Musashi's Dokkodo (The Way of Walking Alone)

Precept 17:
Do not fear death
“Too many people are thinking of security instead of
opportunity. They seem more afraid of life than death.” —
James F. Byrnes
Monk:
Standing at the edge of my grandfather’s grave I remember turning
to my dad whose father had just received the graveside service and
pausing for a moment with a ‘what do you say to your dad at this
moment’ kind of silence. My dad looked at me and with what could
only be described as enduring calmness and said, “Dying, we all get
to do it.” That statement seemed perfect at the time. It was his
father’s time and we all acknowledged the moment. There was no
fear in my father’s voice, only an acknowledgment of the natural
course of life.
Should a person fear death? No, I don't think so. I think the fear
comes from the unknown. If one has a form of belief in the afterlife
then death becomes a transition and not a final moment. Of course
in my tradition, there is the promise of a life after this one. The
afterlife is presented as a wonderful, idyllic new life in the presence
of God.
When somebody dies, we often use the euphemisms, “They have
gone to their reward.” This is fine in perspective, but to be clear
actively seeking the afterlife is a disservice to this life that has been
granted to us. Any society or ethos that becomes a culture of death
eventually passes from the face of the earth via extinction or
wholesale change. There is a difference between a short-term

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commitment to death, such as there was by the Allies in defeating
the Axis powers during World War II, versus a long-term systemic
culture of death that propagates the idea of giving your life for a
cause. The former may be required for a time, but the latter is
destined for failure.
If my life is centered on the idea that I can have no greater
experience than giving my life for my king or country or cause, soon
that value proposition glows like a flare, a dazzling light ready to burn
to death any bug that dares approach too closely. When you do not
value your own life or have subjugated your life to another person or
political movement, you walk a fine line. This is why the military has
strict rules of conduct regarding the actions of its soldiers, in