The Seven Virtues of Bushido are stalking me! I hadn't thought about them for while, and I
had almost forgotten they existed, but now they seem to be everywhere I look. Last week I
was going through some of my old papers from the dojo, and I ran across a copy of them,
then the very next day I was having a conversation with someone, and they happened to
bring them up. After that I was reading the SRSK Six Articles and the Notions for Training,
and I realized that they correlated to the Virtues. Then I was thinking about how I would
define what makes a person a martial artist as opposed to just a fighter, and I decided that
if they try to follow the Seven Virtues, then they are a martial artist.
I've seen the words interpreted a few different ways, but this is how they appear on the
paper that I have (the simple explanations are my own):
- Justice (Gi)- Doing what is right.
- Courage (Yuki)- Not just the courage to face danger, but to face our own weaknesses.
- Benevolence (Jin)- Compassion towards all, without judgment.
- Politeness (Rei)- Adhering to the rules of etiquette. Everyone deserves to be treated with
respect, and no one is above common courtesy.
- Veracity (Makato)- Being honest, having integrity.
- Honor (Meiyo)- Maintaining a good reputation.
- Loyalty (Chugi)- Obligation to give back to those who have helped us, as well as being
true to our own goals.
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| The original magnificent seven! |
