Musashi's Dokkodo (The Way of Walking Alone)

Go Rin No Sho
or 
Dokkodo
, we
are reading the thoughts of a functional psychopath. Should we,
therefore, accept his writings in totality? Clearly not. No more than
we would never accept the policies of the Nazi party in total just
because we like the way they addressed German citizens’ access to
healthcare. But, that’s the point isn’t it? We should feel free to
embrace the uncomfortable, to move past the icon of Musashi
constructed by Eiji Yoshikawa some seventy years ago.
Engage with the essentials of the master swordsman’s teachings, his
meaningful messages, all the while keeping a balance between the

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value of the icon and the reality of who he was as a man. In other
words, he wrote about a different time and place, a different culture
and ethic. There is merit in much of what he said, but his words are
not a bible.
Many people know about Musashi’s first book 
Go Rin No Sho
, have
even studied it in depth, but far fewer have perused his second one.
On the occasion of Musashi giving away his possessions in
preparation for his impending death, he wrote down his final
thoughts about life in a treatise he called 
Dokkodo
for his favorite
student Terao Magonojō to whom 
Go Rin No Sho
had also been
dedicated. The title 
Dokkodo
translates as, “
The Way of Walking
Alone
.” It is a short essay that contains a mere 21 passages, yet it is
just as profound as his longer dissertation.
The book you hold in your hands is our interpretation of that final
work.
When reading famous historical writings readers are oftentimes
subject to a single person’s perspective about what an author from
the past had to say. For instance, it might be the one person who
spent the time and energy to translate an ancient work such as
Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius (Roman Emperor from 161 to 180
AD). Although the translator is unlikely to deliberately alter a
statement or modify a meaning, there is always room for
interpretation, opportunities for error. If the translator was an
academic, for example, we get a scholarly view. If he or she was a
military historian, on the other hand, the perspective would be
different. Either way there’s one lens, one point of view. We’ve tried
to be more holistic here.
This translation of Musashi’s precepts comes from the public
domain, we saw no need to quibble with precise wording when each
passage spans but a single sentence, yet this book contains five
different interpretations of each precept of the 
Dokkodo
written by
five martial artists who come from very different walks of life. Each
contributor was selected because he or she has lived a divergent

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existence from the others, yet shares the commonality of being a
lifelong martial practitioner and published author.
We will address each of the 21 precepts in turn, taking the
perspective of a monk (written by Franciscan Friar Kris Wilder), a
warrior (written by former US Army Sniper Instructor Alain Burrese),
a teacher (written by educator Wallace Smedley), an insurance
executive (written by claims examiner Lisa Christensen), and a
businessman (written IT strategist by Lawrence Kane), in our
analysis. As you read this treatise you will see how some of these
views agree with what Musashi has written, how we have found
modern relevance from the legendary swordsman’s final words, as
well as where some of our views differ. Or, in some cases where one
or more authors might have rejected Musashi’s position entirely.
In this fashion you’re not just reading a translation of Musashi’s
writing. You are scrutinizing his final words for deeper meaning. For
all his faults, Musashi was a genius, one whose writings merit deep
consideration. Our goal is to make you think; help you find modern
meaning and application from 
Dokkodo
for your own life as we have
done for ours.
Enjoy!

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