Life-Giving Sword

Yagyu Munenori, the seventeenth-century swordsman, widely regarded as Japan's greatest warrior and military commander, was a sword instructor and political advisor to two Shoguns—and noted rival to Miyamoto Musashi (Book of Five Rings). Yet, despite his martial skill and political clout, Munenori spent his life immersed in Zen teachings that deeply informed his philosophy of combat and life. He dubbed this bound philosophy as...

The Life-Giving Sword.

This was Munenori's prescription for fighting duels external and internal. The paired concepts he used were the "life-giving sword," which denotes controlling one's opponent by spiritual readiness to fight rather than by actual fighting, and "No Sword," which emphasizes that the mind must be free of everything, even the sword itself, in order.

The central tenets of this belief centered around being so skilled with your blade that you only had to draw it in the direst of circumstances. Thus, you save your would-be opponent's life by not pulling your katana for a lesser offense. Easy? I'd argue no. Pacifism, again, I'd argue no. The "catch" is that you must be deadly. You must be dangerous and?contained,?not wolf nor sheep, but a sheepdog. You must know with certainty you could act and?choose?not to based on a higher principle. This confidence, this primal force, is felt by both those opposed and aligned in a conflict.

The question then becomes how is this useful to the folks like us, unlikely to find themselves in a duel this afternoon; because profound capability is palpable. Not by the claiming of if but in the refined possession of it. Cal Newport discusses it well in his book,?Be so Good they Can't Ignore You,?specifically in discussing the quote that inspired the title:

"When asked for advice, comedian Steve Martin likes to say:

'Be so good they can't ignore you.'

So whether you're just starting your career or looking to advance, your aim should be to master your profession..." to the point where people can't miss taking notice, not through boasting but the quality of approach.

Taking a blue-collar work ethic to a white-collar profession is not uncommon and frequently beneficial, if not admirable. Yet that is not quite enough to move to mastery. You need a?craftsman's?devotion to your craft. It is not hard work but sustained careful, tentative work that leads to mastery and the ability to thus let your work speak in the face of confrontation and challenge.?

Hone your blade but keep it sheathed.