is a three-part treatise on

Buddhist philosophy Buddhist philosophy refers to the philosophical investigations and systems of inquiry that developed among various schools of Buddhism in India following the parinirvana of The Buddha and later spread throughout Asia. The Buddhist path combi ...

and

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...

written in the 17th century by

Takuan Sōhō was a Japanese Buddhist prelate during the Sengoku and early Edo Periods of Japanese history. He was a major figure in the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism. Noted for his calligraphy, poetry, tea ceremony, he is also popularly credited with the inv ...

, a Japanese monk of the

Rinzai The Rinzai school ( ja, , Rinzai-shū, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (along with Sōtō and Ōbaku). The Chinese Linji school of Chan was first transmitted to Japan by Myōan E ...

sect. The title translates roughly to "The Mysterious Records of Immovable Wisdom". The book is a series of three discourses addressed to samurai but applicable to everyone who desires an introduction to Zen philosophy, the book makes little use of Buddhist terminology and instead focuses on describing situations followed by an interpretation. Its contents make an effort to apply

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

Buddhism to martial arts.

Chapters

All three chapters/essays are addressed to the samurai class, and all three seek to unify the spirit of Zen with the spirit of the sword. Of the three essays in the treatise, two were letters: * Fudōchishinmyōroku, "The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom", written to

Yagyū Munenori was a Japanese daimyo, swordsman, and martial arts writer, founder of the Edo branch of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū, which he learned from his father Yagyū "Sekishūsai" Muneyoshi. This was one of two official sword styles patronized by the Tokugawa ...

, head of the

Yagyū Shinkage-ryū is one of the oldest Japanese schools of swordsmanship (''kenjutsu''). Its primary founder was Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, who called the school Shinkage-ryū. In 1565, Nobutsuna bequeathed the school to his greatest student, Yagyū Munetoshi, who a ...

school of

swordsmanship Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to a ...

and teacher to two generations of ''shōguns''; and * Taiaki, "Annals of the Sword Taia", (太阿記) written perhaps to Munenori or possibly to Ono Tadaaki, head of the Ittō school of swordsmanship and an official instructor to the ''shōgun''s family and close retainers. Individually and broadly speaking, one could say that Fudōchishinmyōroku deals with technique, how the self is related to the Self during confrontation, and how an individual may become a unified whole. Taiaki deals more with the psychological aspects of the relationship between the self and the other. Between these, Reiroshu, "The Clear Sound of Jewels", deals with the fundamental nature of humans: how a swordsman, ''daimyō'' – or any person, for that matter – can know the difference between what is right and what is mere selfishness, and can understand the basic question of knowing when and how to die.Takuan Soho, translated by William Scott Wilson, ''The Unfettered Mind – Writings of the Zen Master to the Sword Master'', p. 3. Fudōchishinmyōroku (The Mysterious Record of Immovable Wisdom) is divided into the following sections: * The Affliction of Abiding in Ignorance * The Immovable Wisdom of All Buddhas * The Interval into Which Not Even a Hair Can Be Entered * The Action of Spark and Stone * Where One Puts the Mind * The Right Mind and the Confused Mind * The Mind of the Existent Mind and the Mind of No-Mind * Throw the Gourd into the Water Push It Down and It Will Spin * Engender the Mind with No Place to Abide * Seek the Lost Mind * Throw a Ball into a Swift Current and It Will Never Stop * Sever The Edge Between Before and After * Water Scorches Heaven, Fire Cleanses Clouds

Citations

Sōhō refers to many poems and sayings, including those of: * Bukkoku Kokushi (1256–1316): A Buddhist priest *

Saigyō was a famous Japanese poet of the late Heian and early Kamakura period. Biography Born in Kyoto to a noble family, he lived during the traumatic transition of power between the old court nobles and the new samurai warriors. After the start of ...

(1118–90): A Shingon priest of the late Heian period famous for his wanderings and highly admired as a poet *

Mencius Mencius ( ); born Mèng Kē (); or Mèngzǐ (; 372–289 BC) was a Chinese Confucianism, Confucian Chinese philosophy, philosopher who has often been described as the "second Sage", that is, second to Confucius himself. He is part of Confuc ...

(372–289 BC): A Chinese philosopher, the most famous Confucian after Confucius himself *

Jien was a Japanese poet, historian, and Buddhist monk. Biography Jien was the son of Fujiwara no Tadamichi, a member of the Fujiwara clan of powerful aristocrats. His brother was the future regent Fujiwara no Kanezane. Jien became a Tendai monk e ...

(1155–1225): Also widely known by the name Jichin; a poet and monk of the Tendai sect * Mugaku (1226–86): A Chinese priest of the Linchi (Rinzai) sect, invited to Japan by Hojo Tokimune in 1278 * Shao K'ang-chieh (1011–77): A scholar of the Northern Sung Dynasty *

Zhongfeng Mingben ''Zhongfeng Mingben'' (; ja, Chūhō Myōhon), 1263–1323 was a Chan Buddhism, Chan Buddhist master who lived at the beginning of Yuan dynasty, Yuan China. He adhered to the rigorous style of the Linji school and influenced Zen through several ...

(1263–1323): A Chinese Zen priest of the Yuan Dynasty * The ''

Pi Yen Lu The ''Blue Cliff Record'' () is a collection of Chan Buddhist kōans originally compiled in Song China in 1125, during the reign of Emperor Huizong, and then expanded into its present form by Chan master Yuanwu Keqin (1063–1135; ).K. Sekida, ...

'', a collection of Zen problems, sayings and stories of the patriarchs * The ''

Ise Monogatari is a Japanese ''uta monogatari'', or collection of ''waka (poetry), waka'' poems and associated narratives, dating from the Heian period. The current version collects 125 sections, with each combining poems and prose, giving a total of 209 poems i ...

'', a work of the ninth century * The ''

Doctrine of the Mean The ''Doctrine of the Mean'' or ''Zhongyong'' is one of the Four Books of classical Chinese philosophy and a central doctrine of Confucianism. The text is attributed to Zisi (Kong Ji), the only grandson of Confucius (Kong Zi). It was originall ...

'' * The ''

Golden Light Sutra The Golden Light Sutra or ( sa, IAST: Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarājaḥ), also known by the Old Uygur title Altun Yaruq, is a Buddhist text of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism. In Sanskrit, the full title is ''The Sovereign King of Sutra ...

'' *

Li Po Li Bai (, 701–762), also pronounced as Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet, acclaimed from his own time to the present as a brilliant and romantic figure who took traditional poetic forms to new heights. He and his friend Du Fu ...

(Li T'ai Po, 701–62): One of the great poets of T'ang period China *

Ippen was a Japanese Buddhist itinerant preacher (''hijiri'') who founded the branch of Pure Land Buddhism. Life Ippen was born at Hōgon-ji, a temple in Iyo Province (modern Ehime Prefecture) on the island of Shikoku. He was originally named . He fi ...

Shonin (1239–89): Founder of the Jodo sect of Pure Land Buddhism * Hotto Kokushi (1207–98): A monk of the Rinzai sect who traveled to Sung China in 1249 * The Namu Amida Butsu, "Homage to the Buddha Amitabha" * Kogaku Osho (1465–1548): An Arinzai monk who taught Zen to the Emperor Go-Nara * The Fan-i Ming-i Chi, a Sung Dynasty Sanskrit-Chinese dictionary *

Bodhidharma Bodhidharma was a semi-legendary Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th or 6th century CE. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Chan Buddhism to China, and regarded as its first Chinese patriarch. According to a 17th century apo ...

: The first patriarch of Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism in China; he is said to have arrived in that country from India in either A.D. 470 or 520 *

Ta Chien Dajian Huineng (); (February 27, 638 – August 28, 713), also commonly known as the Sixth Patriarch or Sixth Ancestor of Chan (traditional Chinese: 禪宗六祖), is a semi-legendary but central figure in the early history of Chinese Chan Budd ...

(637–713): Commonly known as Hui Neng; a pivotal figure in the development of Zen * Daio Kokushi (1234–1308): A monk of the Rinzai sect who studied Buddhism in China * Daito Kokushi (1282–1337): A follower of Daio Kokushi regarded to be the founder of Zen at Daitokuji * Nai Chi Hsu T'ang (1185–1269): Also known as Hsu T'ang Chih Yu; a Chinese monk of Linchi Buddhism * The ''Cheng Tao Ko'', an early treatise on Zen

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Unfettered Mind Martial arts books Edo-period works Edo-period books about Buddhism Zen texts