the closest one to reaching Buddhahood.
To be a servant of God is to be a servant of the world.