Musings

Ive always been facinated by the norse mythology folowed by vikings ,as well as bushido code

The whole essence of being a warrior was acceptance of inevitability of death,something we all seem to escape from all our lives till it finally catches up

If the vikings believd the only way to enter "valhalla" was by dying young and bravely in battle,the samurai followed the famed bushido code(bushi meaning warrior hence quite literally warriors code)Its basic principles were :-
seven essential principles:

1. Gi: the right decision, taken with equanimity, the right attitude, the truth. When we must die, we must die. Rectitude.

2. Yu: bravery tinged with heroism.

3. Jin: universal love, benevolence toward mankind; compassion.

4. Rei: right action--a most essential quality, courtesy.

5. Makoto: utter sincerity; truthfulness.

ó. Melyo: honor and glory.

7. Chugo: devotion, loyalty.

the whole thing about being totally stoic to death as seen in gi is seen in india,where everything is believed to be decided by fate,sadly when it comes to death most seem to fight it.to accept it and live each day as last with riht attitude,what else can a man desire?

as for yu,its easy being brave when theres no fear

ive belived true courage is when a man is afraid,n still does what is right,fear is nothing more than an oppurtunity to prove real courage.And when it occurs for righteousness,we have true heroism

as for Jin,enshrined so well in our constituions preamble,with its principles of equality secularism fraternity etc,one can so easily n readily adopt them

Rei,right action,truly important,any one can act,but a wrong act can do so much harm which may never be undone,when every act cummulates,the results can vary from perfection to disaster,so morality must ever be comprimised or abandoned in deeds

Makato,if u deceive others u decieve ur self.self deception is no better than living in a deluded world,where anything is used to justify while a voice deep within says otherwise,dont avoid that voice,that voice is pure,it comes from ur heart,let it guide u

Melyo,honor n glory,they only true wealth.one can only boast about these,takes a lifetime to get these,but can be lost in an instant n thus must be guarded,forever,as fiercely as one wld guard their loved ones,perhaps even more so

Chugo,devotion and loyalty,but to whom?Not to oneself,for that wld make one no beter than a creature who exists for the sake of existence.devotion,loyalty are best suited for something far greater,it may be country society ....but ultimate devotion must be to Goodness rather than god,to people rather than a political boundary to Justice rather than law,to Righteousness,perhaps the best guide to this is that voice within,given to Man by the One upstairs.

In addition certain principles from budhism were borrowed by shintoism which were expected to be followed at all times

Pacification of the emotions;

Tranquil compliance with the inevitable;

Self-control in the face of any event;

A more intimate exploration of death than of life;

Pure poverty.

with emotions pacified,everything becomes so clear

a peaceful acceptance of inevitable,whehther death or failure,can give all the strength one needs to face any adversity

self control enables control over circumstances

a thorough insight in death makes one accept it,and when it comes to calmly embrace it,and once we start treating each day as our last,lets us truly "live" :)

pure poverty,something that will always save us from being corrupted


whatever awaits us after death,im not sure of

but i know this

it doesnt matter how u die,when u die,how u lived,what u "lived as",but why u died,and more importantly what u "lived for"


everything else becomes completely irrelevant,power,money,prestige,comforts,family,loved ones............Total detachment,no fear,no anger,nothing but complete peace,calm n tranquility,quailites a warrior can use anywhere.