The way of the Samurai is cloaked in death. The natural way of a Samurai is to consider himself as already dead. By setting his heart right every morning and every evening his resolve will be firm, if one will do it it, it can be done. With this he gains freedom in the way, his whole life will be without blame and he will succeed in his calling. When it comes to living or dying there is only the quick choice of death. A Samurai must be determined and advance even if he is unable to attain his ends,it is not necessary ,for not attaining ones ends and continuing to live is cowardice. Even if it is considered a dog’s death and fanaticism there is no shame in this. This is the substance of the way of the Samurai. For a Samurai the end is as important as the beginning. When Lord Sama’s castle suddenly caught fire and was burning to the ground,addressing his retainers he said ‘’ I feel no regrets about the house and all its furnishings, they can all be replaced later on, I only regret that I did not take out the family genealogy , which is my families most precious treasure. There was one Samurai in attendance who said ‘’ I will go in and take it out ‘’. Lord Soma and the others all laughed and said , how are you going to take it out, the house is already engulfed in flames ? He replied “ I have never been of much use to the master. But I have always been resolved to someday be of use to him, this seems to be the time. “. And he leapt into the flameS. After the fire had been extinguished the master asked them to look for his remains. Looking everywhere , they found his burnt corpse in the garden adjacent to the living quarters, when they turned him over blood flowed out of his stomach , he had cut open his stomach and placed the genealogy inside and it was not damaged at all. From that time on it was known as the “ Blood Genealogy”. Breaking right through to completion without regard for ones own life is within the way of the Samurai.. The way of the Samurai is simply in forcing ones way into a place and being cut down, because by considering how many there are, and how best to complete the job, time will run out , and in the end you will give up. E ven if the enemy numbers are in the thousands fulfillment lies in simply standing them off , and being determined to cut them all down. Starting from one end you will finish the greater part of it. For when the moment arrives there will be no time for reasoning, and without prior resolution there will most likely be shame. In matters of action discernment soon spoils. In looking at the matter completely and knowing that what will happen next is unknown , and that victory and defeat are matters within the temporary force of circumstances, a real Samurai does not think of victory or defeat, he plunges recklessly towards an inevitable even irracional death. By doing this, you will awaken from your dream.

Lord Naoshige, speaking to his grandson Lord Motoshige, explained how; No matter if one is of high or low class or rank, a family line is one that will decline when its time has come. If one tries to keep it from ending at that time it will become unseemly and squalid. If one sees that the time has come, it is best to let it go down with good grace. Doing this he may even cause it to be maintained.
Once ten blind masseuses were traveling together in the mountains, when they began to pass a high presapass ,thier bodies began to shake and terror overtook them, just then the lead man stumbled and fell off the cliff; they all wailed, how pitios, but the fallen man quickly yelled back, I’m fine, if you all wish to be at ease, fall quickly.
In all things, when one has lost, lose quickly. This is truly within harmony. If one acquiesces after losing, with this the losers sincerity and nobility are also revealed.

True generosity is in itself compassion, with true compassion all people are to be cared for. The true heart of a Ruler must be unlimited in its breadth and depth. Wisdom and courage come from this unlimited compassion. To act with compassion ensures the act will be limitless i n its strength and correctness. Selfish acts are mean and egotistical, leading to evil. Lord Layasu said ‘’ The foundations for ruling the country in peace is compassion, for when one thinks of the people as being his children, the people will think of him as their parent, the result being the harmonious heart of a parent child relationship. In society fault finders will be punished by others. A true Ruler rules with the maxim ‘’ Principal above Reason ‘’. Lord Leyasu also invited us to ‘’ Taste the inexhaustible ‘’ .If the heart of a Ruler is truly compassionate , strength will already have been there,, and great wisdom will be present.. Superior rulers are of this type.

There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the present moment. If one fully understands the present moment, as a succession of moment after moment in ones life, there will be nothing else to do, or pursue. Live being true to the single purpose of the moment. Everyone lets the present moment slip by, then looks for it somewhere else. Knowing this, one piles experience upon experience ,and this understanding transforms one. Single-mindedness and clarity are the results. When one achieves this their affairs will thin out. Loyalty is also contained within single – mindedness.

Covetousness, anger, and foolishness are things to sort out well. When bad things happen in the world, if you look at them comparatively, they are not unrelated to these three things. Looking comparatively at the good things, you will see that they are not excluded from wisdom, humanity, and bravery.

The bones of warriors who were only fierce line the roadsides of history, strength, and compassion make a true warrior and a real man.