Nabila Tabassum Chowdhury > Recent Status Updates

"Know the smallest things and the biggest things, the shallowest things and the deepest things."

"The foreman should take into account the abilities and limitations of his men, circulating among them and asking nothing unreasonable. He should know their morale and spirit, and encourage them when necessary. This is the same as the principle of strategy.'

“Immature strategy is the cause of grief.”

"Tameshigiri (試し切り) or "test cutting" - to test the quality of a blade, the skill of a swordsman, or both (see also note 5 in "Water"). Its most callous and horrific form, outlawed by the Edo bakufu government in 1602, was tsujigiri (辻斬り)-"street-corner killing" - in which some bushi endeavoured to test their blades or skill by cutting down random passersby on the road."

"Buddha and the gods are to be revered, but do not make requests of them."

"No matter what, never be jealous of others.
On whatever the path, do not be sad about parting ways."

"Think little about yourself; think deeply about the world."

"Make your mind become a measure, and apply it quickly, pulling the cord and observing; [in this way] a person's mind can be understood well."

"Strategy of the upper level is neither forceful nor weak, is not showy, nor fast; it does not appear impressive, but neither does it present itself badly. Strategy that is made broad and straight, and which appears calm and quiet - this is the highest level."

"without weakening, becoming entangled, trying to figure things out, or fearing, make the heart full of intent and the mind broad and like water. According to the situation, the mind is one that adapts to things. Water has a deep blue colour. There are single drops. There are vast oceans."

"the hand that forgets cutting and becomes fixed is called a "dead hand"."

"In Emptiness there is Good;
There is no Evil.
There is Wisdom,
There is Principle,
There is the Way -
The Heart
is Emptiness"

"With so many ways to become lost, people call it "emptiness" when it seems there is nothing that can be done, but neither is this true Emptiness."

"Understanding what is there, you understand what is not there - this, namely, is Emptiness."

"In this Way of Battle," though, what is to be hidden, and what to be revealed?"

"You know, out in the world, if you go walking "deep" in the mountains, if you think to go as deep as possible into them, instead you eventually come out at an "entrance"."

"When skilled people do something, they may appear to move quite slowly, but they never miss a beat. In anything, when trained people do it, they never appear to be rushed."

"There are two ways of viewing: perceiving and looking. Make the perceiving eye strong..."

"The gaze in strategy, broadly, is an eye that rests upon the other person's mind (kokoro)."

"In our style, these kinds of biased and narrow-minded ideas [above] are something to be avoided."

"These other styles embellish and elaborate the fighting arts, rendering them flowery solely with the intention of making a living. Because they are fabrications, made up to be sold, how can they possibly be the true Way?"

"Swordsmanship, if it is the true Way, is in engaging in combat with opponents and winning; this practice should not be altered at all."

"What we call "the body of a massive rock" is when, having comprehended the Way of Strategy, you can suddenly become like a huge boulder: not one thing in ten thousand can hit you, nor can any move you."

"There is the idea of winning with no sword, and on the other hand there is the idea that [sometimes] you cannot win with the sword."

"when things have become extremely minute, abruptly make your spirit very big; changing large and small is one of the fundamental ideas of strategy."

"Thinking, "today I will defeat who I was yesterday; tomorrow I will defeat the less skillful, and after that, I will defeat the more skilled", do as directed in these writings and resolve not to allow your heart to be sidetracked."

"During battle, if the enemy's mind is on getting his body out of the way, you have already won."

"During battle, if the enemy's mind is on getting his body out of the way, you have already won."

"During battle, if the enemy's mind is on getting his body out of the way, you have already won."

"What is called "striking" and what is called "hitting" are two different things. The spirit of striking, no matter which type of strike is used, is that it is done with great resolution and certainty. As for hitting, if you go in with the intention of just hitting anything, even if you hit incredibly strongly and your opponent dies immediately, this is still "hitting"."