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Alan Armstrong
Black Belt
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Joined: 28 Feb 2016
Posts: 2468


PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2016 8:52 am    Post subject: Miyamoto Musashi 'The Book of Five Rings' Reply with quote

Miyamoto Musashi, know by the Japanese to be the greatest Samurai swordsman of all time.

He wrote a book over 400 years ago. He knew that he had a talented because he was never defeated in battle.

Fortunately for us his written works has been translated in to English.

The title of his writings is called "The Book of Five Rings"

The five rings are: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Void.

If you truly are a martial artist, then 'Miyamoto's advice in his book, will always serve you well.

A challenge for you. Which is/are your favorite ring(s) and why?
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sensei8
KF Sensei
KF Sensei

Joined: 23 Feb 2008
Posts: 16386
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Styles: Shindokan Saitou-ryu [Shuri-te/Okinawa-te based]

PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2016 3:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I love the book; a classic of classics!

As of which of the five rings do I like...well...for me...I like them all equally because at one time or another, each ring will serve me quite well when that ring is called upon; no one ring is greater than the other.

As Spock said it so well..."The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few, or the one."

From time to time, and when that time is appropriate, each ring will be called upon, and without any ambiguity and/or regret. Like the six senses, we humans we call upon them one at a time, or several at once, to serve its obligations in aiding that which must be needed, or wanted for that exacting moment. I can't choose one over the other; that's not within me to do so, and to do so might be counterproductive one way or another.

Imho!!



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tallgeese
Black Belt
Black Belt

Joined: 04 May 2008
Posts: 6879
Location: McHenry County, IL
Styles: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Bujin Bugei Jutsu, Gokei Ryu Kempo Jutsu, MMA, Shootfighting, boxing, kickboxing, JKD, Pekiti Tersia Kali

PostPosted: Sat Nov 19, 2016 4:13 pm    Post subject: Re: Miyamoto Musashi 'The Book of Five Rings' Reply with quote

Alan Armstrong wrote:
Miyamoto Musashi, know by the Japanese to be the greatest Samurai swordsman of all time.

He wrote a book over 400 years ago. He knew that he had a talented because he was never defeated in battle.

Fortunately for us his written works has been translated in to English.

The title of his writings is called "The Book of Five Rings"

The five rings are: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Void.

If you truly are a martial artist, then 'Miyamoto's advice in his book, will always serve you well.

A challenge for you. Which is/are your favorite ring(s) and why?


Great discussion. I'm a fan of the Fire Scroll. That's the most directly related to the tactics of combat. In particular bladed combat. In Kali, you can see the strategy application of many of the passages. I learn something more about the blade and the book each time I go thru it.
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Alan Armstrong
Black Belt
Black Belt

Joined: 28 Feb 2016
Posts: 2468


PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2016 3:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My first experience using the rings was with "Void" sparring in a TKD class in about 1997.

Becoming connected and aware of the void while maneuvering around fellow students felt very surreal, as if I was sparring in an alternate reality while everyone else was in normal time, almost comic bookish in being able to move within space and time and around objects with total ease.
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Alan Armstrong
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Joined: 28 Feb 2016
Posts: 2468


PostPosted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 3:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Free download of: Book of five rings

https://archive.org/details/MiyamotoMusashi-BookOfFiveRingsgoRinNoSho
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Alan Armstrong
Black Belt
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Joined: 28 Feb 2016
Posts: 2468


PostPosted: Sun Dec 17, 2017 4:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

For those that have the time to listen instead of reading, the complete audio of "The book of five rings" here is a link to doing just that.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gtok_fCpauU
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MatsuShinshii
Black Belt
Black Belt

Joined: 15 Aug 2016
Posts: 1423
Location: Kentucky
Styles: Machimura Suidi Rokudan, Ryukyu Kenpo, Kobudo, Judo

PostPosted: Wed Dec 20, 2017 6:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

One of my all time favorites. It relates to not only war but also business and every day interactions with people. Awesome read.
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LLLEARNER
Brown Belt
Brown Belt

Joined: 10 Feb 2016
Posts: 687
Location: Central Maine

PostPosted: Wed Dec 20, 2017 8:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am working my way through it now.
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JR 137
Black Belt
Black Belt

Joined: 10 May 2015
Posts: 2442
Location: In the dojo
Styles: Seido Juku

PostPosted: Thu Dec 21, 2017 5:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I’ve read it a few times. I’ve got to admit, most of it makes me feel stupid. I always feel like I’m genuinely missing something that everyone else sees that I don’t. I’m not very good with interpreting literature at a deep level. I guess I’m too much of a face value guy when it comes to this stuff. I need a version that spells it out for me, but then everyone disagrees with that author’s interpretation and I feel like I wasted my time with it.

Kinda explains my C in my essentials of literature class in college. The professor was kind to me with that grade. The only reason why she gave me that vs the one I actually earned was because I showed up, genuinely tried, and participated in class. Had she gave me the grade I actually earned, I would’ve had to repeat the class, probably a few times. It was a required gen ed class. I was a bio/sports medicine major, so it wasn’t like I was going to make my living interpreting Shakespeare.
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singularity6
Pre-Black Belt
Pre-Black Belt

Joined: 26 Jun 2017
Posts: 958
Location: Michigan
Styles: Jidokwan Taekwondo and Hapkido, Yoshokai Aikido, ZNIR Iaido, Kendo

PostPosted: Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I read it a couple of months ago. It had some really nice quotes, but some others were very outdated.
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