I Have No Parents...Anonymous Samurai

[~Sam~]

I make the heavens and the earth my parents.
I have no home:
I make awareness my home.
I have no life or death:
I make the tides of breathing my life and death.
I have no divine power:
I make honesty my divine power:
I have no means:
I make understanding my means.
I have no magic secrets:
I make character my magic secret.
I have no body:
I make endurance my body.
I have no eyes:
I make the flash of lightning my eyes.
I have no ears:
I make sensibility my ears.
I have no limbs:
I make promptness my limbs.
I have no strategy:
I make "unshadowed by thought" my strategy.
I have no designs:
I make seizing opportunity by the forelock my design.
I have no miracles:
I make right action my miracles.
I have no principles:
I make adaptability to all circumstances my principles.
I have no tactics:
I make emptiness and fullness my tactics.
I have no talents:
I make ready with my talent.
I have no friends:
I make my mind my friend.
I have no enemy:
I make carelessness my enemy.
I have no armour:
I make benevolence and righteousness my armour.
I have no castle:
I make immovable mind my castle.
I have no sword:
I make absence of self my sword.

Anonymous Samurai
14th Century


I've included this Poem today because I find its words comforting and strengthening of spirit. I hope that you find it pleasing too....

[grendel 44]

I love that. How inspiring. I have always been interested in the samari (can't spell it,but still interested). The code of chivalry used later by the knights of europe was kinda the same, but compared to the samauri, they were like a buncha ingnorant peasants. I think their kind of philosophy is very difficult for the western mind to understand.

Just my usual 2 cents.