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indiscriminately eager in being a retainer without understanding the customs of the times or the likes and dislikes of
the master and, as a result, is of no use and brings ruin upon himself. To try to enter the good graces of the master is
unbecoming. One should consider first stepping back and getting some understanding of the depths and shallows and
then work without doing anything the master dislikes.
If you attach a number of bags of cloves to your body, you will not be affected by inclemency or colds. Some years
ago Nakano Kazuma returned to this province as a messenger by horse in the dead of winter, and though he was an
old man, he was not the least bit in pain. It is said that that was because of his having used cloves. Furthermore,
drinking a decoction of the feces from a dappled horse is the way to stop bleeding from an injury received by falling
off a horse.
A faultless person is one who withdraws from affairs. This must be done with strength.
There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. A man's whole life is a succession of
moment after moment. If one fully understands the present moment, there will be nothing else to do, and nothing else
to pursue. Live being true to the single purpose of the moment .
Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it as though he thought it were 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 bear it in mind.
When one understands this settling into single-mindedness well, his affairs will thin out. Loyalty is also contained
within this single-mindedness.
It is said that what is called "the spirit of an ape' ' is seine- thing to which one cannot return. That this spirit gradually
dissipates is due to the world's coming to an end. In the same way, a single year does not have just spring or summer.
A single day, too, is the same.
For this reason, although one would like to change today's world back to the spirit of one hundred years or more ago,
it cannot be done. Thus it is important to make the best out of every generation. This is the mistake of people who are
attached to past generations. They have no understanding of this point.
On the other hand, people who only know the disposition of the present day and dislike the ways of the past are too
lax.
Be true to the thought of the moment and avoid distraction. Other than continuing to exert yourself, enter into nothing
else, but go to the extent of living single thought by single thought.
The brave men of old times were for the most part rowdies. As they were of the disposition to be out running amuck,
their vitality was strong and they were brave. When I had doubts about this and asked, Tsunetomo said, "It is
understandable that since their vitality was strong they were generally rough and went about running amuck. These
days rowdiness is nonexistent because man's vitality has weakened. Vitality has fallen behind, but man's character has
improved. Valor is yet a different thing. Although men have become gentle these days because of the lack of vitality,
this does not mean that they are inferior in being crazy to die. That has nothing to do with vitality."
Concerning the military tactics of Lord Naoshige, Ushida Shoemon said that it was characteristic of his retainers to
face a situation with no previous knowledge of what was to happen, and for him to freely bring everything to a finish
by a single word. When he was at the point of passing from this world, he said nothing, even when his chief retainers
came to see him.
Once Lord Ieyasu gamed nothing in a battle, but in a later judgment it was said, "Ieyasu is a general of great courage.
Of his retainers who died in battle, not one of them died with his back turned. They all died facing the enemy lines."
Since a warrior' s daily frame of mind is manifested even after death, it is something that can bring shame to him.
As Yasuda Ukyo said about offering up the last wine cup, only the end of things is important. One's whole life should
be like this. When guests are leaving, the mood of being reluctant to say farewell is essential. If this mood is lacking,
one will appear bored and the day and evening's conversation will disappear. In all dealings with people it is essential
to have a fresh approach. One should constantly give the impression that he is doing something exceptional. It is said
that this is possible with but a little understanding.
Our bodies are given life from the midst of nothingness. Existing where there is nothing is the meaning of the phrase,
"Form is emptiness." That all things are provided for by nothingness is the meaning of the phrase, "Emptiness is
form."' One should not think that these are two separate things .
Uesugi Kenshin said, "I never knew about winning from beginning to end, but only about not being behind in a
situation." This is interesting. A retainer will be dumbfounded if he is behind in a situation. In each and every instance
one's function or responsiveness will not be shallow if he is not behind .
One should be wary of talking on end about such subjects as learning, morality or folklore in front of elders or people
of rank. It is disagreeable to listen to.
In the Kamigata area they have a sort of tiered lunch box they use for a single day when flower viewing. Upon
returning, they throw them away, trampling them underfoot. As might be expected, this is one of my recollections of
the capital [Kyoto]. The end is important in all things.
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