1 00:00:00,260 --> 00:00:06,940 A samurai at first, and then a Ronin, Miyamoto Musashi is considered to be the greatest swordsman 2 00:00:06,940 --> 00:00:13,160 ever in the history of Japan, in large part due to his almost surreal discipline. 3 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:19,260 Indeed It is being said that he fought 60 duels, and never lost one. 4 00:00:19,260 --> 00:00:24,949 He fought for the first time when he was 13 against an experienced Samurai, and came out 5 00:00:24,949 --> 00:00:26,550 victorious. 6 00:00:26,550 --> 00:00:32,390 He took down the greatest swordsman at that time, one by one, until the throne was his, 7 00:00:32,390 --> 00:00:34,050 and his alone. 8 00:00:34,050 --> 00:00:37,690 However, Miyamoto was more than that. 9 00:00:37,690 --> 00:00:44,100 Not only was he a master of his craft, but he was also an artist, a cerebral philosopher 10 00:00:44,100 --> 00:00:45,910 and a buddhist. 11 00:00:45,910 --> 00:00:50,780 He sought meaning, wrote war and philosophy books, and his work became a blueprint for 12 00:00:50,780 --> 00:00:53,870 people who want to live a disciplined life. 13 00:00:53,870 --> 00:01:01,871 A week before he died in 1645, Miyamoto Musashi wrote 21 principles called “Dokkodo '' by 14 00:01:01,871 --> 00:01:07,750 which he expresses a stringent, honest, and ascetic or strongly self-disciplined view 15 00:01:07,750 --> 00:01:09,720 of life. 16 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:14,960 In this video we are going to see what made Miyamoto so disciplined and how we can use 17 00:01:14,960 --> 00:01:18,360 this wisdom to build our own discipline. 18 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:23,810 A quality that has been cherished and revered by human beings since the dawn of time, by 19 00:01:23,810 --> 00:01:28,621 embodying discipline, we’re making sure that our independence is respected, and our 20 00:01:28,621 --> 00:01:31,049 dreams are fulfilled. 21 00:01:31,049 --> 00:01:36,370 If people are disciplined and have an honorable way of conduct, the country or civilization 22 00:01:36,370 --> 00:01:38,770 will truly thrive. 23 00:01:38,770 --> 00:01:44,439 So with that in mind here are 4 life teachings about discipline from the words of Miyamoto 24 00:01:44,439 --> 00:01:48,040 Musashi: 25 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,740 Avoid doing things just because they feel good 26 00:01:51,740 --> 00:01:58,090 Miyamoto says “Do Not Seek Pleasure for Its Own Sake”. 27 00:01:58,090 --> 00:02:04,380 In the late years of the 16th century, Miyamoto, who was on a mission to be the greatest swordsman, 28 00:02:04,380 --> 00:02:08,810 wandered around and even stayed in the darkest and scariest places. 29 00:02:08,810 --> 00:02:14,500 It would have been no surprise if one encountered him in the middle of a lonely forest on freezing 30 00:02:14,500 --> 00:02:18,420 nights, accompanied only by his swords. 31 00:02:18,420 --> 00:02:24,760 Miyamoto knew that greatness had a price, and he needed to pay it, no matter how expensive 32 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:26,870 it was. 33 00:02:26,870 --> 00:02:32,390 From a very young age, he sacrificed typical desires and the path of comfort in order to 34 00:02:32,390 --> 00:02:38,420 focus on what he wished to become and to stay true to the path he intended to follow. 35 00:02:38,420 --> 00:02:44,400 He found the pursuit of a luxurious home, fine food, and fanciful possessions distracting. 36 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:50,480 Now, let’s imagine a version of Miyamoto that decides to indulge in those pleasures 37 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,300 that do not serve his overall goals… 38 00:02:53,300 --> 00:02:58,010 To wake up late every day or routinely eat rich dishes that lack nutrition... 39 00:02:58,010 --> 00:03:03,280 Do you think he would have gone far in developing his skills and becoming the greatest swordsman 40 00:03:03,280 --> 00:03:06,299 in the history of Feudal Japan? 41 00:03:06,299 --> 00:03:07,940 Probably not. 42 00:03:07,940 --> 00:03:14,239 Today, in an ever-stimulating world, there’s an abundance of pleasures, which for many 43 00:03:14,239 --> 00:03:16,700 brings with it a lack of meaning. 44 00:03:16,700 --> 00:03:21,590 And according to many greats of the history of humanity, having meaning is what truly 45 00:03:21,590 --> 00:03:23,540 makes us happy. 46 00:03:23,540 --> 00:03:29,739 In the modern world instant pleasure has never been more easily accessible, but the sad reality 47 00:03:29,739 --> 00:03:35,870 is that constantly indulging in pleasures does not lead to happiness, it can lead to 48 00:03:35,870 --> 00:03:40,890 a sense of emptiness and even addiction in extreme cases. 49 00:03:40,890 --> 00:03:46,129 Today, pleasure is so easily accessible, it’s almost scary. 50 00:03:46,129 --> 00:03:50,790 You just need to pop your phone from your pocket to get the instant dopamine hit we 51 00:03:50,790 --> 00:03:52,770 all crave. 52 00:03:52,770 --> 00:03:57,440 In the attention-driven economy of the modern world, pleasure is one of the most valuable 53 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:01,519 currencies - You’re almost never out of its sight. 54 00:04:01,519 --> 00:04:07,659 Whatever you’re doing there’s always someone - a product or service - lurking in the background, 55 00:04:07,659 --> 00:04:11,680 luring you towards false promises of happiness. 56 00:04:11,680 --> 00:04:17,150 The antidote of pleasure is meaning, believing in something that truly dictates your days 57 00:04:17,150 --> 00:04:22,940 in a way that can only move you forward, no matter the temptation, no matter the pleasures 58 00:04:22,940 --> 00:04:25,070 that are surrounding you. 59 00:04:25,070 --> 00:04:30,060 We need to look at those who succeeded in finding meaning and fighting pleasures, like 60 00:04:30,060 --> 00:04:31,820 Miyamoto. 61 00:04:31,820 --> 00:04:37,930 Miyamoto felt that indulging in pleasure steals time from us, because time well spent is when 62 00:04:37,930 --> 00:04:42,330 you do something that matters, and that feeling has no equal. 63 00:04:42,330 --> 00:04:48,090 As far as Miyamoto was concerned, even if you compound all of the pleasures of life, 64 00:04:48,090 --> 00:04:53,090 it still doesn’t measure up to the feeling of achieving a major goal. 65 00:04:53,090 --> 00:04:57,610 Doing what matters will always be the true source of happiness. 66 00:04:57,610 --> 00:05:02,750 Just imagine how proud you would feel if you succeeded in, for example, reading every single 67 00:05:02,750 --> 00:05:08,600 day for at least 15 minutes, for an entire year; Picture yourself with a healthy body 68 00:05:08,600 --> 00:05:14,520 after training hard for months and months; Just think about the day when all of your 69 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:19,449 efforts to start your business finally pay off and you start seeing customers coming 70 00:05:19,449 --> 00:05:25,910 in numbers; How does the fleeting happiness generated from a short-term pleasure really 71 00:05:25,910 --> 00:05:30,310 fair next to the happiness that results from achievement? 72 00:05:30,310 --> 00:05:34,860 Picture that next time you feel the temptation to grab your phone instead of doing the less 73 00:05:34,860 --> 00:05:41,470 immediately pleasurable thing you actually want to get done. 74 00:05:41,470 --> 00:05:46,819 Focus on one thing, and broaden your horizons in it 75 00:05:46,819 --> 00:05:54,280 In the words of Miyamoto ‘Practice and understand the realization that by knowing one way, you 76 00:05:54,280 --> 00:05:57,199 know a thousand’. 77 00:05:57,199 --> 00:06:01,520 Miyamoto dedicated his life to mastering the sword. 78 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:06,840 When he was younger, he trained from dusk till dawn recklessly and pushed his boundaries 79 00:06:06,840 --> 00:06:08,770 further and further. 80 00:06:08,770 --> 00:06:14,259 In fact, he left his home village when he was 15 or 16, to travel the country and learn 81 00:06:14,259 --> 00:06:20,360 from the best masters, and to challenge any fighter that had a reputation for dueling. 82 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:25,760 A quest that would amazingly never see him fall short and lose. 83 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:32,509 Miyamoto feared none, his aspirations were comparable to none, and thanks to his irreproachable 84 00:06:32,509 --> 00:06:36,860 reckless training, his skills became second to none. 85 00:06:36,860 --> 00:06:42,530 His method would be recognized and feared, and even though Miyamoto learned just one 86 00:06:42,530 --> 00:06:47,419 art, he knew how to express it in thousands of ways. 87 00:06:47,419 --> 00:06:54,270 We currently live in a world in which we are showered by countless possibilities and opportunities. 88 00:06:54,270 --> 00:06:57,270 Something that we should value and acknowledge. 89 00:06:57,270 --> 00:07:02,610 And so, one might think that sooner or later, everyone finds the right opportunity that 90 00:07:02,610 --> 00:07:08,949 is aligned with one’s own aspirations, and that eventually, everyone becomes fulfilled. 91 00:07:08,949 --> 00:07:11,940 But reality is rarely so straightforward. 92 00:07:11,940 --> 00:07:18,449 Indeed, those many possibilities can often give birth to even bigger anxieties, so often 93 00:07:18,449 --> 00:07:23,520 in fact that there is even a term for it - Decision Paralysis. 94 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:29,009 It’s like when you enter a self-service buffet, you have the right to put whatever 95 00:07:29,009 --> 00:07:33,490 you want on your plate, and at the beginning your enthusiasm is immeasurable. 96 00:07:33,490 --> 00:07:39,820 But the more you consider what’s in the buffet, the more anxious you become. 97 00:07:39,820 --> 00:07:44,479 Indeed, many delicious dishes might be laid out for you, but the human stomach is only 98 00:07:44,479 --> 00:07:45,949 so big... 99 00:07:45,949 --> 00:07:50,930 So you serve yourself a bit of this, and you take a little bit of that, all to have one 100 00:07:50,930 --> 00:07:56,360 big messy plate at the end that you can’t even finish, let alone taste it properly with 101 00:07:56,360 --> 00:07:59,610 it all mixing together as you eat. 102 00:07:59,610 --> 00:08:04,919 In your attempt not to miss out on anything, everything becomes a confusing, unpalatable 103 00:08:04,919 --> 00:08:09,740 mess and you’re left staring at an empty plate. 104 00:08:09,740 --> 00:08:15,410 And that is exactly what’s happening in the world right now; people are often disoriented 105 00:08:15,410 --> 00:08:20,390 in the face of the many opportunities they encounter, unable to filter them and focus 106 00:08:20,390 --> 00:08:22,639 on just one. 107 00:08:22,639 --> 00:08:27,130 Many people also think they can be good at everything, so they jump from one skill to 108 00:08:27,130 --> 00:08:33,050 the next, but since they lack the patience and focus to reach a level of deep understanding, 109 00:08:33,050 --> 00:08:36,510 they end up abandoning that opportunity altogether. 110 00:08:36,510 --> 00:08:42,099 And so they get depressed, wondering why they never reached the level they intended, decide 111 00:08:42,099 --> 00:08:47,880 that’s just the way of things, move on to the next activity, and so the cycle begins 112 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:50,480 again. 113 00:08:50,480 --> 00:08:55,610 So what we can learn from this is that when you try different fields, and different opportunities 114 00:08:55,610 --> 00:09:00,270 without really getting deep into them and giving yourself the time to grasp them, you 115 00:09:00,270 --> 00:09:03,910 can never truly gain the full benefit from them. 116 00:09:03,910 --> 00:09:10,180 Your mission to find the path where you’ll feel fulfilled will always be in restart mode. 117 00:09:10,180 --> 00:09:15,830 Like Miyamoto, we need to give ourselves time to truly grasp what’s in our hands and filter 118 00:09:15,830 --> 00:09:20,899 any noise that’s outside of it, regardless of how tempting it can be. 119 00:09:20,899 --> 00:09:25,270 Like Miyamoto, we should not feel content by knowing just the superficial aspect of 120 00:09:25,270 --> 00:09:30,270 a discipline when the beauty of it is ingrained inside. 121 00:09:30,270 --> 00:09:35,730 Like Miyamoto, we should dedicate our time to one skill, and make thousands of ways out 122 00:09:35,730 --> 00:09:36,730 of it. 123 00:09:36,730 --> 00:09:41,600 Of course, you can then move to another skill, like Miyamoto did when he moved to writing 124 00:09:41,600 --> 00:09:50,860 and philosophizing, but not before fully grasping the skill at-hand first. 125 00:09:50,860 --> 00:09:56,120 Stay focused To quote Miyamoto “Never stray from the 126 00:09:56,120 --> 00:10:01,370 way” Unlike many people of high status in society, 127 00:10:01,370 --> 00:10:05,060 Miyamoto didn’t pursue enjoying the perks of a good life. 128 00:10:05,060 --> 00:10:10,340 Born into a respected family, he could have stayed there, eaten well, and slept in comfort, 129 00:10:10,340 --> 00:10:16,790 but he left at a very young age to face the unknown, in order to fulfill his dreams. 130 00:10:16,790 --> 00:10:23,120 Miyamoto saw things differently, and perhaps that’s why he was who he was, and achieved 131 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,230 what he achieved. 132 00:10:25,230 --> 00:10:31,290 Even after fulfilling his mission and gaining huge notoriety, he still didn’t pursue luxury. 133 00:10:31,290 --> 00:10:36,452 Indeed, when he was invited to stay at the fanciest places, he only did so for a short 134 00:10:36,452 --> 00:10:43,440 time before he took off to another place, to learn new things, and conquer new skills. 135 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:50,570 Miyamoto was a man of almost surreal amounts of self-control, determination, and discipline, 136 00:10:50,570 --> 00:10:55,240 fulfilling his dreams by staying focused and prioritizing what was useful. 137 00:10:55,240 --> 00:11:00,660 Sure he enjoyed luxuries like good food when he encountered it, but what matters is that 138 00:11:00,660 --> 00:11:02,630 it did not dictate his actions. 139 00:11:02,630 --> 00:11:09,080 That’s how Miyamoto lived, and that’s how he’ll always be remembered. 140 00:11:09,080 --> 00:11:14,180 Core to Miyamoto’s philosophy was that in life, you have two roads. 141 00:11:14,180 --> 00:11:19,540 One that is eye-pleasing, filled with cravings, good food, and enjoyment, and it is pretty 142 00:11:19,540 --> 00:11:24,160 stacked with people, so is clearly the popular choice. 143 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:30,800 The other is shrouded in an impenetrable fog with no definable detail. 144 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:35,470 From a distance, you might think that the first road is clearly the best one to follow, 145 00:11:35,470 --> 00:11:42,029 but unbeknownst to you, the second road leads to freedom, meaning and inner peace. 146 00:11:42,029 --> 00:11:50,480 This road is not joyful, it requires determination, discipline, often even sacrifices, but sooner 147 00:11:50,480 --> 00:11:55,670 or later, those that decided to take that road and prioritized what would be useful 148 00:11:55,670 --> 00:12:00,860 to them, even if it’s against the odds, will taste life in a much deeper way than 149 00:12:00,860 --> 00:12:04,610 those who gave in to pursuing immediate cravings and pleasures. 150 00:12:04,610 --> 00:12:10,089 For example, if you don't like the way you look and decide to set some health goals for 151 00:12:10,089 --> 00:12:15,130 yourself, each day you will be faced with two choices - the choice of eating unhealthy 152 00:12:15,130 --> 00:12:20,430 and skipping your workout, or eating healthily and sticking to your routine. 153 00:12:20,430 --> 00:12:26,050 The second road requires you to sacrifice short-term pleasures at the altar of an uncertain 154 00:12:26,050 --> 00:12:31,680 goal, so it’s alright if you get scared or anxious while thinking about it. 155 00:12:31,680 --> 00:12:37,050 In fact, if you aren’t feeling at least some anxiety or fear then chances are you’re 156 00:12:37,050 --> 00:12:42,060 not pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone at all, so some fear is a good thing 157 00:12:42,060 --> 00:12:44,829 - it’s a sign your eyes are fully open. 158 00:12:44,829 --> 00:12:50,579 It’s like going on exploration in the desert: Yes, you’ll be thirsty, you’ll feel the 159 00:12:50,579 --> 00:12:56,410 unbearable sun over your head and it will feel as relentless as it does fruitless, but 160 00:12:56,410 --> 00:13:01,270 with time and discipline, you’ll discover the most amazing lost treasures, right in 161 00:13:01,270 --> 00:13:03,680 front of you. 162 00:13:03,680 --> 00:13:09,279 That will make up for all your sacrifices, put a smile on your face, create an opening 163 00:13:09,279 --> 00:13:17,790 in your heart, and an understanding in your mind that you will carry forever. 164 00:13:17,790 --> 00:13:23,870 Live with integrity and preserve your honor In our final quote from Miyamoto for this 165 00:13:23,870 --> 00:13:32,089 video, he says “You May Abandon Your Own Body but You Must Preserve Your Honor” 166 00:13:32,089 --> 00:13:37,920 Miyamoto Musashi's philosophy, the Bushido, is a cornerstone of a necessary code of conduct 167 00:13:37,920 --> 00:13:40,550 followed by the Samurais. 168 00:13:40,550 --> 00:13:46,110 The Bushido is a set of virtues that one might follow in order to live a moral and noble 169 00:13:46,110 --> 00:13:47,200 life. 170 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:56,410 This philosophy has 7 main virtues: Integrity, Respect, Heroic courage, Honor, Compassion, 171 00:13:56,410 --> 00:13:59,430 Honesty, and Loyalty. 172 00:13:59,430 --> 00:14:04,430 While this code requires a whole episode of its own, it is fair to say that the image 173 00:14:04,430 --> 00:14:10,630 we have of Samurais; their heroic behaviors, honorable deaths, and noble demeanors were 174 00:14:10,630 --> 00:14:13,610 all powered by the Bushido. 175 00:14:13,610 --> 00:14:19,480 While honor is specifically cited as just one of the seven virtues, when you consider 176 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:23,410 it, Bushido is all about honor. 177 00:14:23,410 --> 00:14:28,230 Honor is the glue between all other virtues in the code of conduct. 178 00:14:28,230 --> 00:14:33,579 Honor is self-respect, and when you respect yourself, you carry yourself with honesty 179 00:14:33,579 --> 00:14:34,950 and integrity. 180 00:14:34,950 --> 00:14:41,699 Honor is defending what's right, so when you're in such situations, you don't shy away and 181 00:14:41,699 --> 00:14:44,270 instead, act with courage. 182 00:14:44,270 --> 00:14:49,490 Honor means not stomping over weak or vulnerable people, that when you're in a position of 183 00:14:49,490 --> 00:14:50,880 power, you're compassionate. 184 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:57,500 And finally, honor is being ready to risk everything to preserve the dignity of those 185 00:14:57,500 --> 00:15:03,040 you care about; in other words, it is to be loyal to the bone. 186 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:08,160 Honor and discipline are both cut from the same cloth and developing one often leads 187 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:11,500 directly to improving the other. 188 00:15:11,500 --> 00:15:16,550 For example, imagine you work a typical desk-job and you’ve been in the same position for 189 00:15:16,550 --> 00:15:17,889 a couple of years. 190 00:15:17,889 --> 00:15:22,810 By now everything is routine and you barely have to think about your day to day processes 191 00:15:22,810 --> 00:15:28,769 and you’re getting bored, so you find shortcuts and workarounds, start arriving late and taking 192 00:15:28,769 --> 00:15:33,310 longer breaks, trying to minimize the amount of consideration you’re giving your work 193 00:15:33,310 --> 00:15:35,779 to avoid feeling bored. 194 00:15:35,779 --> 00:15:41,790 Meanwhile, your colleague is in the same position, hired at the same time has been doing the 195 00:15:41,790 --> 00:15:47,899 exact same shortcuts but then using that extra time to develop new ideas and strategies and 196 00:15:47,899 --> 00:15:51,149 now you’re getting looked over for that promotion. 197 00:15:51,149 --> 00:15:54,920 When you ask why, you’re told that you lack discipline. 198 00:15:54,920 --> 00:16:01,120 In your misery, you decide to get proactive and take the Musashian approach - You decide 199 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:06,730 to be on time, to do your best to deliver quality work, spend time trying to find ways 200 00:16:06,730 --> 00:16:13,500 to improve your work, and to generally behave in an honorable way, with no cheating or underhanded 201 00:16:13,500 --> 00:16:15,010 behavior. 202 00:16:15,010 --> 00:16:20,170 And here’s the interesting thing - by behaving in an honorable way like this, you’re actually 203 00:16:20,170 --> 00:16:22,279 becoming disciplined! 204 00:16:22,279 --> 00:16:28,029 In our example, there are some keywords and they are being on time, delivering quality 205 00:16:28,029 --> 00:16:29,930 work, and behaving well… 206 00:16:29,930 --> 00:16:34,280 Don’t these virtues all fall under the banner of consistency? 207 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:38,380 And isn’t consistency a cornerstone of discipline? 208 00:16:38,380 --> 00:16:42,589 And once that is done, you’re living an honorable life. 209 00:16:42,589 --> 00:16:48,600 It’s important to make sure that one doesn’t stray from the path, and stays disciplined, 210 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:53,540 but it’s just as important not to punish yourself when it doesn’t work out. 211 00:16:53,540 --> 00:16:58,610 Acknowledge this is how things are and work towards improving things instead of beating 212 00:16:58,610 --> 00:17:00,050 yourself up. 213 00:17:00,050 --> 00:17:04,990 Wasting time and energy on punishing yourself is no different to distracting oneself with 214 00:17:04,990 --> 00:17:11,270 immediate pleasures - They are both ways of avoiding doing the honorable thing. 215 00:17:11,270 --> 00:17:17,330 And living honorably and living with discipline is the remedy to our greed, covetousness, 216 00:17:17,330 --> 00:17:18,450 and selfishness. 217 00:17:18,450 --> 00:17:25,470 And as always if you enjoyed this video, please make sure to check out our full philosophies 218 00:17:25,470 --> 00:17:29,850 for life playlist, and for more videos to help you find success and happiness using 219 00:17:29,850 --> 00:17:34,350 ancient philosophical wisdom, don’t forget to subscribe. 220 00:17:34,350 --> 00:17:36,059 Thanks so much for watching.