The Fire Book is where Musashi gets specific about combat. Keep the sun behind you. Take the initiative. Do not let your opponent get started.
Caleb and Michael continue the series on The Book of Five Rings with Musashi’s rules of thumb for combat: using the environment, the three ways to take the initiative, holding down the pillow, knowing when an opponent is coming apart, becoming the opponent, and becoming like a rock wall. They also ask what carries over to ordinary life, where the aim is usually not to crush the other person, and where Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus and Seneca put the same tools to a different use.
(01:45) Why Read a Book About Sword Fighting?
(03:25) Keep the Sun Behind You
(09:45) Taking the Initiative
(14:30) Leading and Following on Purpose
(19:55) Holding Down the Pillow
(24:20) Winning, Fun, and Learning
(29:00) Knowing Disintegration
(30:40) Becoming the Opponent
(32:20) Weaponized Empathy
(35:50) Infection and Flustering
(40:45) Becoming Like a Rock Wall
(45:15) Recap
(48:05) Final Takeaways
Download the Stoa app (it’s a free download): https://stoameditation.com/pod
If you try the Stoa app and find it useful, but truly cannot afford it, email us and we’ll set you up with a free account.
Listen to more episodes and learn more here: https://stoameditation.com/blog/stoa-conversations/
Thanks to Michael Levy for graciously letting us use his music in the conversations:
