The Book of Five Rings by Sean Michael Wilson

Author:Sean Michael Wilson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Published: 2026-05-12T00:00:00+00:00

It is interesting that, while the structure and exterior make-up of Musashi’s book is based on an esoteric form of Buddhism, its interior has a firm founda- tion on the very exoteric Buddhism of Zen. One of Zen’s first tenets is that one never truly knows water to be hot or cold until he puts his hand in it, and this point is repeated over and over again in The Book of Five Rings with the phrase “you must investigate this thoroughly.” Musashi, who claims never to have had a teacher for any of the arts he so excelled in, would have us “train in the Way of the sword with your hands.” And, while many of the famous swordsmen of this period claimed to have learned their art from dreams, gods, or demons, Musashi insisted that we must learn each move and tech- nique as though we had discovered it on our own. This is the iron law of Zen that we “see everything for ourselves” (issai jikan: 一切自観), rather than hearing it from another—regardless of how famous a teacher he may be—or reading it in a book. Thus, The Book of Five Rings is only a stepping stone to self-discovery, to be abandoned much like the raft after one has crossed the stream.

“See everything for yourself.” Practice, in this sense, must mean acute observation, and observation without prejudice. With this kind of practice, Musashi said, we gain real knowledge, and real knowledge implies freedom. Something only half-learned or taken in faith from another only hobbles the practitioner or puts blinders on his gaze.

Musashi lived for sixty years by the concepts of Zen, and besides The Book of Five Rings, left us with a number of fine India ink paintings that point to these same principles. One of these paintings depicts a cormorant, a bird that swims underwater, perched on a small ledge, perhaps looking over an unseen river. Musashi would have observed many of these birds on his travels, and admired their skill and singleness of purpose. Did he think, as he painted his subject, of the old Japanese saying, “The crow imitating a cormorant will drown?”

Summary of the Text

Although Musashi was heavily influenced by Zen and took a number of cues from Shingon, he could hardly be defined or limited by these sects. And, al-

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