Yagyu Tajima (Jap.)
| born: died: place: Japan |
| Zen master: Zen disciples: |
| stories: Osho Ancient Music in the Pines, ch. 5 |
| oshobob The Living Workshop |
| Zen Masters |
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| Yagyu Tajima no Kami Munenori was a teacher of swordsmanship to the shogun. One of the personal guards of the shogun came to Tajima no Kami one day asking to be trained in swordplay. “As I observe, you seem to be a master of the art yourself,” said the teacher. “Please tell me to what school you belong before we enter into the relationship of teacher and pupil.” The guardsman said, “I do not belong to any school, I have never studied the art.” “It is no use trying to fool me,” said the master. “My judging eye never fails.” “I am sorry to defy, your honor,” said the guard, “but I really know nothing.” “If you say so then it must be true, but I am sure that you are the master of something, so tell me about yourself.” “There is one thing,” said the guard. “When I was a child I thought that a samurai should never be afraid of death. So I grappled with the problem, and now the thought of death has ceased to worry me.” “That’s it!” exclaimed the teacher. “The ultimate secrets of swordsmanship lie in being released from the thought of death. You need no technical training, you are already a master.” …Because when you are fighting with a sword, if you are afraid of death, thinking will continue. Now let me tell you one basic truth: thinking is out of fear. All thinking is out of fear. The more you become afraid, the more you think. Whenever there is no fear, thinking stops. If you have fallen in love with someone, there are moments with your beloved or your lover when thinking stops. Just sitting by the lake, doing nothing, holding hands, looking at the moon or the stars, or just gazing into the darkness of the night, sometimes thoughts stop because there is no fear. Love dispels fear just as light dispels darkness. If even for a moment you have been in love with someone, fear disappears and thinking stops. With fear, thinking continues. The more you are afraid, the more you have to think – because by thinking you will create security. By thinking you will create a citadel around you. By thinking you will manage, or try to manage, how to fight. A swordsman, if he is afraid of death, cannot be a real swordsman because the fear will make him tremble. A slight trembling inside, a slight thinking inside, and he will not be able to act out of no- mind... --Osho Ancient Music in the Pines, ch. 5 |
Note: This teacher's name possibly is Kami
Munenori, the second part of the name, after the
word no--Japanese for "of". "Yagyu Tajima" may
be a place name, not the man's name. Unknown
as of now...must get a native Japanese opinion
here... (see story on this page).
Munenori, the second part of the name, after the
word no--Japanese for "of". "Yagyu Tajima" may
be a place name, not the man's name. Unknown
as of now...must get a native Japanese opinion
here... (see story on this page).