How to Live the Samurai Warrior Way
Samurai is the name for a warrior class that developed in the medieval era of Japanese history. First appearing in the historical record in roughly the 7th century A.D., these "warrior poets" quickly rose to power through a feudal system that Japan employed for several hundred years. The important areas for these men were physical training, spirituality, art, diet and clothing. The main guiding principle of the Samurai lifestyle was called Bushido, a word which simply means "the way of the warrior."
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Instructions
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Training
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Two men sparring with each other Start a training regime. Samurai trained in many styles of martial arts throughout their lives and started at a very young age. While the training methods of samurai are not practiced exactly in the modern era, you can easily study the Japanese martial arts of Karate, Aikido, Kendo and Judo to mimic what these warriors studied.
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Two women fighting with katanas Learn to use the katana sword. You can get a sword from various sources throughout the Internet. Samurai had a very special relationship with their swords, which they received at a young age. It was considered to be a rite of passage. Many would name their swords. Other weapons that samurai used were the bo, polearms and bows.
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Asian farmers planting rice Adopt a diet of mainly fish, rice, fowl and vegetables. Rice is the staple of this diet. Eat a variety of vegetables including potatoes, radishes, cucumbers and beans.
Meditation
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Meditating by the water Learn and practice meditation, an important part of the samurai lifestyle. Many forms of mediation are available from a wide variety of cultures. However, the principle is the same, to quiet your emotions and thoughts. Buddhist beliefs permeated the samurai culture.
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Statue of Buddha in the Deli museum Follow the Buddhist belief system. The ideology known as the Eight-Fold Path is at the root of samurai meditation. The Eight-Fold Path concerns itself with three aspects of human existence: wisdom, ethics and mental discipline.
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Be aware of the two categories connected with wisdom, when meditating: right view and right intention. The ideology of the right view has nothing to do with doctrine. Right view concerns itself with learning about yourself and understanding who you are at your core. "Right intention" refers to the commitment that you will need to demonstrate in all aspects of your meditation.
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Practice ethics, the next step of the path; this is broken down into right speech, right action and right livelihood.The essential guiding principle behind these categories of ethics is to do no harm to others. Through right speech and action you become mindful of how you interact with others, making sure that what you say or do has no ill effects for those around you. Right livelihood refers to you not wasting your life and making the most of it. Cultivate goodness in your life.
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Practice mental discipline. The main categories of this part of the path are right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration. Through right effort you demonstrate commitment. Right mindfulness stresses the importance of keeping your mental state healthy and not allowing forces such as anger or jealousy to overcome you. Lastly, right concentration deals most directly with clarity of mind and emphasizes your ability to control all other aspects of the Eight Fold Path.
The Study of Art
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A Japanese painting titled "Musical Party" Pursue art in relation to your goal of living the lifestyle of a samurai. These warriors felt that art was just as essential to living a complete life as was training and spirituality. Of the many styles of art that humanity has produced in its history, the samurai were focused primarily on two types: calligraphy and a ritual called the Tea Ceremony.
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An example of Asian calligraphy Study Japanese calligraphy. Much like martial arts, it will take time to master. In Japanese culture, the movements of the brush stroke are compared to the movements of a sword. This form of art will be an extension of your meditation.
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A woman preparing the water for the Japanese tea ceremony Master the tea ceremony. The ceremony is intended to remove the constraints of politics and social circumstance and put two people on equal footing. Samurai left their swords outside of the tea room. The ultimate goal to this exercise for all involved was tranquility and enlightenment.
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References
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