Musashi's Dokkodo (The Way of Walking Alone): Half Crazy, Half Genius - Finding Modern Meaning in the Sword Saint's Last Words
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"The authors have made classic samurai wisdom accessible to the modern martial artist like never before." — Goran Powell , award winning author of Chojun and A Sudden Dawn "It's fascinating stuff!" — Steve Perry , New York Times bestselling author "The precepts offer priceless advice to anyone." — Kate Vitasek , University of Tennessee “The five point perspective inspired deep introspection. I have been elevated to higher and deeper levels of personal and professional growth by reading this book.” — Laela Erickson , Senior Business Development Executive Miyamoto Musashi (1584 – 1645) was arguably the greatest swordsman who ever lived, a legendary figure whose methods of thought and strategy have been studied and adopted across a wide spectrum of society, from martial artists to military leaders to captains of industry. The iconic sword saint of Japan was clearly a genius, yet he was also a functional psychopath—ruthless, fearless, hyper-focused, and utterly without conscience. Shortly before he died, Musashi wrote down his final thoughts about life for his favorite student Terao Magonojo to whom Go Rin No Sho , his famous Book of Five Rings , had also been dedicated. He called this treatise Dokkodo , which translates as "The Way of Walking Alone." The book you hold in your hands is the definitive interpretation of Musashi's final work. Readers are oftentimes subject to a single perspective about what some famous author from the past had to say, yet we are more holistic here. This treatise contains Musashi's original 21 precepts of the Dokkodo along with five different interpretations of each passage written from the viewpoints of a monk, a warrior, a teacher, an insurance executive, and a businessman. Each contributor has taken a divergent path from the others, yet shares the commonality of being a lifelong martial practitioner and published author. In this fashion you are not just reading a simple translation of Musashi's writing, you are scrutinizing his final words for deeper meaning. In them are enduring lessons for how to lead a successful and meaningful life. About the authors: Br. Kris Wilder , OSF is a member of The Order of St. Francis, one of many active Apostolic Christian Orders. A National Representative for the University of New Mexico’s Institute of Traditional Martial Arts, he has earned black belts in three styles and teaches martial arts seminars world-wide. He was inducted into the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame in 2018. Alain Burrese , J.D. is a former US Army sniper instructor who taught at the 2nd Infantry Division Scout Sniper School at Camp Casey, South Korea. He is also an attorney, speaker, and personal security, safety and self-defense instructor who has earned a 5th degree black belt in Hapkido. Wallace Smedley is an educator who has worked for Chuck Norris’ KICKSTART KIDS Foundation since 2002, and helped develop their Character Education Values Curriculum. Teaching karate in the public school system, he has helped thousands of kids build character and enhance their self-esteem. Lisa Christensen has worked as a Workers’ Comp Claims Examiner for over 30 years. An insurance executive, she is certified to adjudicate claims in Oregon and retains an Oregon General Lines Adjuster License. She has earned black belts in taekwondo and American Freestyle Karate. Lawrence Kane , was inducted into SIG Sourcing Supernova Hall of Fame in 2018 for pioneering leadership in strategic sourcing, procurement, supplier innovation, and digital transformation. He has been studying and teaching martial arts since 1970. The bestselling author of 21 books, he has been interviewed by FOX, The Jim Bohannon Show, Computerworld, Forbes, Art of Procurement, Police Magazine, and more. Review: Valuable book for the general public, not only martial arts students - I love this book and read it twice because it is such a rich book and there is much to be gained by re-reading it. The format is the best feature and I wish it was replicated in other books. The ancient text is interpreted by five modern perspectives, and this helps the reader digest the information and become the sixth interpreter of the work. One does not have to be a martial arts student to benefit from this great book. The lessons explored will help improve one's personal and professional life. I hope this is the first in a series of books in which 5 intelligent, modern voices help reveal the lesson from books that have survived through our history. I'd love to see them do Sun Tzu's the "Art of War" next. Review: History of a famous and honored person - The book came in better than expected. I love Miyamoto Mushashi and his works. I have several copies of his most famous book "the book of five rings" When I heard he created a list as a guide to follow in life, it was a great find. A warrior monks way to live life reminds me of my early days about guidance for others. The book with its commentaries on that basic list makes it more helpful to give insight and perspective on the list and also how people apply it to their lives. Recommend both the supplier and the book.
| Best Sellers Rank | #176,647 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #94 in Martial Arts (Books) #477 in Exercise & Fitness (Books) #2,351 in Philosophy (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 844 Reviews |
J**O
Valuable book for the general public, not only martial arts students
I love this book and read it twice because it is such a rich book and there is much to be gained by re-reading it. The format is the best feature and I wish it was replicated in other books. The ancient text is interpreted by five modern perspectives, and this helps the reader digest the information and become the sixth interpreter of the work. One does not have to be a martial arts student to benefit from this great book. The lessons explored will help improve one's personal and professional life. I hope this is the first in a series of books in which 5 intelligent, modern voices help reveal the lesson from books that have survived through our history. I'd love to see them do Sun Tzu's the "Art of War" next.
R**A
History of a famous and honored person
The book came in better than expected. I love Miyamoto Mushashi and his works. I have several copies of his most famous book "the book of five rings" When I heard he created a list as a guide to follow in life, it was a great find. A warrior monks way to live life reminds me of my early days about guidance for others. The book with its commentaries on that basic list makes it more helpful to give insight and perspective on the list and also how people apply it to their lives. Recommend both the supplier and the book.
R**I
Unique Perspectives on Samurai Precepts
Full Disclosure: I received a free, autographed copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. And yes, with these authors honest is a very real part of the requirement. It's part of why I follow them and devour their publications when I find them. This is an interpretation of the original precepts from Miyamoto Musashi. The precepts are taken one by one and interpreted from several viewpoints, that of a monk, a businessman, an insurance adjuster, a warrior, and a teacher, though not actually in that order. The combination of perspectives is very illuminating and triggered my brain into deep thought for each of the precepts. Which also meant that once I read a chapter I had to put the book down and ruminate upon it for a while before moving to the next precept. How long varied by precept. I learned new things from each precept and each of the interpretations of them. Musashi was, by modern sensibilities, very much a functional psychopath. That doesn't mean, as is alarmingly the assumption these days, that everything about him should be wiped from history. Quite the opposite, as we can learn from him, who he was, and what he did. That doesn't mean we aim to become pyschos or even remotely risk becoming pyschos. It means we can use what he did and what he taught to make ourselves better, and the immediate comparisons offered up by the combinations of perspectives in this book are extremely useful for doing that.
M**Y
It is a very good read and will make you look at other assumptions ...
When I first communicated with Mr. Wider via e-mail (before I bought the book) he cautioned me to reserve judgment until I had read it. So, I did. Everything he asserts in this book seems plausible and probable...it is well written and well researched. Although there is a bit of conjecture in reading between the lines; I find Kris' judgments to be very likely. It is a very good read and will make you look at other assumptions in a different light...Not all histories are written objectively...in fact, none of them are....We can only approximate the truth when looking backwards. chufeng
R**W
Great analysis!
Musashi’s Book of Five Rings is a classic and read throughout the world. The Dokkodo is not as well known and is but a list of Musashi’s codes that he lived by. Musashi is not known for going into great detail. Often he would end a chapter with “you must research this”. The experts enlisted in this endeavor bring a fresh perspective on Musashi’s code and a new line of thinking on the man himself. Was Musashi a sociopath? Maybe. You can make that case…But it’s hard to measure a man who lived 500 years ago in a land full of razor sharp swords by applying today’s standards. I enjoyed this book immensely and recommend it, especially to those interested in Musashi.
A**R
Good Precepts, not the best commentary
Bought the book because I am a Musashi addict. Not a terrible read, but nothing super insightful in the commentary. The book has 5 people respond how they feel about the precepts. The individuals were supposed to use their field of expertise to comment on the precept: Monk, Warrior, Teacher, insurance agent, businessman. The only people who actually followed their specific field of interest were the Warrior and the Businessman. The Warrior had the best insights and seemed to grasp what the precepts were really about. The businessman was very informative taking the precept to the business world. The other 3 perspectives were nothing I enjoyed. The insurance agent was the only female perspective and she couldnt stop bringing up her husband in every comment…very annoying because she was supposed to be commenting from an insurance agents perspective, not a wife. Her title would have been better listed as “Wife” because she didn’t talk about the insurance world hardly at all. The other two perspectives were similar, more focused on personal ideas instead of the field they were supposed to be commenting on. The monk isn’t a Buddhist monk, he’s some sort of apostolic Christian monk? No idea because he never made it clear in the book what kind of monk he is and didn’t even take perspectives from a monks view…just another personal perspective. And lastly the teacher, he made a comment on food saying that “food is not medicine” , which can’t be farther from the truth, but some of his perspectives weren’t bad but not insightful. Would have loved to have someones perspective from Japan, or another country other than the US. Overall if you do buy it, definitely read the Warrior and businessman…the most insightful by far!
D**D
Totally recommendable!
I dig how this is formatted. Each of Musashi's rules is analyzed from five different points of view; each perspective has it's unique list of pros and cons. The debate is not so much tempered as it is informative. It's a very enlightening way to discuss any philosophy I think, and I got a lot from reading this.
P**Z
Less than 1% of the book is Musashi's actual words
The 21 precepts below are the ONLY words actually written by Musashi in this 220+ page book. The rest is five people giving their opinion on each precept. Save yourself the time and the money. precept 1. Accept everything just the way it is. precept 2. Do not seek pleasure for it's own sake. precept 3. Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling precept 4. Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world precept 5. Be detached from desire your whole life precept 6. Do not regret what you have done precept 7. Never be jealous precept 8. Never let yourself be saddened by a seperation precept 9. Resentment and complain are appropriate neither for oneself or others precept 10. Dont let yourself be guided by the feeling of love or lust precept 11. In all things, have no preference precept 12. Be indifferent to where you live precept 13. Do not pursue the taste of good food precept 14. Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need precept 15. Do not act following customary beliefs precept 16. Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful precept 17. Do not fear death precept 18. Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age precept 19. Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help precept 20.You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honor precept 21. Never stray from the way
T**S
Very positive easy read. Highly recommend.
Great book.
L**I
Não tenha preferências
Ensinamentos muito mais profundos do que podemos assimilar. Alguns talvez estejam ultrapassados para nossos dias, mas com certeza eram de valor inestimável para sua época. Achei bem interessante que tenha outras 5 pessoas analisando os ensinamentos no livro, me fez refletir e tentar achar minha própria interpretação para cada um.
A**R
Good book
Dead reckoning is the best take away fr om this book. I liked the opinions of people various walks of life
M**K
Sehr schnelle Lieferung
Sehr schnelle Lieferung, Produkt Buch top
E**�
Intéressant
Dans le sens de la nouvelle curiosité de mon fils.
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