A warrior knows that their actions have consequences.
It’s a myth that a samurai sword once drawn, cannot be sheathed until it draws blood. People often think of the samurai as being blood thirsty and loving death. This is far from the truth as a true warrior values life over death. Realizing the eventuality of death enables the warrior to savor life. In Iaido, when one draws their sword, the first 1/3 of the draw is supposed to be done slowly. This is supposed to give the opponent the opportunity to withdraw and to avoid a fight. The reason for this practice could be due to the old Japanese law koiguchi san sun (鯉口三寸) which meant that a sword was considered to be fully drawn when it is pulled out more than three sun (3.5 inches) from the koiguchi or “scabbard’s opening.” To a samurai, when a person draws their sword, it signals their intention and since a samurai has integrity then that can lead to serious consequences and unwanted bloodshed. This is possibly why people might ridiculously think that a sword must taste blood before it can be sheathed. Here is a Zen story which may help to understand a samurai’s motives. Once, Takeda Nobushige, a great general came to see the Buddhist monk Hakuin and asked, “Is there really a paradise and a hell?” Hakuin asked, “Who are you?” “I am a samurai,” Nobushige replied. Hakuin jokingly replied. “You, a samurai! What kind of lord would employ you? You have the face of a beggar.” Nobushige became so angry that he grabbed the handle of his sword. Seeing that, Hakuin said, “So you have a sword! Your weapon is probably much too dull to cut off my head.” As Nobushige began to draw his sword, Hakuin quickly remarked, “Here you open the gates of hell!” Hearing these words, Nobushige instantly realized the master’s teaching and sheathed his sword and bowed. To this, Hakuin said, “Here you open the gates of paradise.” We alone control our actions. A warrior knows that whatever they choose to do has consequences.
Today’s goal: Be mindful of your actions because they have consequences.
Watch this video to understand how our actions have consequences.